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IFR without VHF?

So if I am interpreting your statement correctly you’d prefer redundancy in Nav AIDS over com’s?

I’m not the poster but yes, absolutely. There are well established ‘lost com’ procedures that every ifr pilot had to memorize at one time, and they work. I’d rate, worst to least worse: loss of all attitude data, then loss of all nav data, then loss of com last.
 
I flew for years in a aircraft with poor stability, no autopilot, 1 radio and a tacan. The radio and tacan rarely worked well in the same aircraft. You evaluate the weather, equipment, fuel and currency when making any go, no go decision. Every flight is unique.
 
So if I am interpreting your statement correctly you’d prefer redundancy in Nav AIDS over com’s?

Again, not the poster, but yes absolutely. You don't need comms to make a safe approach, but you need the nav. The IFR system already takes lost comms into account for every flight every day, there are procedures in place for that and they work.
 
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I was going to respond but lost comms only momentarily thankfully and proceeded as filed with a successful landing.

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies.
 
I haven't done much of any instrument flying in my -6A yet. I got my instrument rating in a C172.

I just equipped my RV for WAAS, and it already had VOR/ILS. The VOR/ILS unit in the plane is a Val Nav 2000. It looks like you can get one new for $1300. It pairs to a glass cockpit rather nicely, I believe using the SL30 protocol. It's a simple and cheap addition to the stack. But if I was building from scratch I'd probably just use a 430W or GTN 650.

The differential cost would really pay for itself in resale value. It's a lot easier to sell a plane that you can take an IFR check ride in than one that's "technically" IFR.
 
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