I believe there were some posts on this a while back, but I missed them, so indulge me.
My questions are: Are the Garmin 430’s in the 20’s/22’s WAAS “upgradeable”? And, does anyone know what qualifies as an upgrade? What are we going to have to spend? I mean, one could argue that for $190K I could “upgrade” my car to a Cirrus SR-20!
I ask because if we are going to have to rip out our GPS’s in a few years in order to get WAAS, it will affect which configuration I choose.
Dean
PS – just to make sure I’m talking about the right thing here – WAAS is basically be a more accurate GPS signal that will allow for high-precision approaches - higher than ILS - and is expected to be the standard of precision approaches for at least the next 20 years… Yes?
My questions are: Are the Garmin 430’s in the 20’s/22’s WAAS “upgradeable”? And, does anyone know what qualifies as an upgrade?
Yes, they are upgradeable, cost is unknown, but it will be implemented with a software upgrade (which just requires taking it to a service agent). There are no hardware changes needed (because the WAAS system transmits on the same frequencies as the GPS satellites). But when it will be available and what the cost will be is unknown.
PS – just to make sure I’m talking about the right thing here – WAAS is basically be a more accurate GPS signal that will allow for high-precision approaches - higher than ILS
WAAS will certainly not provide better accuracy than ILS. It is envisaged that WAAS will eventually make possible “new precision approaches” but the current phase 1 implementation schedule only provides for en-route and non-precision approach navigation. The LAAS (Local Area Augmentation System) is expected to provide CAT II and III approaches.
It’s not clear to me that WAAS, in the forseeable future, will provide any benefit other than improved integrity, but no doubt the FAA knows better.
WAAS is of little consequence to the VFR pilot. He can do anything with a GPS now that he would be able to do with WAAS.
Since the gov’t is no longer degrading the signals accuracy in azimuth is about 30 ft., good enough. But in the vertical plane, i.e. altitude, satellite information alone can be off by 300 ft or more, not good. Augmentation is required to improve vertical accuracy.
The FAA has 2 definitions for IFR approaches, “precision” and “non precision”. The distinguishing characteristic is vertical guidance. The only “precision” approach available to civilian pilots now is the ILS. LAAS installed at individual airports and Wide Area Augmentation Systems covering multiple airports are intended to provide a second type of vertical guidance for IFR approaches.
Nice to have but won’t add as much new capability as some folks think.
WAAS will certainly not provide better accuracy than ILS. It is envisaged that WAAS will eventually make possible “new precision approaches” but the current phase 1 implementation schedule only provides for en-route and non-precision approach navigation. The LAAS (Local Area Augmentation System) is expected to provide CAT II and III approaches.
It’s not clear to me that WAAS, in the forseeable future, will provide any benefit other than improved integrity, but no doubt the FAA knows better.
Hmmm. Yes, you are both right that I misspoke/wrote that WAAS/LAAS would be better than an ILS. I realize now that it will only be as good, however it will require less equipment and is more versatile.
I disagree with you as to its usefulness. The FAA plans to have shelved more than half of all the ILS, and a majority of the VOR’S, NDB’S etc… by 2013, with substantial reductions (30%) by 2008. All based on a WAAS.LAAS navigation standard. The main point of a fully operational WAAS/LAAS is to allow a variety of new and/or simpler PRECISION approaches to be created at airports where the ILS is not practical. And while the current WAAS is not reliable enough to achieve Cat I ILS standards, my understanding is WAAS alone (without the LAAS) should achieve CAT I capability by next year or two. With LAAS those standards will improve even more! New Precision approaches are being designed as I write this into airports that until now had non-precision minimums of 1000ft. Some of those approaches are going to be available in the next 12 months.
To me this means WAAS/LAAS will be most beneficial to the private pilot, who unlike the airlines, rarely has the benefit of an ILS into the airport he/she desires. I can imagine how nice it will be to get into my home base of Santa Monica on the new precision GPS approach with ILS CAT I minimums… With over 5000 airports and less than 1/5 of those having ILS - I believe WAAS/LAAS will become the standard means for a private pilot to land in IMC.
Either way, the fact that the Garmins are designed with WAAS/LAAS capabilities in mind is good. I for one don’t want to end up with two 430’s that need to be replaced. (the UPS GPS in the lancairs are NOT upgradeable - $5K bye bye) I know, I know, 8 years is a long way off, but I thought these planes were supposed to be the future of aviation 
BTW - good link about this stuff :
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/2000/future0005.html