Is This Approach Legal?

Any instrument-rated pilot should know, as a double-I we knew well would stress, "While youre flying straight and level is a good time to get set up for the approach." Sage advice, but that was back in the days when pilots of most personal airplanes considered themselves fortunate to have a working DME. Moving maps hadnt been invented and the first GPS satellite had yet to be launched. As long as we had current plates-which was most of the time-and a record of a VOR check having been performed in the preceding 30 days, we were good to shoot almost any approach this side of a CAT IIIa ILS, including the then-feared-but-now-rare NDB procedure.

Key Takeaways:

• Modern GPS navigation offers significant advancements but demands pilots understand increased complexities, including database currency, specific equipment limitations, and regulatory details.
• While GPS databases require regular updates, an expired database may still be usable for an approach if the specific approach data can be verified as current, according to the Aircraft Flight Manual Supplement (AFMS) for the unit.
• Rules for using GPS at alternate airports differ for non-WAAS and WAAS-certified systems, impacting how they can substitute for other navigation aids and their reliance on signal integrity.
• Pilots must thoroughly understand the "fine print" of their GPS navigators, their installation, and associated regulatory complexities to safely and legally utilize modern IFR procedures.

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