NEW FO DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO SET UP A DIRECT ON GPS NAV SYS. RPTR CAPT BECAME DISTRACTED WATCHING THE FO TRY TO SET UP THE SYS AND LOST 350 FT. THEN; PARTLY DUE TO A LATE CLRNC THE ACFT WAS INSIDE THE GS INTERCEPT SO RPTR MAINTAINED ALT UNTIL THEY HAD VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE ARPT; CANCELED IFR AND LANDED.

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ON ZME WE WERE CLRED TO JOIN V-18 TO TCL. PREVIOUS CLRNC WAS HOUSTON DIRECT TCL. AS WE LEVELED AT 4000 FT WE WERE TOLD 'RADAR CONTACT LOST; CONTACT TUSCALOOSA APCH.' ON INITIAL CONTACT WE WERE TOLD TO MAINTAIN 4000 FT DIRECT TO 'FLOSY' INTXN CLRED FOR THE ILS RWY 4 APCH. WHAT WE DIDN'T REALIZE AT THE TIME WAS THAT WE WERE NEARLY ABEAM FLOSY INTXN (ON V-18) WHEN WE RECEIVED THE CLRNC. I WAS FLYING WITH A NEW COPLT WHO WASN'T FULLY CHKED OUT ON THE GPS NAV SYS. HE WAS HAVING PROBS SETTING UP THE 'DIRECT FLOSY' SEGMENT. I WAS WATCHING HIM PROGRAM THE GPS/NAV AND LOST TRACK OF MY ALT. WE HAD DSNDED TO 3650 FT MSL WHEN I CAUGHT THE ERROR. BY NOW WE ARE WELL INSIDE FLOSY AND WE HAVEN'T JOINED THE ILS RWY 4 LOC. I IMMEDIATELY PULLED BACK UP TO 4000 FT. THE LOC CAME ALIVE SO WE JOINED IT BUT WE WERE INSIDE OUR CLRNC FIX. SINCE WE WERE ESTABLISHED ON THE LOC I ELECTED TO CONTINUE THE APCH. WE NEVER GOT THE GS SO I STAYED AT 4000 FT. MY COPLT CALLED ARPT IN SIGHT ABOUT 3-4 MI FROM THE APCH END OF RWY 4 BUT WE WERE AT 4000 FT. WE CANCELED IFR AND LANDED VFR ON RWY 22 (THE RWY IN USE). IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE NOT SPENT ANY TIME INSTRUCTING THE COPLT ON HOW TO SET UP THE FLOSY INTXN. I LOST ALL SITUATIONAL AWARENESS AND BUSTED AN ALT ASSIGNMENT. WE WERE SUPPOSEDLY IN A NONRADAR ENVIRONMENT SO MAYBE NO ONE EXCEPT US WILL EVER KNOW. I'M WRITING THIS TO CONFESS AND COVER MY BEHIND/MISTAKE.