GPS is reliable - right?

[Live2Learn]

A recent month long GPS testing degradation centered near Bellingham, WA has had a little bit of attention in the online forums, but not as much as I might have expected given the large number of GA aircraft potentially affected. 

This recently published article by Colin Cutler who writes for Boldmethod is interesting.  Boldmethod is a recent startup in the tight market of aviation education.  Take a look at the chart at the end of the article.  A lot of airspace is affected by GPS testing.

http://www.boldmethod.com/learn-to-fly/navigation/can-you-rely-on-gps-without-ground-based-navaids/

[Briank]

I've had multiple failures of GPS and I'm still pretty low time (just 300 hours).  It's great when it's working, but as always, be sure to have a plan B!

Our local VOR is one that might be going away in the near future.  On one hand, it's old technology that's very expensive to maintain, so I'd like to see it go away.  On the other hand, without it, my personal minimums are going to lift significantly as without any NDBs or VORs, plan B now becomes being able to descend into VFR...

[Larry Mangum]

You might have noticed a NOTAM in the Louisiana area last week for the 25th and 26th of May, for GPS. It was not for testing per se, but rather to GPS jamming being conducted on Fort Polk and the effected ranges where as described.

[Eclipse]

In DC last week it seemed like nobody's GPS was working. 

Uber didn't locate me once correctly, and even trying to get to the White House the driver couldn't
get it to come up.

My mind wandered from testing through security conspiracies.

[Holding Pattern]

EDIT: Nope, my data was from the wrong time.