Narrative:

On aug/sat at about XA00, I saw a very brief 'inside airspace' message on my new GPS. Confused and consulting my current sfo chart, I saw that I'd clipped the airspace of sonoma county airport. I spotted the field in the distance and turned west, away from the controled field's airspace. Several problems, some human and some technical contributed to this unintentional intrusion. The lessons are worth considering, particularly for those infatuated with the newer technologies designed to solve these kinds of problems. The new and pwrful GPS instruments available are for the most part very good. But they carry with them 2 traps for all pilots: over reliance on their pwrs to 'see ahead and alert,' and the all too subtle and insidious factor of the pilot coming to believe that he or she really understands how these units will actually function. The latter is a 2-PRONGED danger. First, the pilot may not really be proficient in using the GPS unit installed in the aircraft or carried as a handheld. Second, the unit may be a malfunctioning one, and there is little chance a pilot will be able to discern this condition until it leads to trouble. Which of these 2 avenues led to my problem with sonoma county airport is as yet unknown to me. It may have been a bit of both, or entirely due to lack of familiarity. On top of all this, I was fully familiar with my primary GPS which is currently in for repairs at the factory. The following is what happened, in sequence: overconfidence in the technology. I had the option to pre-program my flight from boonville, ca, airport to santa monica in the comfort of my hotel room. It sounds good, and affords the pilot a false sense of precision and mastery of the details of an upcoming flight. Upon departure the next day, I only briefly consulted the 2 charts I would need -- los angeles and san francisco. But alas, once in the air and headed south, I found it virtually impossible to call up my 'flight plan' stored in the new GPS. This is not the first time I've had this exasperating problem, but it certainly leads to very bad situation in the cockpit. My primary GPS never presented a problem like this. But the new GPS documentation, which is rather horrible, warns the reader that he/she must press no buttons until the unit is fully warm and has located itself via satellite. That may have been my problem, but I do not today believe it was that simple. The unit may have a flaw that I as yet cannot identify. I've had great problems with 'direct to' operations, which should never happen, and has never happened once with primary GPS. I'm blaming my tools here, but I cannot help but mention this in my case. The new GPS is clumsy to operate and extremely slow to respond to commands, with battery or aircraft power -- no difference there. Poor design of unit capability. The new GPS will not draw the airspace on the screen except in certain cases, creating a major and dangerous mystery for the user. In my case, I saw a late warning of airspace near and ahead. But what airspace? How near, and which way should I turn, climb or descend? Such an empty warning is almost worthless and induces cockpit confusion if not panic. The new GPS needs to draw the airspace as any excellent unit would. It draws san francisco's airspace, but did not draw sonoma's. I'm entirely disgusted with this engineer at this point, but I could be much more familiar with the unit if I am to be honest about it all. Counter-intuitive behavior of unit. In a simple 'direct to' function, I repeated get a 'duplicate waypoint' message in cases where that is simply impossible -- as with the filmore VOR near los angeles. Fim is filmore no matter how you cut it. But my unit, a very new one, gives me no end of trouble when asking for 'direct to' fim. It adds, rather than reduces, cockpit disorganization and stress. Reactivating a flight plan after an unintended fuel stop. The unit makes it all but impossible, at least for new users. The only answer I will be using from now on -- is this: plan the first 50 mi of the rest of the flight on the ground, at the pumps, withpaper charts. And do not depend on the GPS for either simple direct-to operations or for flight plan information once airborne. I find it more exasperating than helpful. The conclusion in my case is simple: plan all flts using the older and more reliable methods of paper charts and pilotage. GPS, especially the VFR handhelds, are not to be relied upon to respond in an intuitively obvious manner or with any real reliability. It is a grave mistake to have GPS in the cockpit if you intend to actually rely on it in any significant manner. I have 1700 hours time over the past 14 yrs or so, and I've flown in very complex airspace without trouble for yrs -- except for flts I've taken after my GPS went down, and I came to use a new GPS. Other factors: failure to climb to cruising altitude immediately after takeoff from refueling airport. Very busy day with lots of air traffic in an otherwise quiet area.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: C206 PLT ENTERED CLASS D AIRSPACE WITHOUT CLRNC. THE PLT WAS USING A USER UNFRIENDLY HANDHELD GPS IN PLACE OF THE IFR CERTIFIED GPS, WHICH WAS UNDER REPAIR.

