Originally Posted by
abelenky
mjarosz: That is an excellent article. Thank you very much. It does concern me a bit that controllers might be giving /U craft direct-to instructions or GPS fixes. I suppose I'm always free to refuse the clearance.
I'm not sure why you're concerned. What do you think might happen? You'll go to your fix (or refuse it, I guess). My suggestion in the above post is to simply ask for a heading (in the enroute center airspace; they have equipment to do this) or offer the heading (military airspace or FAA approach control).
For example:
Bugsmasher 123, SoCal approach, radar contact one mile west of LAX, turn left and proceed direct Sarasota, direct Miami.
That controller either doesn't know you don't have legal stuff (the equipment suffix is NOT displayed on the radar scope) or doesn't care, or just screwed up, because you're "that guy" without GPS/RNAV.
So, respond.... you can make a federal case out of it by refusing the clearance, and blocking the frequency with your pleas of what kind of GPS you have on board (uh... ya, SoCal, ya, uh, like we got this Garbain Mulcher 1000 GPS, and well, uh, ya, uh, we can't LEGALLY go to Sarasota, blah, blah, blah....). Do you think a non-pilot ATC'er knows what kind of GPS is good or bad... or even cares?
Or, you can respond, "left turn, direct SRQ, would a 110 heading work? And when able, then proceed direct to SRQ?"
SoCal: "Yes, BugSmasher 123, that's a smashing good show."