NDBs are Dinosaurs

[tonycondon]

exactly Chris.

 

[Dr. Bill]

I must've missed the answer; where is that 'homegrown' ILS?

 

[gismo]

But the comparison isn't with a VOR or LOC, it's with a GPS approach that lacks vertical guidance. You are correct in that I have to often make course changes and circle on some NDB approaches, but the mins typically allow me to do that with no issue. Personally I prefer an ILS. I have nothing particular against GPS approaches, but I don't yet have the faith in them to leave them as my only way down. In the continental US, if you loose GPS, you don't really have a problem because even if you cant get into the airport you want, there will be a nearby alternate with an ILS to get you down. That doesn't hold true everywhere else though. My concern is that in the not to distant future, we may be stuck with only celestial guidance for budgetary reasons, and it will lead to some ugly situations.

OK, I gotta admit that if the GPS goes down things could get interesting in some situations, but as long as it's working, I love the flexibility and ease of use I get with a WAAS IFR GPS. And baring a serious jamming effort or some global power taking out all the satellites, I doubt that the system itself will fail completely.