GPS provides which information to pilots?

GPS provides which information to pilots?

• A. Position only
• B. Time only
• C. Altitude and speed
• D. Position, time, and speed

Answer: (D)

GPS provides the three core pieces pilots rely on: your precise position, the exact time, and your speed over the ground. The position gives latitude, longitude (and often altitude) so you know exactly where you are on the chart. The time is provided by the GPS satellites, which gives a highly accurate time reference. Speed isn’t sent as a separate data stream; it’s derived by watching how your position changes over successive updates (or from Doppler information in the signals), giving your velocity along your track. Because GPS delivers all three—position, time, and speed—the best choice is the one that includes all of them.

GPS provides the three core pieces pilots rely on: your precise position, the exact time, and your speed over the ground. The position gives latitude, longitude (and often altitude) so you know exactly where you are on the chart. The time is provided by the GPS satellites, which gives a highly accurate time reference. Speed isn’t sent as a separate data stream; it’s derived by watching how your position changes over successive updates (or from Doppler information in the signals), giving your velocity along your track. Because GPS delivers all three—position, time, and speed—the best choice is the one that includes all of them.