Garmin’s new GPSMap 296 is the most capable portable navigator we’ve seen. Terrain warnings are a reliable plus.

Staff Report

Three decades ago, the airlines had a vexing problem and it looked like it was about to get worse. Well-trained pilots were flying perfectly good airplanes into the ground alarmingly often. As the industry expanded, the number of so-called controlled flight into terrain accidents was expected to increase exponentially. The solution proved two-fold: better training and a technological fix called ground proximity warning system or “gipwhiz.”

GPWS proved effective and that begat improved technology called E-GPWS or enhanced ground prox and eventually TAWS for terrain awareness and warning system. While GPWS wasn’t a player for light aircraft because of size, cost and weight, TAWS certainly is, or will be. Nonetheless,…