Commercial Pilots - Navigation Techniques
Join Date: Jun 2006
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Haven't u heard? This is the 21st centuary.
"Prayer wheel"? - don't even carry one for show anymore.
1) Hard copy FP with legs, tracks, time intervals.
2) Electronic FP on electronic flight bag (EFB).
3) FP on GNS430 (GPS 1) coupled to autopilot
4) Jeppesen JeppView Flightdeck EFB and moving map (including eWAC charts with track following) on yoke mounted mini-tablet computer with blue-tooth GPS (GPS 2)
5) Backup Garmin GPSMAP296 (GPS 3)
6) Paper charts and maps in the bag behind the seat - just in case
1) Hard copy FP with legs, tracks, time intervals.
2) Electronic FP on electronic flight bag (EFB).
3) FP on GNS430 (GPS 1) coupled to autopilot
4) Jeppesen JeppView Flightdeck EFB and moving map (including eWAC charts with track following) on yoke mounted mini-tablet computer with blue-tooth GPS (GPS 2)
5) Backup Garmin GPSMAP296 (GPS 3)
6) Paper charts and maps in the bag behind the seat - just in case
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Originally Posted by Disco Stu
So a few more basic aviation skills go down the gurgler in favour of "new" technology.
Disco Stu
Disco Stu
I would imagine when the prayer wheel was invented the same comments were made..
I can picture it now "What would you do if the prayer wheel fails?...you should be doing it all in your head......." etc
Join Date: Sep 2004
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CNS
When I was up north I relied on the CNS, when you saw all your passenger's heads tilt towards their community you knew you had gone past it!!
Hot tip for the new starts, make sure your torch uses the same batteries as your GPS so when it blinks "Battery low" you can use your torch batteries as spares, if you have happened to lend your new batteries to a mate...
Hot tip for the new starts, make sure your torch uses the same batteries as your GPS so when it blinks "Battery low" you can use your torch batteries as spares, if you have happened to lend your new batteries to a mate...
Join Date: May 2001
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Once I got rid of the protractor, the prayer wheel soon followed. I just plan every flight using expected ground speed and add or subtract a few minutes for wind. After take-off, pick up the track, lay off a drift angle to maintain the track and make any corrections needed en route. It's not the rocket science that the theory protaganists make it out to be. Now if I was flying back seat to Bert Hinkler, it would be a different matter, but these days...
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Japan, flying the Glider Tug, eating great Japanese food, looking at lovely Japanese Ladies and continuing the neverending search for a bad bottle of Red.
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Have'nt flown anything now in over 12 months
but always had the prayer wheel and charts (WAC and IFR) with me when I did.
The last a/c I flew was a Seneca1, YPFL-YBCG with a couple of stops in between and my old mate 'Murphy' was along for the ride as well.
The GPS died, ADF was next to useless, no DME and few VOR stations along the way so it was back to basics.
And I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing!
but always had the prayer wheel and charts (WAC and IFR) with me when I did.The last a/c I flew was a Seneca1, YPFL-YBCG with a couple of stops in between and my old mate 'Murphy' was along for the ride as well.
The GPS died, ADF was next to useless, no DME and few VOR stations along the way so it was back to basics.
And I thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing!
If both GPS's fall over, first thing (after the CB checks etc) I'd be doing is pulling the third GPS out of the survival kit, then grabbing the astrocompass followed by the almanac. No doubt significant head scratching would follow....
And I have used the aboriginal direction finder in anger once at not very high scudrunning in a 210 somewhere around Elcho Island. It worked a treat!
And I have used the aboriginal direction finder in anger once at not very high scudrunning in a 210 somewhere around Elcho Island. It worked a treat!
Last edited by compressor stall; 16th Jul 2006 at 10:53.
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Originally Posted by Rat****
"Prayer wheel"? - don't even carry one for show anymore.
1) Hard copy FP with legs, tracks, time intervals.
2) Electronic FP on electronic flight bag (EFB).
