Very topical report as use of GPS is increasingly used for navigation by very many GA users, and for understandable reasons when all things are going well! Moreover, the CAA continues to encourage the use by GA pilots of Moving Map Devices (MMD) as one of the measures to reduce the incidence of airspace infringements. Since regulatory changes were made in October 2025 the use of MMD can be included in PPL training and may now, for example, form part of PPL skill tests. However, not least because of the vulnerability of the system to interference (planned or otherwise), CAA training and test syllabi still require good knowledge of and demonstrated skill in using conventional navigation techniques.
Our approach to reliance on GNSS in aviation has always been tempered by the fact that the signal in space remains vulnerable to interference such as jamming and spoofing. (Whether periods of military training such as this are promulgated or not). This area within 80nm of Sennybridge ranges is clearly a piece of airspace where GPS navigation is particularly vulnerable to disruption during the scheduled periods of these jamming activities. The reporter therefore provides a timely reminder to ensure that the effective use of other navigation aids and aviation charts for VFR navigation must remain a core part of every GA pilot’s skill set.
