Using handheld garmin to shoot RNAV

Would you trust this in an VFR into IMC situation?

  • Total voters
    21
pilatuspilot

pilatuspilot

Well-Known Member
I shot one for the fun of it last night. I was on an ILS approach and loaded the RNAV into the 510 and followed it on down perfectly. Has anybody ever done this?
 
I would use it, but only if I had no other options, so if I was in solid IMC, that was wide spread with no way out, and an electrical failure. I would do it.
 
heres food for thought. I know a lot of people go "OH NOES!!11 , handheld for approach!" Shoot an NDB approach, hell, even a VOR approach and then try your handheld and tell me which one you really think is safer, and more accurate.

I'd really rather have a hand held 560 than most panel mounted "certified" IFR GPSs
 
You can keep your cross track error to way less than .3NM on a handheld if you can fly at all. Plus the nicer ones will tell you how many satellites you have and give an annunciation when you lose reception which is essentially poor man's RAIM. No, itsnot certified, and no, it's not real RAIM, but it'd do in a pinch if you got caught in the weather, or if you had some catastrophic electrical failure and were in the goo. I flew with a 296 that was light years past the /A plane it was yoke mounted in.
 
It'd be a good backup, but I'm way too much of a weenie to go in a VFR-only aircraft with a handheld anything in a non-emergency scenario.
 
I was on a 135 ride with a Fed when this topic came up. His "opinion" (remember, he's not allowed to have one) was that he'd MUCH rather see someone shoot a handheld GPS approach to, for instance, an airport with only a GPS approach, rather than a VOR approach to an airport a few miles away and then scud run home after breaking out underneath.

Then again, my "opinion" is to shoot the VOR approach at said airport and land, wait, and come home when you don't have to pull the handheld out of the bag.

I've also heard people say that they'd like to carry a 496 in a transport category aircraft so it can be used as a "backup". My question to them is what is the liklihood of dual GPS and dual IRU system failing all at the same time. Might as well carry a spare airplane in case the airplane breaks down.
 
In an emergency (which being in IMC with VFR equipment most certainly is), sure - use it. I've tried the 10 year old garmin in my bag to make sure I could do it as well. (I've had complete electrical failures before. With my luck, it is a matter of time before it happens again.)
 
TFaudree_ERAU said:
I was on a 135 ride with a Fed when this topic came up. His "opinion" (remember, he's not allowed to have one) was that he'd MUCH rather see someone shoot a handheld GPS approach to, for instance, an airport with only a GPS approach, rather than a VOR approach to an airport a few miles away and then scud run home after breaking out underneath.

Then again, my "opinion" is to shoot the VOR approach at said airport and land, wait, and come home when you don't have to pull the handheld out of the bag.

I've also heard people say that they'd like to carry a 496 in a transport category aircraft so it can be used as a "backup". My question to them is what is the liklihood of dual GPS and dual IRU system failing all at the same time. Might as well carry a spare airplane in case the airplane breaks down.
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I have no IRUs.

That said, the airplane flies just fine without working FMSs.

My "opinion": I'm going to shoot an approved approach with approved equipment in the situation above. Having seen a handheld suddenly lose signal outside of Concord one day opened my eyes as to why IFR-certified GPS units are certified the way they are.
 
Would I PLAN on doing it? No freaking way. Would I do it if I had to? Shoot yeah I would.
But really the idea is to avoid backing yourself into the kind of corner that necessitates something like that.
 
I voted yes. When you say "Would you trust this in an VFR into IMC situation?" I think "emergency."

I'd first use it to get to VFR conditions if I could (I also have XM weather on it). But failing better alternatives, I've used and practiced enough with mine to be comfortable with its reliability, especially when compared with no other viable alternatives.
 
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