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After the invention of GPS, aviation increased its capabilities due to the advantages GPS provides. Many modern flights depend on those capabilities to be econo

After the invention of GPS, aviation increased its capabilities due to the advantages GPS provides. Many modern flights depend on those capabilities to be economically viable, and are thus dependent on GPS. Simply because it’s possible to fly without GPS doesn’t mean it’s commercially viable. Remember, before GPS, direct transatlantic flight weren’t generally possible because there’s no radar or radio coverage out there to help with flight navigation. Also for a long time, plane navigated by flying low and literally following giant arrows on the ground[1]. I doubt anyone is particularly keen to return to that kind of navigation. [1] https://www.dreamsmithphotos.com/arrow/ https://www.dreamsmithphotos.com/arrow/

marsovo 2y ago
Not to mention removal of the alternatives in favor of GPS, e.g. shutting down VOR beacons (see e.g. https://www.flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/24_hours/popular/56667/FAA_Releases_VOR_Decommissioning_Policy https://www.flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/24_hours/popular/...)
taeric 2y ago
It is interesting to consider how many old mysteries in flying came down to "pilot didn't know where they actually were." This isn't much different from hikers getting stranded, even when they are within a mile of a marked trail.
cogman10 2y ago
We'd definitely need new hardware and/or infrastructure to work without GPS. > before GPS, direct transatlantic flight weren’t generally possible I'm not sure what you mean by this. Commercial transatlantic flight picked up after WW2 in the 50s. By the 1970s it was fairly common. A lot of that came from rocketry research and INS.
nradov 2y ago
Nonsense. There were decades of commercial transatlantic flights before the widespread adoption of GPS. No one painted giant arrows on the ocean. Airliners navigated using a mix of dead reckoning, ground signals, and sometimes even celestial observations. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/707-flight-changed-everything-180971219/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/707-flight... GPS (and other GNSS) make civil aviation slightly safer and more efficient but it's hardly necessary for routine flight operations.

marsovo 2y ago

Not to mention removal of the alternatives in favor of GPS, e.g. shutting down VOR beacons (see e.g. https://www.flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/24_hours/popular/56667/FAA_Releases_VOR_Decommissioning_Policy https://www.flightaware.com/squawks/view/1/24_hours/popular/...)

taeric 2y ago

It is interesting to consider how many old mysteries in flying came down to "pilot didn't know where they actually were." This isn't much different from hikers getting stranded, even when they are within a mile of a marked trail.

cogman10 2y ago

We'd definitely need new hardware and/or infrastructure to work without GPS. > before GPS, direct transatlantic flight weren’t generally possible I'm not sure what you mean by this. Commercial transatlantic flight picked up after WW2 in the 50s. By the 1970s it was fairly common. A lot of that came from rocketry research and INS.

nradov 2y ago

Nonsense. There were decades of commercial transatlantic flights before the widespread adoption of GPS. No one painted giant arrows on the ocean. Airliners navigated using a mix of dead reckoning, ground signals, and sometimes even celestial observations. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/707-flight-changed-everything-180971219/ https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/707-flight... GPS (and other GNSS) make civil aviation slightly safer and more efficient but it's hardly necessary for routine flight operations.