Danny's Patent Navigational System (or Come back, Columbus, all is forgiven).
Picture a happy land, where there is (a) no ATC to bother you (b) no Airways or Terminal Approach Areas (c) no (notified) Danger Areas (d) no NDBs, VOR/DMEs, PARs, ILSs, QGH/GCAs, TACANs, INSs, GPIs, or any of the rest of the alphabet soup (e) no D/F kit in the aeroplane (and nothing to D/F on anyway) - in short, no nuffin' - (f) no Flight Planning, so nobody gives a damn whether you turn up or not (g) they will fill you up for free wherever you land, no landing or parking fees - and they'll give you a bed for the night !
Such a place once existed, and it was called Wartime India. There was you, your aircraft, a map, a compass, a watch and the Wide Blue Yonder. It followed that DR was king and that your skill as a Pilot/Navigator (duly certified in your log by a string of bored CFIs during your training) would now be put to the test. We mostly had a Dalton to hand, but had forgotten how to use it.
It was left to the individual to devise his own system. Mine was based on a constant which I could not forget or leave behind when I climbed in. It was my top thumb joint, specifically its length (1¼ inches). My procedure was as follows (assuming a flight from A to B). First, draw pencil line from A to B, put protractor on track and then hunt for identifiable "check points" each side of the line roughly every twenty miles.
Here the spider's web of railways all over India was of immense value. Roads were useless, and water features might dry up in the hot weather, but the railway bridges would still be there. Knowing that my thumb joint represented the map distance covered in 8 minutes of flight at 150 mph, I could easily and quickly plot an approximate DR position from time elapsed from setting Course (M).
Winds in the dry season were usually fairly light and could generally be disregarded. Essentially you "felt" your way along from the ground to the map. The greatest difficulty was your panel-mounted compass, which was of doubtful accuracy, and only had 5° markings anyway.
It all sounds very hit-and-miss, but I managed very well with it (remember when "A" Flight of 110 was led astray by a "real" navigator, but I hit the required place "on the button", following half an hour later on my own ?). At least, I'm happy to say I always landed on three wheels except for the one occasion when I'd no option.
Afterthought: do you have a Grand/Son/Daughter happily waving a "C" grade GCSE Maths ? You do ? Try 'em on this: from information given, what was the most likely scale of Danny's map ? (3 mins allowed, calculators permitted, no prizes).
Short one tonight, next time (by way of light relief): "Winter Sports in a Hot Climate".
Early to bed,
Danny42C.
Last edited by Danny42C; 17th Sep 2014 at 19:49.
Reason: Correct Spacing and Spelling.