Finding the Airfield

[Licence to Learn]

Hi everyone,

I'm just trying to keep my hand in with quick fire solutions when temporarily unsure of your position. Would everyone go with the position fix by drawing a line from two VORs to find the cross and therefore your position approach or do you have little tricks up your sleeve to minimize heads down time in the cockpit?

I'd be interested in hearing from your experience.

[ChickenHouse]

First and most important - if unsure of position and no hazardous traffic close, start to circle and keep your rough position.

After that look out of the window to find noticeable landmarks - compare them to your map and continue until you get an idea where you are. Be aware, this can take a while if untrained, but gets faster and faster the more often you try train train train and - use your brain, use your brain, use your brain!

Add a little spice of CFVR and if you are lucky to receive two VOR, get their radials for a cross bearing.

If you only get one VOR, but have clear view but are able to determine ground distances, use one VOR for a doubling the angle of the bow fix. Hint: if you have a shadow line or edge in cockpit, use it to go a straight line.

[worrab]

How much experience do you have?

[Gertrude the Wombat]

(1) Your title was "finding the airfield", which is often a fun game, when it's somewhere you haven't been before particularly if it only has grass runways. I find that studying the local scenery in Google Earth beforehand is helpful - you can fly your approach to the airfield at the expected height and work out which landmarks to look for.

(2) Even if you've only got an ancient monochrome GPS with no usable moving map in a rented spamcan, "direct to" the destination airfield will tell you how far away from it you are in which direction. And if it's only a handful of miles don't forget to look straight down - it's surprisingly easy to fail to "find the airfield" when in fact you're right on top of it.

(3) And then when you are looking at the ground and trying to find one grass field in the middle of a load of other grass fields, the giveaway is sometimes the presence of parked aeroplanes, which are often easier to pick out than an unmarked or poorly marked runway. (I hear that Fenland give away "I actually managed to find Fenland" badges these days?)

(4) It's quite common that there isn't actually a VOR radial that you can fly along, because nobody has put a VOR in the right place for your trip. But you can plan a "guard" radial from a VOR, so that you know that if you cross it you've gone too far. As most VORs also have DME, you check the DME when you hit the radial and that tells you whether to turn left or right (if you've really managed to get that lost). A guard radial can also (depending on geography) sometimes be helpful when planning how not to infringe a particular piece of CAS.

If you have written on your PLOG the bearings and DME distances of your waypoints from various VORs and other useful things (remembering that you can use "DME distances" to things that don't have DMEs as long as they have idents that you can enter into the GPS) then it becomes quite difficult to become that "uncertain of position" in the first place. (Personally I also write out the dots-and-dashes for the navaid idents, having never passed a radio ham morse test as a child.)

Most of which, you'll see, is about preparation, not about stuff that you make up in the air. I only go flying without any sort of written plan when I'm staying in an area I know very well.

[Having said which, my IR(R) examiner did expect me to do the radial-and-DME thing to tell him exactly where we were on the map, after he'd got me lost by doing stuff that one doesn't do on a normally planned cross-country flight. And then he kept questioning exactly what I was telling him, until I sussed out what his game was ... which was to see how long he could con me into taking my eyes off the AI, and how far into a spiral dive I was going to get before I stopped messing with the map and did something about it.]

[Licence to Learn]

I currently have 101 hours total time.

[Licence to Learn]

Thank you Gertrude, very informative.

[worrab]

(I hear that Fenland give away "I actually managed to find Fenland" badges these days?)

:) I got Fenland for my QXC. Having "got lost" with my instructor the week before I pored over Google Earth to the nth degree to identify some ground-features and managed to spot it on the day. :)

For the OP, the plane I fly doesn't have any IFR kit so a portable GPS or two (phone and tablet) are my best electronic options.

[flybymike]

I had to check the date of the first post to make sure it was written in this century.
What's wrong with a moving map GPS?

[9 lives]

What's wrong with a moving map GPS?

Nothing, other than a pilot with some sense of self respect would want to maintain some proficiency in having a back up plan. While flying in an unfamiliar area last summer, in a GTN750/G500 equipped aircraft, the magnificent GPS and glass cockpit display actually became a distraction during lessening wx conditions, so I reverted to nav 2 to intercept and follow the localizer. The simple way worked best, with the moving map simply for situational awareness.

To the OP, yes, using two VOR radials is great for confirming your position. Time is a very useful tool for knowing where you are, or at least where you could be. Most important, if you are in, or near controlled airspace, and you could be lost, tell ATC without delay. They will not laugh at you, they will help....

[RatherBeFlying]

We glider folk run from thermal to best guess for next thermal in general direction of next turnpoint or destination.