Narrative: ON AUG/SAT AT ABOUT XA00, I SAW A VERY BRIEF 'INSIDE AIRSPACE' MESSAGE ON MY NEW GPS. CONFUSED AND CONSULTING MY CURRENT SFO CHART, I SAW THAT I'D CLIPPED THE AIRSPACE OF SONOMA COUNTY ARPT. I SPOTTED THE FIELD IN THE DISTANCE AND TURNED W, AWAY FROM THE CTLED FIELD'S AIRSPACE. SEVERAL PROBS, SOME HUMAN AND SOME TECHNICAL CONTRIBUTED TO THIS UNINTENTIONAL INTRUSION. THE LESSONS ARE WORTH CONSIDERING, PARTICULARLY FOR THOSE INFATUATED WITH THE NEWER TECHNOLOGIES DESIGNED TO SOLVE THESE KINDS OF PROBS. THE NEW AND PWRFUL GPS INSTS AVAILABLE ARE FOR THE MOST PART VERY GOOD. BUT THEY CARRY WITH THEM 2 TRAPS FOR ALL PLTS: OVER RELIANCE ON THEIR PWRS TO 'SEE AHEAD AND ALERT,' AND THE ALL TOO SUBTLE AND INSIDIOUS FACTOR OF THE PLT COMING TO BELIEVE THAT HE OR SHE REALLY UNDERSTANDS HOW THESE UNITS WILL ACTUALLY FUNCTION. THE LATTER IS A 2-PRONGED DANGER. FIRST, THE PLT MAY NOT REALLY BE PROFICIENT IN USING THE GPS UNIT INSTALLED IN THE ACFT OR CARRIED AS A HANDHELD. SECOND, THE UNIT MAY BE A MALFUNCTIONING ONE, AND THERE IS LITTLE CHANCE A PLT WILL BE ABLE TO DISCERN THIS CONDITION UNTIL IT LEADS TO TROUBLE. WHICH OF THESE 2 AVENUES LED TO MY PROB WITH SONOMA COUNTY ARPT IS AS YET UNKNOWN TO ME. IT MAY HAVE BEEN A BIT OF BOTH, OR ENTIRELY DUE TO LACK OF FAMILIARITY. ON TOP OF ALL THIS, I WAS FULLY FAMILIAR WITH MY PRIMARY GPS WHICH IS CURRENTLY IN FOR REPAIRS AT THE FACTORY. THE FOLLOWING IS WHAT HAPPENED, IN SEQUENCE: OVERCONFIDENCE IN THE TECHNOLOGY. I HAD THE OPTION TO PRE-PROGRAM MY FLT FROM BOONVILLE, CA, ARPT TO SANTA MONICA IN THE COMFORT OF MY HOTEL ROOM. IT SOUNDS GOOD, AND AFFORDS THE PLT A FALSE SENSE OF PRECISION AND MASTERY OF THE DETAILS OF AN UPCOMING FLT. UPON DEP THE NEXT DAY, I ONLY BRIEFLY CONSULTED THE 2 CHARTS I WOULD NEED -- LOS ANGELES AND SAN FRANCISCO. BUT ALAS, ONCE IN THE AIR AND HEADED S, I FOUND IT VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO CALL UP MY 'FLT PLAN' STORED IN THE NEW GPS. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME I'VE HAD THIS EXASPERATING PROB, BUT IT CERTAINLY LEADS TO VERY BAD SIT IN THE COCKPIT. MY PRIMARY GPS NEVER PRESENTED A PROB LIKE THIS. BUT THE NEW GPS DOCUMENTATION, WHICH IS RATHER HORRIBLE, WARNS THE READER THAT HE/SHE MUST PRESS NO BUTTONS UNTIL THE UNIT IS FULLY WARM AND HAS LOCATED ITSELF VIA SATELLITE. THAT MAY HAVE BEEN MY PROB, BUT I DO NOT TODAY BELIEVE IT WAS THAT SIMPLE. THE UNIT MAY HAVE A FLAW THAT I AS YET CANNOT IDENT. I'VE HAD GREAT PROBS WITH 'DIRECT