Plotter Problems!!

[JetMouse]

I've just started the lovely Nav book and have come to the wind plotter (which is starting to become the bane of my life!) does this really become easier?

I’m wondering if anyone has a good way of remembering how to use the thing – for example when you need to find the W/V do you have a little rhyme you say which reminds you of the order in which you put the variables into the computer?

If not is it just a case of once you have done it a couple of hundred times it becomes easy?

By the way I’m using the wind down method (in conjunction with the hair pull out method)...

[Evo7]

You and me both, mate :)

My approach is the bl**dy-minded try, try and try again....

[Irv]

Evo 7 - fancy another beer? :)
but for the teetotallers, there is help at hand - CD rom from Pooleys designed for CPL/ATPL but covers everything.

[Genghis the Engineer]

Buy one with the instructions printed on it.

G

[Jepp]

My approach to Plotters, CRP 1 and the like is as follows :

Step1. Learn how to use it as best you can

Step 2. Pass your nav written with it

Step 3. Ditch the F*****G thing

End

[Evo7]

Thanks for the offer Irv - however, I had my instructor demonstrate last night and after a while things started to make more sense. I almost like it now. There's lots still to cover in Nav though, so I'll probably take you up on the beer at some point... :)

My advice now would be to ignore Thom and the book that comes with the CRP-1 (they both confused the hell out of me) and get someone who knows how to use one to demonstrate. The books make it far more complicated than it actually is.

[john_tullamarine]

At the start the whizz wheel confused us all .... but, like takeoffs and landings, you do a few and then get the hang of it ... the whizz wheel is no different ... unless you want to be an expert without doing the practice ?

[skyraider]

JetMouse,

Nav and W/V is something you need to understand and have a mental picture of whats going on....

...try drawing a picture on the map or a scrap piece of paper until you get the hang of it... draw in lines for your track and the W/V. Your heading will always fall within the smaller angle around the compass rose, ie into the wind so a track of 180, W/V 270/10kts, will give you a heading somewhere between 180 and 270.

If your heading doesn't fall into there, then back to the whizwheel :mad::confused:

for myself it took ground school to get it into my head:(

keep going
Sky

[FlyingForFun]

Personally, I found it helpful to draw the complete vector triangle onto the whiz-wheel, rather than just the wind mark. With practice, I started drawing just the wind vector, then just the wind mark.

FFF
--------------------

[mikegreatrex]

A dirty mind is helping me get through NAV, and my ppl generally for that matter.

To calculate drift: -

"Why does lorraine slip down low, tongue licking"

Why & Does = Wind Direction
Lorraine = set circle on top of horizontal wind line
Slip = plot speed, and slip up to TAS, slip wheel to track.
Down low = dot left
Tongue Licking = turn wheel left

So wind speed is 090 @ 10

1, set wind direction @ 090
2, set circle on line
3, set wind speed @ 10, slip up to tas, say 90, slip wheel to track say 040
4, dot is left, turn wheel left by drift amount, in this case the heading will be 046

Hope it helps


W line

[foxmoth]

When I teach this I DONT use the method of put this bit here and then move it to there, if you do this you have to learn lots of different sequences for each different problem. If you remember where each item goes and put in what you have you can then set the confuser up to find the bits you want.
ie:
if you have the wind, it goes down from the wind direction. If you don't, set the rest up, draw in the wind X and then set the X below the center to read it.
TAS goes under the center circle
Heading goes at the TOP (easy to remember - it SAYS heading there) with the track offset under the drift on the same side and amount as the drift under the wind X
G/S is under the wind X when the computer is set up.

I hear cries of "but I don't HAVE the heading/groundspeed/drift",
this is when you set up an approximation and adjust the computer until all matches as above (usual approx is to start off putting your track at the top then adjusting to match the drift). If you follow this, it becomes easy even for obscure problems such as having all but heading and TAS!

[DOC.400]

"is it just a case of once you have done it a couple of hundred times it becomes easy? "

In one mate!!

DOC

[JetMouse]

Thanks for all your help - I've been working on the thing for a week now and yes it's actually getting easier! (drawing the vector triangle makes a huge difference)

Although I'm not to sure about doing it in a plane with a myriad of other things going on, but that's half the challenge I think! :)