When are you required to maintain a plotting chart?

[flyburg]

G450cpt,

Sorry, but highly unlikely! Even a random route will be more than 60 NM from the NAT tracks. You say you have some sort of emergency and you comply with the contingency procedures! Those will ensure you don't cross a NAT track!! For example an emergency descent. Then, if you have to divert and unable to obtain a reclearance there are further contingency procedures on how to proceed in that case. No amount of plotting will keep you safe if you don't adhere to those procedures!

In the unlikely event that you have an emergency descent, an engine failure, an FMS failure and a radio failure and have to divert, I think common sense should prevail, I'd think you'd be a little to preoccupied to come up with an exact course from your plotting chart and besides that after an emergency descent you'd be below the NAT tracks!!

In my company, GNE is (tempted to) avoided by strict adherence to cross checking procedures, both pilots write down the clearance, one inserts the route, both pilots check that and the tracks and distances, in case of unplanned route consult the track versus distance table etc, etc, before or in case of reclearance while on the tracks or random.

I guess I really don't see the advantage of the plotting chart if you have checked with both pilots the route, the tracks and distances etc, etc! I see the magenta line, I see the aircraft symbol but I have to check the POS page and compare that to a plotting chart?? I'd say that if the airplane symbol is not on position as indicated on the pos chart the FMS is corrupted anyways!!

Now, for situational purposes, in case the FMS dies, I have the enroute chart out, I have the cool little pointy stickers that you can buy at office max and put them on the chart at my coordinates, so I know approximately where I am. If my FMS dies, I'm going to follow the headings on my flightplan, if I have to divert I doubt whether the plotting chart is going to give me anymore accurate calculations than some mental arithmatic, unless that emergency occurred right at the time I updated my plotting chart.

In closing, plotting charts where great in the past, however, today, with the extreme and redundant navigation systems onboard, I really don't see the advantage!

Edited, okay, if you happen to be on a random route OVER the NAT tracks it may have an advantage, but however I think TCAS and the probable chance that you'd hit somebody on the way down?? How would you compare that than emergency descent over busy Europe or northern America? Seriously? I would just follow NAT procedures, go down an monitor or follow TCAS and look outside!! And not inside at my plotting chart!!