QXC Nervous nervous nervous !

[Memphis_bell]

Hi Guys:

Hi there, thanks for reading ! Basically, i am due to fly my Qualifying Cross Country - and to cut to the chase, i am :mad: myself ! What scares me.....getting lost ! Amoungst other things.

I would REALLY appreciate it if i could hear from people who really struggled to get the self confidence in getting into the air on their QXC flight.

Also....could somebody give an easy definition on what is and how you acheive Dead Reckoning.......

Thanks guys

Memphis

[mad_jock]

Don't be scared, the instructor will have every confidence that you won't be a danger to yourself or others.

As for the getting lost stuff go and do a practise PAN with an instructor and see how nice the folk are in DnD.

As for the nav stuff if you search for BEagles posts on the subject they are very good.

[Jan Olieslagers]

All sympathy with your nervosity - may I suggest you do NOT take the test until you feel more or less comfortable with the idea? That would greatly improve your chances of success. Also, in the unlikely event of really getting lost there is always plan B (call some radar service and request vectors) but make sure to have the relevant frequencies at hand.

I am afraid your question about dead reckoning appears somewhat strange - if you really are unclear, who declared you ready for the QXC?

Even so, let me try my own definition, without any warranty or promise:
"Dead reckoning is the process of preparing a cross-country flight by calculating, for each leg, the compass heading and expected en-route time. These calculations are based on the ground distance and course, expected wind, magnetic deviation, and aircraft performance. As several of these factors change with altitude, this also must be considered."

To achieve (sic!) dead reckoning, a variety of techniques and devices are available. To please your examiner, you might well demonstrate your ability with an old-style calculator like the CRP-5. BTW getting acquainted with this bit of almost century-old high tech will also help to understand the underlying mathematics. Once the license achieved, you might as well resort to 21st century technology like spreadsheet calculations and GPS.

[Julian]

Speak to some of the other PPL students who have done their QXC, they should be able to give you some tips (such as landmarks to look out for) and calm your nerves. It really helped me on mine as I was nervous like yourself.

J.
x

[DX Wombat]

M-J is right. As for D&D - they are wonderful. They prefer you to call them early rather than late and if you can't remember all the correct terminology don't worry, they speak normal English, have great patience and won't get cross with you. As M-J knows, I've been there.

[Echo Romeo]

Umm, I also recall feeling a great deal of apprehension before mine, and like you, for the same reason! My instructor knew I was well capable and I suspect yours does too.

You've just got to steal yourself and go for it, and if Like me, once you get airborne you'll enjoy the experience immensely. One thing I would say is try and choose a day when there's likely to be no weather issues to worry about. Good luck :ok:

[FlyingLapinou]

It's ok to feel nervous. In fact, you're 'sposed to feel nervous. Overcoming your nerves is all part of the process of learning to aviate. I remember feeling awfully apprehensive and really having to push myself to get up there and do it. I didn't enjoy it, I have to admit, but the sense of satisfaction was huge. It didn't all go well, either: there were (quite a few!) bloopers that are embarrassing to recall, but, hey, it's all part of the learning curve, and none of them killed me.

And after you get your PPL the hard way, you can buy a nice shiny GPS. Back-up only, of course! :E

Remember: if this stuff were easy (um, and cheaper!), everyone would be doing it.

[Winhern]

Thats one of the worries I had 12 months ago when I did mine.
A few tips:
1. Are there any nearby VOR's or NDB's you can use as a backup.
2. Plot your route out on google earth, and look for any significant features that might be visible.
3. Look for any obvious landmarks - coasts, major rivers, isolated hills etc that you would only see if you get lost, and plan what to do if you encounter them. For example I flew into Gloucester first. I knew that if I hit the M5 without seeing Gloucester I then had to turn to follow the motorway until I got there.
4. Don't worry about postponing if the weather is poor.

Best of luck, let us know how you get on :ok:

[Whopity]

Also....could somebody give an easy definition on what is and how you acheive Dead Reckoning.......Deduced Reckoning or DED Reckoning is calculation of the unknown from the known. i.e. If you know your Heading and TAS by applying the wind vector you can deduce your track and ground speed.

In reality, you apply a forecast wind to the desired Tack to determine the Heading to fly. Navigation is the process of checking and monitoring to make sure that the real wind is something like the forecast which is only a Metman's best guess.

