View Full Version : how can I assess distance in the air??
fudgy2000
26th Mar 2004, 14:45
how can I assess distance in the air- flying a piper. Is there any rule, say if I look 45 degrees down, that will be 2 miles away???
bluskis
26th Mar 2004, 15:38
Simple trigonometry will tell you what distance a 45 degree lookdown will be from a given height. The type of aircraft will not influence the calculation Hope this helps.
stillin1
26th Mar 2004, 16:58
F2k you are worrying me again:mad:
F2K,
If you look 45 deg down then the point you look at is the same horizontal distance from you as you are above the surface (flat surface).
However, more related to VFR flying.......you know where you are, you can see both your current position and the position you are looking at on your map.....measure the distance on the map.
With experience you will eye-ball it over short distances (up to 5nm). Practice when you fly.
regards,
DFC
Send Clowns
28th Mar 2004, 17:49
How long (in nm) is the runway you fly from? Useful picture to have in your head.
Aileron Roll
29th Mar 2004, 05:03
Have to agree with DFC. On any Nav Flight, pick a point you can see, measure with map and ruler, then practise estimating other points. You will be surprised how acurate you get after a while.
Once you have that sorted try and estimate your arrival times, ie 3min, 5 min etc. Once again a wee bit of practise, you will get very acurate !
If you discover any other way that works well, please let us know !
FlyingForFun
29th Mar 2004, 07:36
Don't forget that things look very different from different heights.
If you spend most of your time at around 2000-3000', then the first time you head up to, say, 6000' you'll find not only that everything looks smaller (obvious, I know, but still worth pointing out!), but also that distances look smaller. What looks like just a couple of miles is likely to be closer to 10-15 miles.
FFF
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