Originally Posted by
BackPacker
I think your FI is not doing this to prepare you for real life. This is just an exercise to see if you can think on your feet, and can visualise what's going on.
What kind of fix did you have to fly to? If it's a pure RNAV fix (just a point in space, identified as lat/long) then it's never going to work. You don't have the equipment to identify the fix even if you're right on top of it, let alone navigate to it. However, if the fix is overhead a VOR, or radial/distance from a VOR/DME, or overhead an NDB, or something like that, then if you manage to come up with a reasonable DR heading/distance, and can eventually find the fix with limited maneuvering in the end, you will probably get the thumbs up.
One suggestion though: In a case like this I try to aim not directly at the fix, but at a point something like 5 degrees left or right of the fix. With DR you know you are going to have to correct your track once you get close to the fix, and if you aim slightly away from the fix, then at least you know in which direction you should be correcting.
So building on the example by wiggy: You are on the 120 radial at 40 DME, and need to get to the 060 radial, 40 DME (draw it out), means you need to fly due North for 40 miles. Now use a DR track of, say 350 or 355 initially. Assuming you did not screw up your wind correction completely, this means you now intercept the 060 radial at maybe 35 DME. Turn right, follow the 060 radial outbound until 40 DME. Or use an initial track of 005 or 010 and intercept the 40 DME arc somewhere near the 070 radial, then follow the 40 DME arc until on the 060 radial. Whatever the best strategy is, depends on what technique you're most comfortable with, but also on what's going to happen after the fix: Which direction are you going to turn then?
Even another FI (who is a real airline pilot too...) asked me to do a fix to fix with the CRP5 and I had to check at each radial if the distance from the VOR was OK with the bearing I was doing (WTH)
Compulsory point or non-Compulosory on Low IFR routes.
Doing a DME ARC is also nice and precise! But time wasting maybe he will say.
Thanks for your contribution BackPacker!!