Lots of time to look at map in thermal. Look more diligently at map when airspace getting near.

Some pedants look down their nose at track crawling, but it's hard to get lost if you stay on or alongside the line on the map:p

Night is a different ball game. Decades ago I would be happily tracking a VOR course without being sure exactly where I was on the track. In a pinch I could reference the time I noted crossing the last VOR.

These days GPS makes it easy.

[ChickenHouse]

I had to check the date of the first post to make sure it was written in this century.
What's wrong with a moving map GPS?
There is nothing wrong with moving map GPS system, it is the pilot. If you treat your GPS system as a religious guideline bible to harden your beliefs in position, everything is alright. But, if you sacrifice your brains capability to render homage to the god of GPS, you are not better then any fanatics, be it holy crusaders or IS. GPS is an aid only and once it is no longer but governing your way alone, you give away part of your skills as an independent human being.

[thing]

OP: what if your a/c doesn't have any navaids or u/s ones? I would go with the circle and then ground to map. If all else fails there is absolutely no problem in calling for a heading to your dest. That's one of the services there for you to use if needs be.

As posters have mentioned, nothing beats pre planning eventualities. GPS is fine, I'm a great believer in it myself but always have an option. I lost mine shortly after taking off this year in a non nav aid a/c, just reached for the map with lines and info preplanned on it and carried on.

I find that studying the local scenery in Google Earth beforehand is helpful

+1.

it's surprisingly easy to fail to "find the airfield" when in fact you're right on top of it.


Been there, done that.

I hear that Fenland give away "I actually managed to find Fenland" badges these days?

I usually pop in a couple of times a year and even after all this time I just about know how to find it. Lovely caff.

Personally I also write out the dots-and-dashes for the navaid idents,

+1.

[Jan Olieslagers]

The better aerodrome operators publish the approach on their website, even with some photography. Much beter than Google Earth or such.

As for being right overhead without ever having seen: has happened to me quite a few times. There is one field (EBBN Büllingen) where I am lucky to _not_ run into this.

[thing]

One other thing, as I mentioned in another post recently if you are going somewhere new always have a look on You Tube first, loads of people film approaches and take offs at various places in very good def these days. Always do as much as you can, you might not use 95% of it but I can tell you from personal experience, when you do need it you're damn glad you did the planning to cover all eventualities.

[fireflybob]

If you need to navigate to a point which may be more challenging to locate (e.g. Fenland) don't plan to route direct but route to a point (Initial Point) nearby which is easy to find (Spalding?).

Get overhead the IP and fly Heading and Time to reach "destination" - if you don't find point after the planned time, do a 180 and return to the IP and start again.

That said I often see students flying right overhead the turning point but don't see it as it's right below the a/c! I encourage them to do a 360 degree steep turn to take a look below - they usually see it then.

Of course there is GPS etc too but you also need to hone basic skills to be a well rounded pilot.

[Mach Jump]

it's surprisingly easy to fail to "find the airfield" when in fact you're right on top of it.

A useful rule of thumb here is that if you are within 3 mins of your eta, the airfield will already be hidden under the nose.


MJ:ok:

[fireflybob]

Sir Francis Chichester flew a Tiger Moth floatplane across the Tasman Sea and had to find the small islands of Lord Howe and Norfolk Island which were refuel stops in the middle of the Sea. All he had was a Compass and a Sextant, charts etc

Instead of planning to route direct he deliberately planned to go about 60 miles abeam the island(s) and after flying for circa 2/3 hours he then knew for sure that the island was on the right hand side of the a/c. He then turned right through ninety degrees and flew along a position line off the sun to find the island. A brilliant bit of navigation!

Ok we're not flying across oceans finding small islands but there is much to be learned from what he did.

He wrote a book (amongst many) called "Alone Over the Tasman Sea" which if you can get a copy is an excellent read.

Oh and he did this in 1929.

Alone over the Tasman Sea



Sir Francis Chichester (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_Chichester)

[Dan4267]

Hi LicenceToLearn,

I think using a VOR for a position fix is a very good idea and generally quite easy to do. If you have one of those ruler thingys inside a protractor they're really good for working out where you are if the VOR has DME as well.

I think there's been some really good advice so far. But it's important to remember that getting lost 'can' be serious and therefore if you are really struggling to know what your position is my best advice would be to switch frequency to 121.5 (London Centre) unless you are already with a radar controller and either ask for a training fix or make a pan call and say that you are lost. They will be able to give you a fix immediately and help you get back on track and away from danger or controlled airspace. They're there to help you so don't feel embarrassed about ever using them.

Hope that helps.

