I could have sworn I saw a picture of a United 747 in this thread, it must have been my imagination.
Another guy I fly with has the 696 w/ weather. If I had the money, Iād get one. The wx display is awesome, and the processor is much faster than any other Garmin product I have ever seen. The scrolling action is quite āfluidā Iād have given my left arm for that display a few times.
I had an epiphany
Thanks guys. Despite the standard teasing you put each other through, (which I truly enjoy), a person can learn a lot from you jokers.
Canāt say I always carried an AFD with me, but never Frank? Thereās a lot of info in there that cannot be found on a sectional, NOTAMS, or the like. I tried to always carry one with me on night flights, itās one of the few places that lists the Pilot Controlled Lighting frequency.
As a HUGE aside (sorry VJ) thereās an airport near me that you can not only turn ON the lights by clicking on the PCL freq, but you can turn OFF the lights tooā¦I always thought that was a piss-poor idea. Iām on short final and some other guy is 15 miles out clicking the mic to see the airport ālight upā and the lights go out. Not cool.
So yeah, umā¦ Do I have a GPS. Yes. Does it still work? Dunno, havenāt used it in a while. If the aircraft Iām flying doesnāt have one panel-mounted, Iām going without it. Itās kinda fun to get off the magenta line every once in a while. And thereās NO way in hell Iām paying $3k+ for a handheld GPS.
Equally important, carry a current one 
KMBO just went to PCL so you may be unpleasantly surprised if you have an old AFD (used to turn on automatically at sunset and turn off at sunrise)
07/100 - RWY LGTS PCL CMSND KEY 122.8 5 TIMES. WIE UNTIL UFN. CREATED: 07 JUL 21:12 2009
Thought it quite different only one intensity setting.
I havenāt bought a green book since the advent of the āFAA equivalentā Flight Guide came out. This steps up the FAA version as it has diagrams of where to park and FBO names along with everything else that the green book provides. While I never carry the green book, I always carry my flight guide. 
I gotta say, Iāve always got a paper chart and an A/FD. I fly one aircraft with a GPS and one without. Iām more familiar with the old way, and thatās my preferred method.
Have GPS in the all the planes I fly but never fly w/o a VFR sectional. Never know when the GPS might go, plus I think itās fun to set up the AP and look for things. Have never used the 696 but drool every time I see one. Told my wife I wanted one for Xmas and she just laughed. Go figure.
Garmin 430. But, I still use paper charts and keep track of current position in case I need to shut down the electronics in flight. When VFR, I use the sectional to verify landmarks along my course, which I agree is also fun. Still dial in VORās to verify course and cross-check two VORās to verify position. On long x-country flights, I circle position and write the time on the chart. Just force of habit from earlier pre-GPS training.
Bought a handheld 496 when I was flying a non-GPS equipped Cutlass on long x-ctry flights. XM weather on the 496 includes depiction of cloud tops - which some may find useful for strategic planning en route. I assume the 696 also includes cloud tops - but havenāt checked.
Garmin 430. But, I still use paper charts and keep track of current position in case I need to shut down the electronics in flight. When VFR, I use the sectional to verify landmarks along my course, which I agree is also fun. Still dial in VORās to verify course and cross-check two VORās to verify position. On long x-country flights, I circle position and write the time on the chart. Just force of habit from earlier pre-GPS training.
Bought a handheld 496 when I was flying a non-GPS equipped Cutlass on long x-ctry flights. XM weather on the 496 includes depiction of cloud tops - which some may find useful for strategic planning en route. I assume the 696 also includes cloud tops - but havenāt checked.
I used to do this and really need to start back in doing this. Plus itās cool to see your own progress over the āwhole pictureā of things especially when your flight path spans the entire chart into another chart.
Allenā¦I didnt know the Sundowner had that kind of longevity in the air to be able to make it from one sectional to the next? ā¦Iām kidding!!
Heheheee
Thanks Mark57, I agree, it is fun to use paper charts. I also agree that it is a good practice to remain proficient on, and maintain situational awareness with paper charts, just in case.
I know the 496 is great, but I am considering spending the extra 1K for the display size increase alone. I just ordered instructional DVDs on both units so I can make a more informed choice. No desire to step up to a glass cockpit yet, and I donāt know if I ever will. If I ever do, I would still want a back up that does not need aircraft electric.
i agree 100%. Glass would be nice but itās all (or just about all) electrical.
Actually the āSlowdownerā does have that range
Itās my bladder that runs itās capacity even when I go on a three six zero heading from edge to edge of a chart. 
Need a little john?
I think Allen just got propositioned?
What is it about TX again? Something about Steers and Queersā¦