arem and beerdrinker (mine's a Tusker),
You refer to the 'Seventies, as I was. Sounds as if you guys had it even tougher than we thought: a rookie co-pilot in the right-hand seat; and an inexperienced pilot-navigator trying to anticipate the drift and GS changes that were occasionally available from Doppler. Particularly interesting over SE Libya in January, I imagine?
We had it easy. No wonder we didn't always hear (or raise) you on 126.9.
.86,
Definitely. Can't remember exactly when we first started flying offsets almost as an unofficial SOP. Possibly on INS-retrofitted 707s in 1976; definitely on the FMS/IRS-equipped A310 in 1984.
The trouble with (DME-DME-updated) FMS/IRS was that, once many had it, opposite-direction collisions became all the more likely on advisory-routes; particularly near the coast where 2 DME stations might (rarely) be simultaneously available. With GPS updating, it applies everywhere, I guess.
Safe flying, guys,
Chris