"Honestly flying without a GPS and not getting lost is not brain surgery. It's amazing how people can over-complicate this whole VFR cross country thing.... especially in something that moves 110 knots."

Couldn't have said it better myself. I never used a GPS until my instrument training and even then, it was only a KLN 89. I try to refrain from giving PPL students the GPS experience until they can tell me exactly where we are, whenever I ask, on any given flight.

I'll never forget the time I inherited this one student. We're flying towards Mt Rainier. Seattle is behind us. I tell her to remove her foggles and tell me where we are. "I don't know" was the reply I got. A 50 hour student. Unbelievable. She got too used to the new trainers with the glass cockpit. I hope it's not a trend.