TO' OPS, WHICH SHOULD NEVER HAPPEN, AND HAS NEVER HAPPENED ONCE WITH PRIMARY GPS. I'M BLAMING MY TOOLS HERE, BUT I CANNOT HELP BUT MENTION THIS IN MY CASE. THE NEW GPS IS CLUMSY TO OPERATE AND EXTREMELY SLOW TO RESPOND TO COMMANDS, WITH BATTERY OR ACFT PWR -- NO DIFFERENCE THERE. POOR DESIGN OF UNIT CAPABILITY. THE NEW GPS WILL NOT DRAW THE AIRSPACE ON THE SCREEN EXCEPT IN CERTAIN CASES, CREATING A MAJOR AND DANGEROUS MYSTERY FOR THE USER. IN MY CASE, I SAW A LATE WARNING OF AIRSPACE NEAR AND AHEAD. BUT WHAT AIRSPACE? HOW NEAR, AND WHICH WAY SHOULD I TURN, CLB OR DSND? SUCH AN EMPTY WARNING IS ALMOST WORTHLESS AND INDUCES COCKPIT CONFUSION IF NOT PANIC. THE NEW GPS NEEDS TO DRAW THE AIRSPACE AS ANY EXCELLENT UNIT WOULD. IT DRAWS SAN FRANCISCO'S AIRSPACE, BUT DID NOT DRAW SONOMA'S. I'M ENTIRELY DISGUSTED WITH THIS ENGINEER AT THIS POINT, BUT I COULD BE MUCH MORE FAMILIAR WITH THE UNIT IF I AM TO BE HONEST ABOUT IT ALL. COUNTER-INTUITIVE BEHAVIOR OF UNIT. IN A SIMPLE 'DIRECT TO' FUNCTION, I REPEATED GET A 'DUPLICATE WAYPOINT' MESSAGE IN CASES WHERE THAT IS SIMPLY IMPOSSIBLE -- AS WITH THE FILMORE VOR NEAR LOS ANGELES. FIM IS FILMORE NO MATTER HOW YOU CUT IT. BUT MY UNIT, A VERY NEW ONE, GIVES ME NO END OF TROUBLE WHEN ASKING FOR 'DIRECT TO' FIM. IT ADDS, RATHER THAN REDUCES, COCKPIT DISORGANIZATION AND STRESS. REACTIVATING A FLT PLAN AFTER AN UNINTENDED FUEL STOP. THE UNIT MAKES IT ALL BUT IMPOSSIBLE, AT LEAST FOR NEW USERS. THE ONLY ANSWER I WILL BE USING FROM NOW ON -- IS THIS: PLAN THE FIRST 50 MI OF THE REST OF THE FLT ON THE GND, AT THE PUMPS, WITHPAPER CHARTS. AND DO NOT DEPEND ON THE GPS FOR EITHER SIMPLE DIRECT-TO OPS OR FOR FLT PLAN INFO ONCE AIRBORNE. I FIND IT MORE EXASPERATING THAN HELPFUL. THE CONCLUSION IN MY CASE IS SIMPLE: PLAN ALL FLTS USING THE OLDER AND MORE RELIABLE METHODS OF PAPER CHARTS AND PILOTAGE. GPS, ESPECIALLY THE VFR HANDHELDS, ARE NOT TO BE RELIED UPON TO RESPOND IN AN INTUITIVELY OBVIOUS MANNER OR WITH ANY REAL RELIABILITY. IT IS A GRAVE MISTAKE TO HAVE GPS IN THE COCKPIT IF YOU INTEND TO ACTUALLY RELY ON IT IN ANY SIGNIFICANT MANNER. I HAVE 1700 HRS TIME OVER THE PAST 14 YRS OR SO, AND I'VE FLOWN IN VERY COMPLEX AIRSPACE WITHOUT TROUBLE FOR YRS -- EXCEPT FOR FLTS I'VE TAKEN AFTER MY GPS WENT DOWN, AND I CAME TO USE A NEW GPS. OTHER FACTORS: FAILURE TO CLB TO CRUISING ALT IMMEDIATELY AFTER TKOF FROM REFUELING ARPT. VERY BUSY DAY WITH LOTS OF AIR TFC IN AN OTHERWISE QUIET AREA.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.