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When I was operational we never used GPS. The reason being, I understood, is that the military controlled the system and in time of war it could be turned off. We used INS and ground based beacons. It seems that now airlines are more reliant on GPS https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/articl ... aster.html

The Russians are jamming it. Why have we now started to use GPS for a primary aid in civil operations? Are the Military also using it in peace time?

The problem is that because GPS is far more accurate and normally reliable it is written into airline SOPs. There are, hopefully, a few pilots left who can actually navigate and not just follow the 'magenta line', and I'm sure the route and approach to that airfield could have been achieved without GPS. However, if it ain't allowed, it cannot be done. I do wonder how many of the new 'breed' could actually get from A to B without the Nav kit!

Years back I picked up a 73-4 in Venice which had effectively dumped all its electronic database bits on the cockpit floor and thus was 'non-RNAV' and thus not compliant with BA procedures. After about an hour's wrangling on the phone with BA 'management' I managed to get permission to operate the flight to Gatwick non-RNAV using beacon offsets for the RNAV waypoints. My last, desperate attempt to get 'permission' rather than dump all the pax at Venice was to suggest I came back below FL100 (where RNAV was not mandatory in those days) tanking up fuel . I think that persuaded them! Management were not happy....

This whole 'SOP' thing had reared its head a few times when the BA cleaning ladies had hoovered the mains plug out of the BA Flight Planning system and we were all 'grounded' until the system came back up. I did suggest we should operate on 'still-air' PLOGS and forecast winds with performance charts like what real airlines could do, but that was 'non-SOP and rejected, so all off to the coffee bar!

I had no experience of GPS during my career, either. Basic INS was nearest I got to it. Remember Radio Ranges ? !!

Recently talking about old time airline Navigation to a friend at the local Aero Club, a young student said "What's a Sextant ?" One could weep.

Endless fun on the Andover watching the Nav shuffle with the Decca rolls. It seemed to be quite accurate.

The sextant mounting was used occasionally just for the Nav to keep in practice but mainly used for flags.

Having a Nav to shuffle the Decca rolls - luxury! In my early days on the North Sea we used Decca Mk8 and had to do the roll change ourselves with the cack handed inevitably tearing the roll. Then came Danac, and then for a short while our Company had Omega VLF which was all but useless. When GPS first arrived with us it was tagged "not to be used for primary navigation". As it was the only navaid we had that worked 120 miles offshore at 2000ft it was a bit difficult not to use it as the primary aid!