Loran-C, Model 120MC

[kevin]

I for one, am not offended, it is a good question.

I will continue to update my Northstar M1 for as long as it is relatively cheap, because I already have the equipment installed in the airplane (in addition to a handheld GPS on my control yoke, a Garmin 295), and the Loran gives me a second, backup, point to point navigation data source. The altitudes I can comfortably fly in my P337 allow me to fly direct, point to point, almost everywhere I go. (I don't go to the Northeast US much.) When I make a cross US trip, I would guess that I spend less than an hour of the whole trip on an airway, usually I am navigating by the 295 and the Loran (oh, and of course using my KNS80 to make it all legal, as it the only IFR certified RNAV in the airplane). Anyway, once in a great while, there is GPS interference (most often for me near Edwards AFB in Southern Cal). The Loran gets me through when that happens. If they are both working, as they usually are, they are a good cross check of each other. And also, if I am navigating using the GPS, I can use the Loran to instantly give me distance and bearing to any point, or to set up another leg, or whatever.

Would I buy a Loran to do this? Hell no. Would I like to have an IFR certified, panel mounted GPS in my airplane? Hell yes. Have I ever found myself with the spare $6K to $8K to install a panel mounted, IFR certified GPS? No, I have not. But I do have the $200 it costs to update the Loran database every couple of years.

Someday soon the Loran will die, and I am unlikely to repair it. But if I still don't have the spare K's for the GPS, I may indeed buy a used, servicable Northstar M1 someplace, for $100 or less, and plug it right into where the dead one was.

So, bottom line, having two point to point navigation sources is very important to me. (Oh ya, I mean three, with the KNS80.) Keeping my Loran going is the least expensive way to do it, and it has worked well for me for the five years I have owned the airplane.

Sure would like a GPS for the GPS approaches though.

Kevin