I could not agree more. The FCC has been running into the FAA far too frequently (such as the ELT issue last year). Maybe it's time to start developing transmitter agnostic navigation systems that use ANY transmitter (ground or space) to triangulate position based on a database and an initial known position. Isn't this basically the way LORAN worked but with a specialized set of towers? Like you I'm a pilot and while I did not design the equipment in my panel I did install it all myself (with the help of a radio repair station and an A&P).

Check the FAA's next gen initiative and look at the new WAAS GPS approaches. Many airports now have precision approaches (can't see anything until 200 feet above the ground) based on GPS alone. A certified WAAS GPS installation is considered legal for primary instrument navigation in IMC (instrument meteorological conditions). Translated? You loose the GPS signal at a critical point in flight and it DOES mean crashing into mountains, the ground, etc.

yup, that's the main thing I use it for. Listening to traffic reports and laughing at the people stuck in traffic as I fly by.

It's far worse than you think. GPS degradation, jamming, loss of fix, etc. will completely destroy the FAA's next gen plan since it's based on GPS as primary navigation. LORAN is dead, the NDB network is unmonitored and unmaintained, and new ILS installations few and far between. WAAS GPS is the primary avenue being used for expanding low precision approaches throughout the nation's air transport network (which is considered part of the emergency response system). Due to the FAA's decisions to retire the old ground based navigation systems in favor of GPS this is a huge concern and worst case could put people's lives in danger.

The confirmation to have a password reset would be physical appearance where a file photo or biometric scan can be utilized. I know it would be a pain to require physical appearance but in reality it is probably the only way to maintain security.