Tobago Boy,
as you can see, there is more than one way to find your way from A to B.
I've used most of the techniques, and taught them too, however, I find it difficult to justify most of them based on experience. I reckon they are just a way to get the job done that pleases some CFI's and FOI's, and there is no way they'd do it that way themselves.
I might be wrong on this last point. There is usually going to be one CFI or FOI who staggers belief by managing to progress no further in their technique than their CPL training. However, I'd like to see them actually do it for myself to believe it.
As we get older we get wiser, also lazier. You'll notice that old pilots who know what they're doing don't waste too much excess energy. And this technique is for me, provided I don't have a GPS.
Disclaimer: The advice contained hereafter is not actually used by me at present, I've gotten a bit older and a lot lazier now. This description is the novice's version. To describe the advanced version to you would be useless until you can do it this way. It's identical in principle though.
This is a melding of military and civilian navigation technique, more military than civilian. Theirs is better than the civvie way.
First you need to prepare for your flight this way. Draw a boxed arrow alongside your track. This looks like a triangle on top of a segmented rectangle. Fill in the details required for each leg in the boxed arrow. The triangle is left blank, this is for your departure time. The first segment on the rectangle has your TR in 3 figures. The next has your planned ALT, eg A075, the next is left blank, then the last has your ETI for the leg in minutes, eg +57. The + sign signifies that you are to add the departure time to the ETI after departure to end up with your ETA which goes in the blank segment below the ALT box.
If the stage is relatively long, at least 30 minutes, measure the 1/2 way point. Then work out your ETI to the destination at your planned G/S. Mark the number of minutes next to your 1/2 way marker this way, +28. When you get there you simply add the current time in minutes to get the revised ETA.
This only will work when there is something at the 1/2 way point that you will be able to positively identify that is oriented perpendicular to your TR. This is your G/S check, hence the orientation perpendicular to your TR. If there is no easily identifiable feature there, then find one on TR where it will be of some use, ie. not just 5nm out from the Departure or Destination.
It is also useful to mark points on TR where you need to change frequencies or contact Approach etc. These don't need to be actually marked on the map, you can cut out some Post-It notes in the correct shape and mark the details on them. That way you can move them if they're in the way, and they stand out better than pencil on WAC.
The longer the leg, the more G/S check points you will be able to find, but don't go berserk. This is where the discipline comes in.
To gain maximum benefit from this technique you will need to have faith in DR. If there are no features to orientate for departure, just make sure your compass is correct, by checking it against the actual R/W heading on departure, and fly HDG accurately until some feature presents itself.
After this preparation, you then proceed during the flight as follows:
1. Orientate prior to departure. Just before T/O, after the pre-T/O checks.
Put the TR on your VOR, and the HDG on your ADF. The ALT on the Assigned ALT Indicator, if you've got one.
Check where your track goes and find two features that will help you to visualise the line on the ground that is your track. This is not as easy as you'd think since some things on the map look great until you have to identify them from the air. Hint, it will depend on your altitude. Hint, look for features as far away as possible that you will be able to recognise from your Departure A/D.
You are visualising your track reference the features on the ground, once you've done this there is no need to refer to your DI or compass again-except to make sure it agrees, otherwise you discard the numbers!
Once you've positively established yourself on TR by orientation to the features you have also automatically allowed for wind. Discipline is again required to stop yourself from habitually looking inside at your map. Force yourself to trust your memory.
2. Continue to Orientate after departure once comfortably established on TR and you are approaching the features that you've been using to TR with. Now you are again looking for features as far away as possible that will be recognisable. Hint, it's a good idea to get two features identified in a particular orientation to each other, that together can help you visualise the TR on the ground.
3. Check the features on the map that you've identified pre-flight as your G/S check features. Hopefully, they will give you some TR guidance as well.
After you've done this, look for them. And don't stop looking for them until you either find them or some other readily identifiable features that will positively fix your position. Then you can look again at your map.
4. Finally, look for some features that will help funnel you in to your destination field. Beware! Some of these suckers are bloody hard to spot, eg. grass strip in a field surrounded by sheep grazing fields.
This is pretty much it in a nutshell !! Obviously, it will require some artistic licence to make it work properly, just like any thing that is an art.
It is not a rigid standard technique that demands marks where none are required, but it does require some thought. The big advantage is that once you've done the thinking, the actual navigation is much easier.
Hope you like it. I do.
