Originally Posted by
Flap40
A question that has come to mind as I have recently done the shore based study for the RYA Day Skipper.
Why in aviation do we divide the red/green/white nav lights into 120 degree sectors while our maritime brethren use 112.5/112.5/135?
Given that the maritime standard was probably devised before the Wright brothers were born why have we chosen to be different or was there no maritime standard until much more recently?
Here's a thought. A compass is traditionally divided into 32 points (and once I could box the compass, though I have no idea why I learned: NNW, North by NW and so on). 360 over 32 gives 11.25, and 112.5 neatly equals 10 points of the compass. But I have never heard of aviation directions being given in terms of "Turn left to S by SE -- no, not SE by S, silly pilot"; so I suppose a decimal-friendly number of degrees were chosen
I see reefrat posted while I was posting.