[Flyingmac]

Using VORs isn't going to help you identify a cleverly disguised airfield.
They can put you in the general vicinity, but they won't pick out a green strip amongst green fields.


I fly to a number of strips which are not marked on any published charts.
My aircraft has no RNAV gear. No problem. GPS co-ordinates, A photo from Google Earth and SkyDemon.


I'm assuming that the OP was referring to identification, the reference to VOR tracking being a Red herring.


I flew up to Perth and back the other day using St Abbs VOR as a waypoint. On the GPS.:)

[thing]

A point about using GPS nav software such as Skydemon. If you are routing to a new strip that looks like it's hard to find, don't put your end point on the strip. This has been mentioned in a round about way above. Put the end point three miles to the right of the strip as you look at it track up (airspace and other considerations taken into account of course) then you aren't trying to see through the nose for your strip, it will drift down the pilot's side.

[flybymike]

Alternatively enter the strip as the end point but as you approach the strip orientate yourself so that you can actually see it.

[thing]

Alternatively enter the strip as the end point but as you approach the strip orientate yourself so that you can actually see it.

I was thinking that might be too hard for some folk...:)

[fireflybob]

I was thinking that might be too hard for some folk...

I am afraid to say it is!

[cats_five]

Circling can be quite confusing unless its a sunny day - it's easy to lose track of where north (or south etc.) are. Before you start circling identify a landmark and note each time it passes through your field of vision. Remember that while you are circling your compass will not give a true heading.

To arrive safely you should be following a hand-rail of landmarks, and aiming off can be a very useful technique. Identify them beforehand and tick off against your intended track. Work out when each one should appear, work from the ground to the chart.

Agree absolutely about using Google Earth before hand. I also fine streetmap.co.uk is useful as well - you can get the 1:25k view which includes field boundaries.

In my view the more navigation you do including car, foot & marine all improve your skills and ability to not get lost.

And if you become unsure of your position don't press on until you have become sure again.

[Licence to Learn]

Good points everyone.

GPS are all good fun, it's just when they switch off by themselves or freeze when you need the basics at the front of your mind!

I use AirNav Pro and it is brilliant - but I like to try and keep my hand in with the original PPL syllabus that allowed you a pass on your skills test.

If it ain't broke don't fix it and all.

[ChickenHouse]

A point about using GPS nav software such as Skydemon. If you are routing to a new strip that looks like it's hard to find, don't put your end point on the strip. This has been mentioned in a round about way above. Put the end point three miles to the right of the strip as you look at it track up (airspace and other considerations taken into account of course) then you aren't trying to see through the nose for your strip, it will drift down the pilot's side.

and if you get the aircraft after such a Skydemon, AirNavPro, JeppSomething addict, don't be surprised to find a two finger oil&lube track on the inner side of the windshield ...

[worrab]

Unfortunately circling doesn't always provide anything valuable. Extensive green fields, minor roads and villages aren't much help. If you're near controlled airspace, call up. There are a number of places in the UK where the uncertainty of dual VOR bearings may put you at risk of unintended entry into a controlled zone.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I'm very much with Sir Francis on this.

The majority of places I want to go to have a road / railway / river / canal / something to it from somewhere else.


So - rather than fly directly to my destination, particularly if it's difficult to see, I'll fly to intercept the line feature one side of it, and turn towards it. That way, finding the destination is far far easier.

(And I use the GPS as well!)


Ann Welch once explained to me how she did this during WW2 - when she was delivering aircraft with little or no nav equipment to camouflaged airfields. She'd look for relatively close four point features (towns, hills, railway stations...) that could have two lines drawn between then with the centre of the cross on the airfield. She'd then fly to the nearest of the features, then directly towards the opposite feature whilst monitoring the one on either side of her.

When the sideways features were in the right places in her field of view, she knew she was over her destination.

As she was one of the few pilots on her squadron to make it to the end of the war, then went on to become a Fellow of the Royal Institute of Navigation, I think she knew what she was talking about. Certainly the technique has also worked for me when I've tried it.

G

[Il Duce]

Get onto 121.5 (in the UK) and transmit "training fix, training fix, training fix, callsign, request training fix". Once D&D have given you a position they'll ask if you require anything further; you reply, "Request a steer for Little Flapping On The Wold (or wherever else it is you can't find)". Currency for the D&D staff and you're out of trouble.

[TCU]

I bet Sir Francis Chichester still couldn't have found Fenland

[ShyTorque]

I bet Sir Francis Chichester still couldn't have found Fenland

He could have, but why would anyone want to bother? :oh:

[cats_five]

Unfortunately circling doesn't always provide anything valuable.
<snip>

Better IMHO than pressing on and becoming more and more unsure in a less and less temporary way of one's position... Ann Welch's method sounds brilliant and typical of everything of hers I've read - simple and sound.

