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RNAV Guide

Asked by: 6111 views ,
Instrument Rating

I am looking for a guide to the use of RNAV particularly GPS use in the IFR world. It seems that with GPS being still relatively new and new guidelines being published still, that the information is scattered everywhere!(FAR, AIM, AC, ...)

Wondering if you could help out with this at all. Can I fly Rnav based SIDs/STARs? Q and T routes.

Aircraft with No autopilot, GNS430 (C172M)

Aircraft with dual GNS430, STec55x autopilot, no FD (SR22 Avidyne PFD MFD)

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1 Answers



  1. Matthew Waugh on Jul 28, 2010

    I think your key documents are going to be the RNAV section of the AIM which was re-worked fairly recently and AC 90-100A. But yes, the whole what can do what to who is still a little confused.

    Your ability to fly RNAV SIDs/STARs and Q and T routes is dependent on the status of the equipment installed in the plane. You can’t just slap a GPS in the panel and call it good to go, it has to be approved for the appropriate IFR operations, typically approaches, terminal and en-route or some sub-set of those.

    In the good old days each GPS installation had to be approved individually by the local FSDO, but I believe there are now some blanket approvals for certain vendors and GPS units, and I’m fairly sure the SR22 is going to be approach, terminal and en-route approved. The status of the GNS430 in the C172M is less clear to me, but the AFM supplements should give you the low down.

    Q and T routes are en-route, SIDs and STARs are terminal, so those are the approvals you need.

    The existence, functioning status and use of an autopilot and/or flight director are all irrelevant to the issue of flying those kinds of routes.

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