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This works great until some foreign power takes out several of our GPS birds or a CME fries some important stuff, then what? We give up IMC aviation? Can't go b

This works great until some foreign power takes out several of our GPS birds or a CME fries some important stuff, then what? We give up IMC aviation? Can't go back to ILS -- I hear they're taking those out. NDBs? Gone. LORAN? Are those even in existence any more? Can the big airports supplement with WAAS units enough for some kind of commercial aviation to continue? Is that possible? I love GPS, and I'm for using it more and more, but I have a philosophical problem with putting all of our eggs in one basket. Just like the military's reliance on stealth, this is really cool stuff -- until it stops working. Then you're worse off than before. Maybe I'm just old cranky guy today.

jdietrich 15y ago
GLONASS (and eventually Galileo and Compass) have put us in something of a cold war situation. All the superpowers will have full GNSS systems in operation by 2020. Crucially, Galileo is effectively the "non-aligned" GNSS system, with diverse investment from outside Europe. If we start shooting at satellites, there'll be much scarier things to worry about than how aviators will plot a course for landing. For better or worse, satellite warfare is the new Mutually Assured Destruction.
- DanielBMarkham 15y ago
  Thank you. Okay, I'll buy the MAD analogy, although we were very lucky that MAD worked. No guarantee it's going to work in a multi-party situation. But fine. Sill, where's the dual technology system? When I got my IFR ticket, I shot an NDB and an ILS plus I had to know about GPS approaches (they weren't certified then). If I couldn't shoot an ILS at an airport, maybe I could pull off an NDB at my alternate. If your GPS broke you could use the NDBs to get a fix, your pitot freezes over you use pitch and power, your vacuum gyro fails you have an electric backup, etc. There was always a mix of methods. The beauty of the system was that you never depended on just one thing. Is that gone now? It's all GPS or nothing? A solar flare takes out our GPS capability, and simply because "there'll be much scarier things to worry about" that means we're not as hosed? Thanks again for the information. Just trying to sort out in my head what risks are being taken.
icegreentea 15y ago
I believe the plan is to leave some ILS systems in place as backup. Honestly, they're in a bad spot. I'm sure all their engineers want to keep all current ILS around, but money is on the line. Sometimes you got to make trade offs.

jdietrich 15y ago

GLONASS (and eventually Galileo and Compass) have put us in something of a cold war situation. All the superpowers will have full GNSS systems in operation by 2020. Crucially, Galileo is effectively the "non-aligned" GNSS system, with diverse investment from outside Europe. If we start shooting at satellites, there'll be much scarier things to worry about than how aviators will plot a course for landing. For better or worse, satellite warfare is the new Mutually Assured Destruction.

DanielBMarkham 15y ago
Thank you. Okay, I'll buy the MAD analogy, although we were very lucky that MAD worked. No guarantee it's going to work in a multi-party situation. But fine. Sill, where's the dual technology system? When I got my IFR ticket, I shot an NDB and an ILS plus I had to know about GPS approaches (they weren't certified then). If I couldn't shoot an ILS at an airport, maybe I could pull off an NDB at my alternate. If your GPS broke you could use the NDBs to get a fix, your pitot freezes over you use pitch and power, your vacuum gyro fails you have an electric backup, etc. There was always a mix of methods. The beauty of the system was that you never depended on just one thing. Is that gone now? It's all GPS or nothing? A solar flare takes out our GPS capability, and simply because "there'll be much scarier things to worry about" that means we're not as hosed? Thanks again for the information. Just trying to sort out in my head what risks are being taken.

icegreentea 15y ago

I believe the plan is to leave some ILS systems in place as backup. Honestly, they're in a bad spot. I'm sure all their engineers want to keep all current ILS around, but money is on the line. Sometimes you got to make trade offs.