3) FP on GNS430 (GPS 1) coupled to autopilot
4) Jeppesen JeppView Flightdeck EFB and moving map (including eWAC charts with track following) on yoke mounted mini-tablet computer with blue-tooth GPS (GPS 2)
5) Backup Garmin GPSMAP296 (GPS 3)
6) Paper charts and maps in the bag behind the seat - just in case
1) Hard copy FP with legs, tracks, time intervals.
2) Electronic FP on electronic flight bag (EFB).
3) FP on GNS430 (GPS 1) coupled to autopilot
4) Jeppesen JeppView Flightdeck EFB and moving map (including eWAC charts with track following) on yoke mounted mini-tablet computer with blue-tooth GPS (GPS 2)
5) Backup Garmin GPSMAP296 (GPS 3)
6) Paper charts and maps in the bag behind the seat - just in case
Hahaha,
Good to see Rat**** likes the redundancy, although working with about 10 flight plans might be a tad over the top
Carro man
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I:60 Rule 15 Degree Limit.
I have been studying for the ATPL Nav exam and have not found anything about there being a limit of 15 degrees for the 1:60 Rule. However when I mentioned it to a retired SCPL ground instructor he said that if the TE and Closing angle together exceeded 15 degrees the 1:60 rule should not be used because it was an approximation and that for exam purposes the then DOT required you to calculate a wind and apply it to the new track.
Join Date: Feb 2006
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All good jump pilots carry this in their nav bag;
Keep up the good work
CMN
- Relevant VTC, VNC, WACs (you never know where you may end up)
- WAC ruler (essential for those "one in sixties" and revised estimates)
- Whiz wheel/prayer wheel (see above)
- Handheld GPS (incase your primary one fails on "jump run")
Keep up the good work
CMN
Join Date: Aug 2003
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ContactMeNow
GOLD! 
How many 1/60's do you manage to do between the airfield and the drop zone?
Speaking of old-school techniques, how many pilots still know morse code well?
...Disco
How many 1/60's do you manage to do between the airfield and the drop zone?
Speaking of old-school techniques, how many pilots still know morse code well?
...Disco
Join Date: Jun 2001
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Speaking of old-school techniques, how many pilots still know morse code well?
Long live self-identifying glass cockpits. Except the stupid Garmin 1000 which self identifies VOR but not DME. Go figure.
Man Bilong Balus long PNG
Join Date: Apr 2002
Location: Back in Japan, flying the Glider Tug, eating great Japanese food, looking at lovely Japanese Ladies and continuing the neverending search for a bad bottle of Red.
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Speaking of old-school techniques, how many pilots still know morse code well?
Don't laugh! I have heard more than once and from several sources over the last few years that there are 'some in authority' whom would like to see the requirement for a basic knowledge in morse reinstated!
I've still got the teach yourself audio tapes (Dyson Holland ??) that I bought for a steal from one of TK's IFR students back in the days when it still was a requirement.
So are we talking about VFR or IFR ops? If the GPS goes bye-bye IFR then back to NDB/VOR navigation which you where monitoring anyway. What good is a VFR chart in the pitch black of night in and out of cloud where you can’t see the ground anyway? And if you then go onto say “what if everything failed” then you are going to be spending a hell of a lot of time trying to hand fly an aircraft in crap conditions anyway, let alone trying to unfold a WAC chart and plot your course every 10min.
The Pax see a pilot who is continually looking at there charts to be lost.
VFR nav on the other hand I still pull out the chart and have a glance, normally no lines drawn on however.
All else fails I still have my Garmin 196 in my headset bag.
The Pax see a pilot who is continually looking at there charts to be lost.
VFR nav on the other hand I still pull out the chart and have a glance, normally no lines drawn on however.
All else fails I still have my Garmin 196 in my headset bag.
Join Date: Oct 2005
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Originally Posted by Pinky the pilot
Don't laugh! I have heard more than once and from several sources over the last few years that there are 'some in authority' whom would like to see the requirement for a basic knowledge in morse reinstated!
I've still got the teach yourself audio tapes (Dyson Holland ??) that I bought for a steal from one of TK's IFR students back in the days when it still was a requirement.
I've still got the teach yourself audio tapes (Dyson Holland ??) that I bought for a steal from one of TK's IFR students back in the days when it still was a requirement.
I cannot think of one useful thing about learning morse code.