Just sourcing some hints and tips other than the normal theory from the briefings, as I am about to start the navigation stage of my training.
Any information would be helpful in regard to - how to stay ahead of the Aircraft, keeping the charts in some kind of useful order, flight planning, etc.
Do your flight plan first, then set yourself up in a chair and pretend you're in a cockpit.
Run through the whole flight, from engine runups, to getting your airways clearance, to taxiing, takeoff, and climb. Pretend you're holding a control column, and actually turn the thing left or right, to get the plane to go the direction you want. Use your flight plan, use your maps, and visualise the whole thing. Look at your maps, and if you're supposed to fly over a mountain, visualise it. If it will pass to the left of you, pretend you can see it. If your first turning point is 5 minutes away and you turn left to a heading of 220, go through that in your head. Imagine what youll be seeing outside, and imagine what you have to do in the cockpit to achieve it. Pretend you can see the DG.
Go through the whole flight, following your position on the maps, and you'll soon see if your map system is working, and if its not, youll know what you should do to improve it. A lot of it at this stage is trial and error - but it will save you a lot of money, and a lot of frustration, if you can do this trial and error without the aeroplane engine running.
If its a bad weather day, go out to the airport anyway and ask your instructor if you can sit in the cockpit for an hour or so. That way, you can actually move the control column, actually move the fuel tank selector, actually press the PTT while you make your 'radio calls'. (just keep the master switch off )
As for cockpit organisation, I prefer to have my flight plan printed in a landscape orientation on a kneeboard that is also aligned landscape across my knees. My maps I put underneath, but pre-folded to display the part of the map I need, and only what I need, and sequential maps are in the pile in the order I will need to use them for the flight. VTC, then VNC, WAC, then the VNC and VTC for the destination. If I'm done with a map for the rest of that flight, I either put it in the map pocket by my knee, or on the seat (yes, I sit on it).
Keep a couple of pencils pushed into a Terry Clip attached to your kneeboard. Some people like to keep their pencils on string, so if you drop it you can just pull on the string to get it back. I like to keep a spare pen or pencil in my pocket as a triple redundancy, too.
You might like to invest in an A4 size clipfolder instead of a kneeboard. Fold it inside out, so the clip is on the front (and there you clip your flightplan) and the inside of the folder makes a handy place to store maps. This way, everything is in one place, and once you join the circuit area at the destination, you can take the entire folder and put it between the seats (or even on the back seat), and you now have a sterile cockpit with nothing to get in your way for the landing.
By all means carry the full ERSA when you fly, but I recommend printing out the pages for the places you know you'll need - and putting them on your kneeboard too. Keep them in the order you'll need them - its much easier to look at a single piece of paper, than try to balance the whole book on your lap.
I'm not the most expirenced bloke around only being half way thru my CPL, but one thing I found useful when doing my flight plan was to write small notes to myself next to or under each leg of the plan.
For example you may have Centre/Radar frequencys, a small reminder to contact ATC at a given distance, a note to yourself that you will need to commence a descent at a given point etc...
I found that forced me to think ahead while flying and plan for what I'd be doing next. It wasn't so much of an issue on later Navs, but it did help me for the first few.
Oh, and cockpit preparation will help too. Pencils, ruler, protractor and the 'ol wizz wheel need to be in easy reach, maps need to be properly folded and in the order you plan on using them .. all that sorta jazz.
At some stage there is good chance that your instructor will fall asleep.
A great plan of attack:
1. When instructor wakes - keep a straight face and keep looking out the front. 2. Instructor will probably wipe drool off shirt as if nothing happened - trying to stay keep and calmly ask you where do you think you are? 3. Keep straight face - calmly proclaim that you have no idea - but half an hour ago you flew over a very big airport that looked like it had big jets taking off and landing. 4. Keep straight face.
I’m a fan of orientating the map to the ground. Lets me identify features left and right of track and whats infront of me on the map should be what I’m looking at out the windshield.
I guess everyone develops their own techniques though, and each to there own.
flight sim is your friend, if you have it. On navs i havent flown before, i will fly it in FS9. with a good scenery pack of OZ, all the major landmarks are there.
Always have the latest issue of Penthouse Limited Edition available in your flight bag for your instructor to read. If you let him get bored he'll start thinking of ways to have fun such as giving you diversions.
