How big's your thumb?

[Grim Reaper 14]

Mine's about 6 minutes and ten miles (the top half anyway) on a half mil map. Is that about average? Or should I be either boasting or insecure?

Size does matter...;)

[FlyingForFun]

Yep, that's about the same size as mine.

Also, if I stretch my hand out, the distance from the tip of my thumb to the tip of my little finger is about 60nm.

FFF
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[BlueRobin]

8nm and not 10 as per "average"

[Penguina]

Between 6-7nm. Sexist bloody rule, that!

[distaff_beancounter]

Sexist bloody rule, that! Well mine is only about 7nm, or perhaps 8nm, if I am being all girlie & trying to grow a decent set of nails :)

Anyhow, us women, have all been taught to tell you fellas that size really doesn't matter :D

[AerBabe]

Thumb is 8nm and hand span is 55nm.

I quote:
Grim Reaper - "Mine's about ... ten ... Is that about average?
FFF - "Yep, that's about the same size as mine."

:confused: If something's the same as your's I would have said it definitely wasn't average.
In fact, if you look at the sizes given by the respondees so far, 7nm is more the average. (Nice to see a half 'n' half mix of chicks 'n' errr men for a change! :D )

[FlyingForFun]

AerBabe,

FFF... If something's the same as your's I would have said it definitely wasn't average.
Not sure whether that was intended as a compliment or not :eek: but I'll take it as a compliment anyway ;)

(For what it's worth, my instructor told me that my thumb would probably be 10nm, and my hand-span 60nm, since that's what most of his students' were, and he was spot on. But then most of his students were male...)

FFF
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[skyraider]

Half thumb = 12nm

hand span = 72nm

which is a bit of a b@llzup because my maths is shakey(?) at the best of times....:rolleyes:

still... until now, I thought my thumb was average... :D

oh well...

[maggioneato]

How big's your bum would be more interesting, have visions of us all grabbing the rule to measure thumbs, I'm just as daft as everyone else . 9nm - span of 50nm.:D

[skyraider]

How big's your bum

wider than a warrior seat....:rolleyes:

Sky...

[AerBabe]

How big's your bum Sitting or standing?

[TheKentishFledgling]

I was amazed the other day as estimates weren't that accurate when checked, as I'd been using a thumb's length as 8nm which is what it was when I started doin me own PLOGs and seriously getting involved with nav. So I checked, and my thumb's now 9.5nm to be very precise! So 10nm :D

tKF

[djk]

half thumb = 8nm
haven't measured my hand span

[distaff_beancounter]

Just checked against a rule:-

Top of thumb 7.5nm
Hand width at full stretch only 50nm

Anyhow, the other PPLs that I fly with, are always complaining when I am navigating for them, using "rule of thumb" ...

They ask me: "how far is it to xxxx"
I reply: "approximately two & a half thumbs"

So perhaps I should just use the dear old 50nm AERAD plotter, that slots nicely into the back of the kneeboard. :)

[Whipping Boy's SATCO]

About 5nm on a radar screen. Unfortunately this tends to obscure the blips!

On a half mil 8nm, on a quarter mil 3.5 nm :confused: :confused: :confused:

[EI_Sparks]

Finally lost to curiosity and got out my ruler...
Thumb - 17-18 nm by 7nm across.
Handspan - 62-63nm
:)

[bcfc]

About 7mins in a 172, but I thought it was more...so does my thumb look big in this?:rolleyes:

[Circuit Basher]

EI_Sparks - I think that you've maybe got the wrong idea there (or *very* big thumbs ;) ) , as it seems significanlty bigger than everyone else's.

The measurement is normally just for the top portion of the thumb, from the knuckle to the tip. Makes a good 'rule of thumb guesstimator' for chart distances in flight when your nav ruler's in your kit in the rear footwell / in the baggage compartment. I usually manage to measure accurately enough to give FIR operators / Approach Controllers time estimates overhead waypoints to within a minute, which usually impresses pasengers ;)

CB (a relatively average 8nm)

[EI_Sparks]

CB,
Ah! Right. *struggles with ruler* Dammit.....
Okay, approximately 10nm, but it's not that convienent to measure for me (carpenter's thumb) so I normally use the web to the tip.