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Are there any members still using a LORAN? I last used a King LORAN having a moving map in my Cherokee back in the early 90s. It was a great backup to my handheld GPS, and I wonder if LORAN will be around for a few more years?

Mine was a King LORAN with a moving map (radical technology back then, but this was a $10,000 LORAN with all the whistles and bells.) I didn't pay nearly that much for it because I did some horse-trading and got it for a song. I've found a King LORAN on Ebay for $100... Hmmm, it looks tempting.

There have been a few times (not many) when my GPS has pooped out in flight and I think the LORAN would be a good backup, but the question remains, HOW LONG WILL LORAN BE AROUND?

It was supposed to already be gone, but last I heard (I think 2003) somebody with maritime interests was supposed to tack an amendment to a house bill extending LORAN maintenance and operation for another 10 years, so that would keep it operational until at least 2013 (if it passed)!

I've got an old Flybuddy that I'm thinking of installing, just for the experience of using it. Of course, I could always put it in the boat. Receiver, manual, tray, antenna, and antenna amplifier (no coax). I might be talked into letting it go. I Don't know what it's worth, but it can't be much, by comparison.

I have an Apollo 604. It still works but most of the time programming it is too much of a pain in the butt. It's not what you can call 'user friendly'. So Iusually leave it off and use pilotage. Charts are cheap.

GPS and all the modern "bells& whistles" are fine if you can afford them and want to just cruise along looking for traffic. I have a Lowrance 500 and use it occasionally.

If some guys like to equip their 30+ year old aircraft like a stealth fighter,that's cool. As for me, I still pride myself that if the electronics fail, I still know where I am.

I use my panel mounted Northstar M-1 Loran system, and like it, very easy to use. It does not have a map display like the King, but the digital display is similar to a CDI, with DME, course, track, and ground speed. I also have a Garmin 295 that I rarely use, it?s just not worth the tangle of cables.

Checking with the US Coast Guard site, they mention support for the short term. However, it appears that a new tower was added to the North American chain last year for a new total of 29 towers. The USCG site also mentions proposed Gulf of Alaska and Northern Pacific coverage. Considering this, it seems like the government may provide support for the longer term. But who know, the government is not always logical.

My personal hope is that the LORAN C is continued for the long term. It maybe a strategic alternative to GPS. Remember the MIG-25 the defected to Japan? The modern fighter had tube radios? because this type of radio is less susceptible from electro-magnetic pulse (EMP.)

If LORAN C is only supported for 4 more years, and you spent $200 for the radio, $50 per year for a poor man?s GPS is not too bad. As of last year, King still supported the KLN-88 with data upgrades.

I agree. I never fly without a chart in my lap or by my side. It's just that I have flown in some very desolate areas out here in the Southwest, so I like to be armed with a chart, a GPS and I think a LORAN would be handy. I think when they started the Gulf War, GPS service suddenly went off-line, and if I'm flying at night near Presidio, Texas and the Big Bend... it would be nice to have that LORAN to take me home. And I don't care if it has a recent update, ELP, MID, DFW and FST will always be at the same location...

My Cessna has two radios, and I'm going to pull them, installing a new Narco. With the spare slot, I might stab the King LORAN in the panel.

My father used to joke with non-pilot types that he only would fly if the airplane had, "two engines, two pilots, two vacuum pumps and two wings..." He survived flying many years over the Rocky Mountains and having two of nearly everything saved him on more than one occasion. Thus my lust for a backup (and inexpensive)King LORAN for assistance. A good one is on Ebay at the moment.

John:

It seems fishy to me that they would spend more money on new towers. But what doesn't seem fishy to me is the fact that the reliability (if not the coverage) of LORAN is so good. And I think the EMF pulse you mentioned can be a factor... Another thought, if Iran starts making more noise, would the GPS signals be scrambled, or curtailed? 10 years ago, who would have dreamed of TFRs? Who knows in the future if the US will start doing a T(GPS)O ...Temporary GPS Outage?

LORAN (if I am correct) is only here in the US and it certainly seems like it is still a viable technology and should be supported as a backup to GPS.

If the feds continue to support VOR DME (talk about old technology) why shouldn't LORAN stay in place? It's a great system and can allow aviators a backup if Uncle Sam needs to do a TGPSO for strategic or wartime measures...

Still use the Northstar M1 that was in the stack when I got the plane in 04. Put new chips in it in 1/05 since the last update showed 96. It works fine most of the time and I agree that it is easy to use and provides good basic information. However I use Anywheremap GPS as well since I have lots of class B, the adiz and restriceted space to deal with. Like good ole pilotage the best though.

In the overall scheme of things, neither LORAN nor GPS was specifically designed for aviation use, with both originally funded for, and for the most part still controlled by the military. There is no guarantee at any given time that either system will be available during times of national emergency or otherwise, but at least (to my knowledge) the LORAN system has not been turned off (I don't think there is "one big switch"), or it's accuracy diminished, as GPS has been on several occasions since 9/11! For that reason, I personally think LORAN is still attractive as the more reliable system, while GPS remains attractive as the (usually) more accurate system. Considering the price of a used LORAN, if you've got the panel space, go for it!

With the limited panel space of our birds, one might seriously consider a second nav/com and VOR, in lieu of a LORAN or panel mount GPS, considering this is a proven system designed decades ago for aviation use only, and now controlled by the FAA. VOR's don't have the capability (to my knowledge) of being turned off simultaneously on a national level (again, no "big switch"), and the FAA would certainly be expected to issue termination of service warnings as far in advance as possible. Sure, VOR requires the "moving map" to be in your lap, but it doesn't require a periodic data base update, keeps you current on basics (as we ALL should be), and is far less expensive to maintain, considering the number of spares on the used market! It's main attraction to me, as a second system, is backup for what I still consider a primary system that you must have, without the expense of a combined nav/com/GPS/Direct TV system as backup! (I can't afford in flight movies, yet.)

I'm not advocating junking your G430's, etc. I'm just saying that when looking at alternatives, look at all of them before ruling anything out.

These are very valid points and I appreciate your comments... In regard to pilotage and flying as we did it when us older guys started years ago, I naver abandon the charts. I figure GPS and LORAN are just two more tools to have IN ADDITION to a $9 chart... I reckon it's like those of us who have in our toolbox, more than one 7/16th inch wrench, or more than one tape-measure. Sure, we can have overkill, but in a pinch it's nice to have a backup.

I remember one night flying my newly purchased Cherokee home from Kansas to Texas (Boy was I stupid for flying an airplane I wasn't REAL familiar with AT NIGHT... even though I had many hours in a Cherokee 140) My Trimble Flightmate just died on my X-country home... Fortunately, I always carry a small flashlight in my shirt pocket when flying at night (in addition to a big 2 Cell D battery light) and I was able to stick the flashlight in my mouth while reviewing my sectional... I found the "nearest 10 airports" the old fashioned way, landed at the nearest one, spent the night in a sleezy motel near the field and next morning diagnosed my GPS issue.

Thus my logic for having a backup device in the panel, and that King KLN-88 is looking very attractive at $100 with the antanae at the moment...

I have an Appollo 618 in my 150 and it works great. Just sits there and (slowly) counts down the miles, shows bearings, and even has some useful airport data (but some needs to be updated). No reason to remove it unless you need the space for something else.

Lee