For years now, the alphabet-soup that represents the regulators we are all so familiar with have been mandating that we use technologies well past their use-by dates. The NDB/ADF, VOR, TACAN, Inertial and Omega systems currently approved (and apparently preferred) by the various regulatory bodies have been thoroughly superseded in the continuing march of technology... but still the regulators insist that we either use these old systems renowned for pointing at every stray electron in the sky, in preference to our new super-accurate, easily comprehensible technologies which we must placard "for information only" or "not for primary means navigation".  Bizarre.

To an extent, their position has been supported and justified by the current suppliers of GPS system internal databases. The databases as supplied are often incomplete, inaccurate subsets of the AIP data available for any given National airways system. Further, the databases are optimised for IFR operations -which hand-held or portable GPS systems are neither approved nor appropriate for. The VFR pilot is missing out on a lot of information that may be of tremendous benefit, potentially lifesaving but certainly hugely assisting situational awareness. The databases also contain huge amounts of extraneous information that are of no benefit to us at all, merely padding in the database suppliers product.

The upshot of it all? The Pilot community has recognised the benefits of GPS systems and they have voted with their wallets. GPS systems of all natures can be found in just about every pilots flight-bag, in aircraft panels and as planned retrofits for countless airframes.

Our aim then, is in the first instance to fill a glaringly obvious gap in the database information available to VFR pilots (initially) and their hand-held devices. More complete information means better decision making, particularly in times of stress.