Mad Bear
The key skills in learning air navigation are situational awareness and planning. Planning can be dealt with later as you progress through your syllabus. Situational awareness can be worked on now. Earlier posts have recommended that you learn ‘key’ features in your local area; this is definitely the way forward.
To help build up your air picture, or ‘situational awareness’, give yourself a challenge: every 10-15mins, when you carry out your Ts & Ps check, try to identify your position from known
ground features. Check with your instructor that you are correct, then give him the approximate bearing and distance from your home airfield. In the event that you are not immediately adjacent to a feature you know, but still in sight of one, try to estimate your position with reference to it, e.g., 5nm NW of the reservoir. Thinking in terms of range (in nm) and compass bearing is a good habit to get into early. You will find that this will help you build up a mental picture of your local area and help with your position reporting to ATC.
It is important that you choose features that
work for you as everybody’s brain is wired differently. After you land, go over your route with your instructor using a scale of map that you would normally use (1/4 mil probably) for flying, and try to relate the features you saw to the map. Try this every time you go flying and you’ll soon get the hang of it. You can even practise this when out in the car and you see one of your features. When you get a chance, check it against your map. It all helps to reinforce the mental picture.
Remember that a good pilot is rarely lost but only temporarily unaware of his position. However, a great pilot is quick to realize when he is lost and is equally quick to admit it!
Good luck
GM