Why do so many PPL students have these £50 transair stopwatches? As you don't tend to fly too many holding patterns during the PPL, what's wrong with using your wristwatch? When I arrive somewhere I glance at my watch, write down the time in minutes past the hour, add the time in minutes for the next leg (worked out earlier from distance/speed) to get the ETA at the next waypoint and that's it. I don't care if it took 7mins 46 seconds to get here. I'm doing VFR nav in a friggin' Robin, not a fast jet ...
Seriously, does anybody use the things once they get their PPL, other than in IMC/IR flight tests (when else do you actually have to fly a hold...
)? Reckon it's part of the pilot kit to differentiate us from the spotters, 30min-trial-lesson weenies and crusty old PFAers...
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before someone flames me, don't take that too seriously.
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(edit: D'oh, forgot to stand on the right soapbox before i started ranting. I blame the heat.
)