Basic Flying tips

[maxy101]

Thought I would try and start a topic on basic JET flying tips.....you know the sort of stuff you get told when you start out, but then forget 10 years down the line. For instance, to work out the required ROD to fly a 3 degree G/S you use 5 x your Ground Speed.
Also seem to rember a method for working out your Ground Speed when flying toward or away from a DME...something like the nautical miles travelled in 41 seconds multiplied by 100 gives you your GS?
Anybody care to remind me? Any more tips like this would be gratefully accepted....

[Field In Sight]

Have a look here. Plenty to be getting on with.

Rules of Thumb (http://www.flightinfo.com/rulesofthumb.asp)

FIS.

[bafanguy]

maxy101,

Don't know is this is covered in FIS's list of tips, but an easy ground speed to rate of descent for 3 degree G/S ( if you're lucky enough to have such a readout ) : half the ground speed X 10 gives a quite accurate descent rate for 3 degrees...+/- 50 fpm or so. Useful for non-precision approaches if not doing the "dive and drive" to MDA but using CANPA. For example: GS 140 kts needs 700 fpm...140/2=70 X 10=700fpm. The Gradient to Rate table from my Jeps says 740 fpm @ 140 kts for 3 Degree angle. Hope this is of use to you.

maxy101,

Forgot you'd also asked about ground speed from DME miles flown. I THINK I'm remembering this correctly...too many years of EFIS and a bit of retirement may have allowed a few critical brain cells to whither. Miles flown in 1 min. X 60, or in 2 mins. X 30, or in 3 mins. X 20 will give you ground speed. The longer time gives the more accurate speed and you need to be flying pretty much directly toward or away from the station and not too close to it for the best accuracy. If I've not remembered this right...fear not !! Someone will set us both right.

[Tinstaafl]

re the x 100 to get G/S: it's 36 seconds you need to time. Used to be used a lot in Oz with the now defunct 200MHz DME where some receivers lacked G/S info, especially if DME homing.

If you use a CR type whiz wheel you can use an off track (up to 45 deg) DME to get on track G/S. Find the difference between achieved track & the bearing to the DME. Read G/S (or time for 36 sec etc). On the wind side of the CR align the required number of degrees (using the Effective TAS scale) with the DME reading. Read on track G/S above the TAS marker. Sounds more complicated describing it than showing someone....