"Say has anyone pickup a VOR from over 225 miles? I wonder what onein the US has the longest range."Depending on your altitude and atmospheric conditions you might be able to receive a High Altitude Service Volume from more than 225 miles. You should not be using it for navigation though (at least in the real world). Using a VOR beyond its range will likely be inaccurate and could have interference from another VOR on the same or similar frequency.VOR Service Volume for a (H) High Altitude VOR:From 1,000 feet AGL up to and including 14,500 feet AGL at radial distances out to 40NM. From 14,500 feet AGL up to and including 60,000 feet at radial distances out to 100NM. From 18,000 feet AGL up to and including 45,000 feet AGL at radial distances out to 130NM.For low alt and terminal VOR

>How about an IFR departure using GPS where the pilot flying>out of Salt Lake City was given a clearance direct to Ogden>VOR (OGD) at 10,000 feet. He punched "Direct To" on the GPS>and keyed in ODG instead of OGD. Happily following the little>magenta line on the GPS, he turned right instead of left ...>which just happened to point him straight at a mountain with a>peak at 13,000 feet.>I suppose I prefer more detail in a moving map, which would at least depict the Great Salt Lake, freeways, & perhaps rising terrain to the east. And in addition, I wouldn't even think of flying in mountain territory without a sectional for reference, let alone some "serious" pre-planning.Someday, maybe all the moving map GPS's will resemble a colored sectional map, as some do today. Then it will be nearly impossible (unless completely stupid) to blindly follow a colored line..I must admit............. I favored the sectional map in the original FLY simulation, which doubled for a much better GPS than the older Bendix King unit that was included in the panels.L.Adamson

Leon -My reference was to the accidents Ladamson listed in his post, not the incident you posted about. All 4 of those accidents were the result of judgemental errors on the part of the pilot ... and you can make the same kind of misjudgement just as quickly with a GPS.Now I don't know the pilots in question, but I can assume none of them were actually "stupid" per-se. So my wording may have been off, but my point is that GPS is no substitute for sound judgement and basic skills.Pilots have blindly followed GPS guidance into mountains and obstacles just as surely as the pilot Ladamson posted about followed the wrong highway.I have a GPS in my plane and would never consider parting with it, but I've had it fail in IMC, so I regularly practice navigating without it. I continually cross check GPS position with other sources - be it VOR or ground reference.I've also programmed the wrong waypoint. (I figured it out when I looked at the time remaining enroute and it showed 14 hours left on an hour flight :)I wholeheartedly agree that GPS is a *phenomenal* advance in navigation capabilities .. particularly for GA pilots. Should we go back to the "dark ages" .. no way! Pilots are out there (not *US*, obviously :)) who assume GPS will let them scud run home at night in marginal VFR in mountainous terrain. *That's* the kind of decision making that'll get you killed ... and GPS isn't going to solve that problem.

I realize that Martin,There's no question that a carefully planned and executed flight, using the navigation fundamentals we've all learned (but maybe forgotten to practice) will see us safely to our destination.I travel periodically from central Florida (home) to central Alabama, where the strip I referenced is located, in our C206. And without fail, I obtain a briefing, file a flightplan, track/cross reference inbound/outbound VOR stations (most of the way anyway), and listen to ATIS information. It would be very easy to skip all the formalities, bring up the GPS triplog and go, but I go through the prescribed procedure because it forces planning and execution.This doesn't preclude the occasional surprise, but proper planning and preparation increases the chances of a successful resolution.Oh...and I have to admit that my Dad, a 7,000 hr. retired fighter pilot plugged a wrong waypoint into his the first time he used it as well...oh well...Merry Christmas,Leon