LORAN officially going away?
- Thread starter PA44-LUV
- Start date
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
I've heard those stories from 8 and whale drivers from the old days and trying to find someone to follow. Then you would still coast in way right or left of the track. I heard the guys started getting the first hand held GPS's when it came out then they all started going right down the middle to ATC's amazement.
Never used the Litton's but I have heard some of the horror stories with the older units that weren't laser ring.
You didn't get the fun of dealing with the hamster-running-around operated systems?
///AMG
Well-Known Member
In ground school for my aircraft I heard that too about their older products. On the flipside of that coin we use a strap-down Litton ring laser gyro unit (coupled with GPS). Though I have some issues on occasion with the GPS portion, I've never heard of any problems with straight INS mode....the drift rate is something like 0.1-0.2 nm/hr so I guess that is probably pretty good.
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
You didn't get the fun of dealing with the hamster-running-around operated systems?
thankfully NO. and while I learned Omega I never go to use it before it was shutdown.
Doesn't the military still operate a station at each pole?
What scares me is that the gov't is taking NDB offline and soon VOR will be going next followed by ILS's making us dependant on GPS. I don't like having all my eggs in one basket. I have had my GPS go Tango Uniform for it to be the only way to shoot an approach.
Also how hard would be to for our enemies to jam the signal and or take out the ground station? Don't the sats shut down in 3-7 days without an update from the ground station?
A dedicated enemy could easily devise ways to neutralize GPS, if they so desired.
ppragman
No pasa nada.
One would expect that since JDAMs and much of our warfighting technology relies on GPS, that any industrialized nation worth it's salt would be very interested in knowing how to prevent us from using it in their territory. Also, I know that the government wouldn't click off SA without some sort of way to jam gps in certain regions, or effectively prevent the enemy from using our own technology against us. In fact, I fail to see the logic in providing a system like this to the public at all without having a way to neutralize it. Chances are GPS is a lot less reliable than we think it is, not to be a conspiracy theorist or anything.
Corporate Pilot
Well-Known Member
I used several Global VLF/Omega series II. Had to tell it were it was, still remember KDAL 3251/9651, it had 9 waypoints you had to enter by Lat/Long and only 1 flight plan and I thought it was great at the time. Flew with a young pilot a few years ago and he could not believe it
tonyw
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't worry about it. We have GPS and VORs make a nice backup.
The best comment on LORAN was made by an examiner who came along with me and my instructor on one flight. He rode in the backseat because we were flying to a place where his airplane was being fixed.
The plane we took had LORAN. He told me that if I took the ride in that plane, I was to tell him the LORAN's inoperative because he was sure I had no clue on how to use it, and neither did he.
The best comment on LORAN was made by an examiner who came along with me and my instructor on one flight. He rode in the backseat because we were flying to a place where his airplane was being fixed.
The plane we took had LORAN. He told me that if I took the ride in that plane, I was to tell him the LORAN's inoperative because he was sure I had no clue on how to use it, and neither did he.
Works much like a GPS, slight differences
Itchy
Well-Known Member
For ground based receivers, it would be very easy. But wouldn't be a bit tougher for aircraft since they are (usually) above the terrain, and the antenna is on top of the bird? Localized (say near DH) may be easier, but en-route?
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
All the military needs to do is re-introduce the P code. This screws up all civilian sets by artifically altering the satellites altitude, thereby distorting your position. The great the error the military introduces the greater the error in your set. Of course the military sets are not affected by the P code. The error was common in 90's.
///AMG
Well-Known Member
Well that would prevent (to some extent) enemies using our GPS system, but the issue here is their capability to jam our signals in combat or otherwise (terrorism). That certainly can be done, and that's probably about all that anyone is going to say about it.
Bandit_Driver
Gold Member
Agree with you completely...All I am trying to say the gov't want to put all our eggs in one basket and I am not comfortable with it. fine kill the NDB's but leave the ILS's and VOR's up.
///AMG
Well-Known Member
Fully agree with that