If you have planned your route adequately you will have a number of Fix points, about 6 mins apart, where you can check to see if your Track and ETA are working out, and if not, you can make adjustments to correct them; if you are really on top of it you can mentally work out what wind actually is and apply it to maintain the next track.

On the QXC you are simply putting into practice what you have been taught

[Memphis_bell]

I think your right ! I mean, i have currently done about 15+ hours of solo flying, including long nav trips, and i even started on my QXC flight but turned back on my second leg due to insufficient weather......however after all of my solo flying xperience, i am still as nervous as hell ! I am more than capable, i know that.....so i think i jsut need to get in and go ! As somebody once told me...''if a day comes you fly without any (no matter how small) form of minute apprehension, then your days of flying should be over !....i guess a small amount of apprehension will keep me accurate and safe :-)

Hey i would still lveo to hear other peoples QXC experiences................

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Also....could somebody give an easy definition on what is and how you acheive Dead Reckoning.......
If you are ready for the QXC you will know the answer to this because you will have done several nav exercises with an instructor and a couple on your own.

So I'm puzzled ... ?

[Memphis_bell]

I am just curious as to wether or not there is a specific definition of Dead Reckoning as some peoples versions i've been readin on this website seem to include a GPS.

[derekl29]

Your instructor wouldnt let you do it if they didnt think you were ready for it, and that goes for the weather as well - I think mine was postponed 4 or 5 times until it was just right.

I was nervous too, planning is everything though, make sure you have all the frequencies you`re going to need right next to you (including the NDBs and VORs as its comforting to be able to do the odd position fix just to re-assure yourself on the way).

Check and double check the headings and times before you fly, I`m sure your instructor will want to see them before you go as well and would spot if anything was massively wrong, and trust these headings as well - the times should work out right if youve calculated them but be patient and dont panic if things take a minute extra or two to come into view.

The point about looking for the motorways is good as well, my leg from Conington to Gloucester took me over the M1, M40 and M5 so that was again re-assuring when I saw each one of these and was able to verify I was on track.

Get a traffic service from a friendly radar station, I spent most of my QXC talking to Brize, tell them you`re on your QXC, they'll help you. Keep a good look out as well, dont keep your head in the map - there were one too many gliders for my liking the day I flew.

The nerves go away as you settle into it and once youve taken off on your 3rd leg theres almost a feeling as if you`re just about home and dry!

[p1andy]

You have surely done solo navs before if you are ready for your QXC. How did you cope with them? Did you get lost?

The QXC is just a solo nav which you land at two other airfields. My instructor took me on a recce QXC to the airfields i planned to go to so that i could identify them. This made it easier when doing the QXC on my own

[GeeWhizz]

Yes you should probably know this already. But without an instructor sat next to you....

'I reckon that is that lake/railway/road, and that's another point on my chart, so I'm here.' ;)

Perhaps not 'best' practice, but it's certainly not cheating to track crawl if it gets you out of a difficult spot and back to something more familiar. ;)

[abgd]

Can I ask whether you felt this anxious before other milestones - e.g. first solo? Is there anything specific you're worrying about?

[WhiskyTangoFoxtrott]

Don't worry about it Memphis; as Derek says, it's all in the planning. I was itching to get out of the circuit and do my QXC, it was the next best thing to going solo. You'll only go out on a good day and will have full tanks, your instructor will have full confidence that you are competent and a good LARS will look after you too.

'Ded Reckoning' stands for 'Deduced Reckoning', i.e. a means of navigation concluding where one is by reasoning, like Gee Whizz has described.

It wouldn't harm to use Google Earth and familiarise yourself with the route, make use of radio nav aids or have GPS as a backup on the day.

I'm not sure whether there's anything stopping you from following the magenta line on your QXC, but I don't think you'll get away with it in your skills test!

Good Luck:ok:

[niceday2700classic]

I was at position A, I'm going in direction X at speed Y and the wind is doing Z, therefore the laws of physics dictate that after T minutes I arrive at position B.

Check map against what I can see out the window, now not only do the laws of physics say I'm in position B, but my eyes confirm it (just for those who have trouble trusting physics!)

[Piper.Classique]

Just get on with it. Some of us are so old we did it without a radio, or a VOR, or a GPS. Compass, map, watch and decent planning will get you where you want to go. There are all sorts of ways to navigate in a slow aeroplane (You are flying a slow aeroplane, aren't you?) How about a bit more time reading the nav books and a bit less on PPrune? :)