PPRuNe Forums - View Single Post - BA 747 divert to Irkutsk after nav system fails
Old 31st Aug 2013, 15:46
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Captaintcas
 
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When I attended Antwerp maritime academy, we still had to know 60 stars by sight, perform astro nav. ( bloody difficult I tell you) and use and maintain the sextant. One time, during a apprenticeship exercise on a Belgian Navy ship, we had an English Navigational officer onboard via NATO cooperation ...she wasn't taught the use of sextant, never heard of astro nav... So even in shipping, things are quickly changing and the whole art of Navigation is quickly disappearing.

At least we must know in the Northern Hemisphere to identify Polaris, Ursa Major, the Orion belt, Rigel, Betelgeuze and Sirius. Most FO's do not have a clue, I try to enlighten them
We owe it to our profession to keep at least some traditions intact.
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