REFLECTOR: GPS Jamming & Your IFR Panel

[Mark Magee]

All,
I read this story in Fox today and wanted to pass along to the group. It is
a long article with some new information I had never heard before, that
very easily affects all of us going glass panel and trusting all to GPS. If
you plan on shooting GPS approaches in IMC, you really need to read this
article:

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/02/23/gps-emerging-threat/?test=latestnews

I suppose I will lean heavily on the vendors that are cross-checking all
NAV data with Electronic Inertial NAV as I know Grand Rapids and hopefully
others are doing. When I flew my bird from Livermore CA to its home here in
Central Texas I experienced the military jamming on the GPS system in
southern NM and flew dead reckoning for about 175NM listening on ELP APP
freq to SW Airlines B37 Drivers getting lost in their approaches into El
Paso and the controllers getting them back on profile. This was a CAVU
sunny day, I can't imagine if we had all been in the CLAG with no back up
NAV to GPS. My panel mount Garmin and handheld were both useless. ELP Tower
announced GPS jamming from the area of White Sands was in progress, and I
could hear the controllers working USMC F-18s.
What is the thoughts out there on GPS as the heart lungs and brain of a
glass panel. I would not feel comfortable understanding how easily the
signal is jammed by non pilot types avoiding their employers knowing their
location in the company vehicle.

There is some value to a Steam Gauge brain after all?

Mark B. Magee
N34XL XLFG 300HP 80HRS
Brady TX
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