If you think you're getting lost, this little gem from City Slickers 2 will always get you out of trouble. "Which way is North? Up, on a map North is always up, so we go up!".
I think what glenb was trying to say, and was unfortunately misinterpreted by everyone, including myself at first, was to point North on the map, the same direction as North on the planet.
When I was doing navs I used to (and sometimes still do) get into the cruise and then get 'fat, dumb and happy.' Just flying along nicely with the brain resting after the busy period to TOC.
Don't let yourself do it - keep yourself busy. I get myself into a work cycle. I do a CLEAROF check, then I ask myself where I am, then I ask myself where I would go in an emergency, then CLEAROF, where I am, where would I go, etc.
But don't forget to have fun! The nav bit is the best part of flight training because it will be your first taste of what you can really do with an aeroplane.
Take plenty of pens with you ... you are going to drop at least one. And something I also do is take a wooden pencil with distance markers carved on the side.
Photocopy a drawing of any airport you're flying into. I find it easier to plan the circuit entry on a flat piece of paper than on the small drawing in ERSA.
If you're going to be tracking close to the edge of the chart, make sure you have the adjacent chart with you. There is nothing worse than having a huge feature like a lake just to your left, but it's no good to you because it's not marked on your chart.
And remember, you're probably not lost; it takes an awful stuff-up to get lost (yes, I've done it). You probably just won't be able to pin-point yourself on the map at that time. When that happens, use what you can see outside and try to find it on the map, not the other way around.
If you knew where you were 6 minutes ago, you CANNOT POSSIBLY BE lost
And please, please, please don't use 4,000,000 pieces of paper and stick post it notes all over everything. Keep it simple and use ONLY one sheet with ONLY what you need on it.
Location: qld (if you couldn't work that out from my name!)
Posts: 214
Don't over-navigate.
Most common reason I had pilots get lost on me during PPL tests. Would spend so long trying to work out where they were for every second of the flight they lost the big picture.
Keep your eyes outside. Keep aligning the compass/DG ALL the time, but if you are going approximately the right direction just hold your heading and worry about other stuff. When you get approximately halfway and next to a good fix for a 1 in 60, then work out a correction and revised groundspeed/ETA then accurately hold the new heading, and it WILL work. The more time you spend trying to work out where you are for every second of the flight, the more likely you are to get lost.
Don't fly the map! - keep your head and eyes outside the plane as much as possible. - use the map to validate visual references from the ground
As previously suggested 6 minute markers make dead reckoning simpler as the distance between markers is GS/10
Make sure the DI and compass are aligned during each CLEAROF check as a minimum - it's no good flying an accurate course against the DI if it has drifted out of alignment
Plan the flight then fly the plan - recognise and understand the differences between the actual flight and your plan during the flight, there will be differences.
Trust your plan - it takes a bit of time to get used to recognising map features from the air. Chances are that if the plan says fly for x minutes in n direction and that is what you have done, then that is where you are.
Explain your decision process during the flight to your instructor - listen to the feedback.
I prefer to keep my maps pretty clean - it's not always easy to read too many pencil markings on them when you need to.
I use a simple A4 clipboard with the current map on one side, and flightplan taped to the other.
The map has the intended route, 6 minute markers, TOD, Altitudes, Mag bearings and frequency changes marked on it.
The plan has wx, fuel log, airfield information and planned data for each leg along with spaces for recording actual vs expected times.
If you are going to add more information on the map as you go, then have a system for identifying what you meant at the time. For example - a number in a circle is a position fix at that time.....you don't want to be staring at a random number on the map trying to remember why you put it there.
Relax - the guy in the other seat knows exactly where you are.
Some great advice up on there and I would try and incorporate a bit of what everyone else has said. Spare pens and pencils is definately needed. You can usually find a whole bunch under the seat on your pre-flight where everyone else before you has dropped them. In case you do get lost after trying all of your techniches don't be afraid to admit it and request help from ATC. You will not be a lesser pilot for doing so. The only other piece of advice I can give you is don't try and press on home Have a small kit with you incase you have to divert and some cash or credit card and if the wx turns sour just land and wait it out. No one will think your a chicken for diverting and if you get through no one will treat you like a hero.
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