X-country vac. Do I bother with charts or is the GPS ok?

[OldTownPilot]

Ah crap. How the hell am I going to fly IFR in a /U airplane?

Of the 3 airplanes the school owns, one is /A one is /U and the 150 is VFR only but has a gps.

I think I'll manage. Bring the charts.

[adreamer]

Bring the charts as backups. refresh your memory how to navigate by using your eye balls

[ctab5060X]

Originally Posted by Ian J

I hope not.

That is how I used to think until I flew with a former FAA inspector who used the "all available and applicable information" argument. Ended up debating this for 2 hours en route one night and I ended up seeing his point. He mainly used the argument that IFR en route charts don't have the physical information that VFR charts do, and in the event of an emergency in VFR condiditons...you get the point. He also argued (and this I can see) that if you are IFR into a busy non-towered (i.e. tower is closed) field and you cancel 10 miles out with the field in sight, you have become an VFR aircraft on a VFR code and are no longer IFR, you do need VFR charts (even if they never are opened) just in case Mr. FAA is there and he is having a bad day.

My company doesn't provide them and says we can't bring our own on board.

That is just sad. Thankfully, I work for a company that provides all charts (VFR WAC charts and applicable TAC charts for route). If it were me and my area could be covered by a single sectional or WAC chart, I would get one, stick it in a zipper compartment of my flight bag and if anyone ever asked, tell them you use that same bag for personal flying or flight instruction and must have forgotten to take your chart out (oops!). Let's face it, one VFR chart issued roughly every six months is not that expensive in the overall picture.

Forgot this...I think if you are using Jepp charts, they can double for your VFR charts, but not sure on this. I would still carry a basic VFR chart regardless.