Originally Posted by
dave1013
... the plane you fly on successfully executes a GPS approach in poor weather. The technology was pioneered here in the Alaska Region and with cooperation from industry (most notably, AS) is now in place. It's one of many examples where FAA embraced technology and led the way to a safer NAS.
One more point. RNAV/VNAV and LPV approaches finally made it out. But as far as I know RNP approaches are still restricted to operators with a LOA from the FAA. Equivalent circuitry to what's in a modern smartphone is many times more powerful and reliable than what's required for RNP and similar approaches. Unfortunately, the cost of going through approval means that this technology cannot be effectively developed iteratively. I've had probably a dozen or more smartphones in the time that I've had one upgrade in my panel GPS.