Controller GPS dependency

[Bob Axsom]

A few weeks ago we were flying our RV-6A from Fayetteville, Arkansas to Charleston, South Carolina. It was IFR all the way and we made a fuel stop at Muscle Shoals (ILS Rwy 29). As we continued on our way I had filed on airways via Gadsden VOR and eventually Atlanta and Charleston via a lot of intersections etc. I filed with equipment suffix /U. There were thunderstorms to the south around Lagrange and north around Chattanooga with solid clouds and light rain everywhere. I'm cruising along at 7,000 ft between Muscle Shoals VOR and Gadsden VOR on V325 when the controller says they are not allowing any overflights at Atlanta today proceed direct to NELLO when able. I am navigating by IFR Enroute Low Altitude Chart L-14 which is the chart for this airway. I scan the chart and no NELLO intersection (thank goodness for TRU TRAK) and do not see such an intersection. The controller comes back with some urgency asking if I have located NELLO yet. I said no and requested an initial vector to relieve his tension. He gave me the vector and I turned approximately 90 degrees to the left entered the identifier in the SL60 GPS and located it electronically then I found the intersection on L-20 chart. The weather was actually pretty mild IMC for us at that time but it could have been severe and without a vector I would have had no clue which way to turn to intercept and airway proceeding to NELLO intersection with only IFR /U equipment onboard. I think this is evidence that we have a defacto GPS required IFR navigation system in place already because of controller operations that do not recognize the full IFR system. Any thoughts?

Bob Axsom

[hevansrv7a]

I had a similar experience when flying IFR from Detroit DET to FRG on Long Island. I don't recall the intersection or navaid to which they diverted me but it was way north and off the chart I was on. I did not have the chart on which their point was to be found. I was also /U with a 295 handheld noted in Remarks. I had no idea where they were taking me and said so. They relented, after some delay, and vectored me, on the chart, around the Bravo airspace and then south to FRG. On the plus side, I've had them ask me the heading to my destination and then, if I can give it, clear me direct. When they do this they know I have the handheld but they have me on RADAR and are happy to have me out of the way (C-150 at those times) and off the airway. I know this disturbs the purists, but the FAA people are making it up as they go and not adhering rigidly to the rules. I now have a faster airplane and a better handheld, but will still file /U to be legal. I have not had this experience yet in my RV, but hope to!

[AltonD]

I have filed IFR-direct. I place in the comments VFR GPS. I have never been turned down. I have been told as long as this is in a radar environment, you will be good to go.

[Ironflight]

I actually had almost the opposite experience yesterday Bob - I was headed to KWEA, just west of Carswell in Fort Worth, and was going direct to Glen Rose VOR. I was given "After Glen Rose, Track outbound on the 016 radial until reaching the Ranger VOR 222 radial, then track inbound to Ranger". Aside from the fact that this clearance was annoying because it took me directly away from the Millsap VOR, which is what I needed to shoot the approach into KWEA, it would have been a lot easier if he'd just said "After Glen Rose, proceed direct SLUGG", which is the intersection at the point in space that he defined for me.....and I was filed "/G", as always.....

To be fair, the next controller gave me "Direct SLUGG"....

[John Clark]

Originally Posted by AltonD

I have filed IFR-direct. I place in the comments VFR GPS. I have never been turned down. I have been told as long as this is in a radar environment, you will be good to go.

Yup! If you file direct or acccept a direct clearance it is your responsibility to stay on course. The Feds will not ask how you are going to do it unless you screw it up. If asked how you managed to do such a fine job the answer is "dead reckoning"

John Clark
RV8 N18U "Sunshine"
KSBA

[jbDC9]

Originally Posted by Bob Axsom

...without a vector I would have had no clue which way to turn to intercept and airway proceeding to NELLO intersection with only IFR /U equipment onboard. I think this is evidence that we have a defacto GPS required IFR navigation system in place already because of controller operations that do not recognize the full IFR system. Any thoughts?

Methinks the controllers might be doing this out of habit since most airliners flying these days have RNAV capabilty of some sort... but every now and then a few airliners (727s, DC-9s, older MD-80s) can't go RNAV direct. Quite a few times I've heard a controller clear a Northwest DC-9 (VOR/ADF only) direct to some fix or intersection down the road... the NWA guys respond with "unable".

So if you're filed /U and aren't comfortable with direct to a fix on your own, just use the "u" word... they'll figure something else out.