I had a similar method for finding an airfield I had been told was hard to find, except it was blindingly obvious when I got there as it was the only bit of green in a sea of ripe grain & stubble. Had it been May the surrounding fields would have been green and it would have been a lot, lot harder. Since I was flying a glider I would have had to go back to staying up if I'd not found it so easily. Made sure to arrive with plenty of height in hand...

[thing]

Talking of ATA pilots etc I once read Alex Henshaw's book about his life as a test pilot. He was known for having an uncanny ability to find his way back to Castle Bromwich, where he used to test fly Spitfires from, in the foulest weather. He used a method that is stupidly simple that I use myself.

Any nearby power station will create a 'bulge' in the overcast if you are flying above it. It's blindingly obvious when you see it. As I have two power stations near where I fly from I use the method to great effect to impress people with my incredible navigation skills. Without telling them about Alex Henshaw of course...:)

[alex90]

I think you've got lots of really good advice here.

The only thing I haven't read here is perhaps a little archaic (or limited by facility) - but I have found it incredibly useful in marginal weather before I got my IR(r). You can request from quite a few airports / aerodromes QDMs. Some will even give you periodic updates on QDM back to an airfield if you ask them kindly.

I normally try to find obvious features and navigate with those when I am not flying with a GNS430 or SkyDemon.

[Cusco]

In my early days before GPS , when approaching a new strip/airfield I used to (in fact still do) hold my pen up to the DI in the orientation of the runway:

Then look out of the window for a runway orientated in the same direction.

Works every time.....

Cusco

[Gertrude the Wombat]

You can request from quite a few airports / aerodromes QDMs.
Last time I asked for a QDM was to demonstrate this to a passenger as one of the available navigation options.

I then didn't actually fly the QDM, as I wasn't actually intending to return to the airfield just yet. They called me up a few minutes later, unasked, with a revised QDM - I suspect they saw on the radar that I wasn't following the QDM they'd given me and thought I was actually lost.

[alex90]

They called me up a few minutes later, unasked, with a revised QDM

It's good to know someone is looking our for you - even when you don't need it! :)

The advent of radar is fantastic - flying vectors is so easy too - can't go wrong.

Oh something else that may have been missed - when calling 121.5 for a position fix - could be useful to make sure to listen out, to make sure there isn't an emergency already being broadcasted. This happened during my training, we were going to request a training fix and luckily we waited a couple of minutes before broadcasting as there was a real emergency a little further north!

[Allan Lupton]

I'm very much with Sir Francis on this.

The majority of places I want to go to have a road / railway / river / canal / something to it from somewhere else.


So - rather than fly directly to my destination, particularly if it's difficult to see, I'll fly to intercept the line feature one side of it, and turn towards it. That way, finding the destination is far far easier.

In the early 1960s when there was still a lot of Club flying to and from Luton, the newly opened M1 motorway was a real help when finding the place. You only had to know if you were East or West of the motorway so that you could fly towards it and, when it appeared, its colour told you if you were North (tarmac colour) or South (concrete colour) of Luton.

[cessnapete]

Good practice to keep up the basic nav skills.
Re GPS, most commercial operations use GPS as their main nav aid, usually at least a dual setup. I have a G430 and I Pad with Skydemon in our plane. Never had them "switch off" or freeze. Best not put the IPad in direct sunlight on a hot day though.

[Genghis the Engineer]

I've had GPS dropouts, admittedly always on portable rather than built in systems. The most severe I can recall lasted about 70nm from approximately Chester to approximately Northampton.

It does concentrate the mind somewhat. Nothing at-all wrong in my world view in using GPS as your primary navigational source. But using it as your sole navigational source will, sooner or later, land you in the doo-doo. Fortunately, I don't.

G

[Capn Bug Smasher]

say that you are lost

Yes, do this. Don't be shy!

You can't tell how you'll react when your mouth starts to dry out. When I got lost I forgot all about my lovely VOR and simply flew around in a flap until I gathered the courage to own up.

I even forgot about saying Pan Pan. My call was "I'm lost, can I have a radar vector please?" Asked not to go any further west, I thought fine,I'll pick a nice round heading to fly on... west.

My head was completely scrambled, I'm making all these basic errors, and d'you know where I was? I was half a mile and closing fat, dumb and happy to an active para zone with a jump in progress.

The lesson is this! If you're in a jam reach out right away. Better to burn bright red in the cockpit where no one can see than risk burning on the ground and all over the news!

[ChickenHouse]

Unfortunately circling doesn't always provide anything valuable. Extensive green fields, minor roads and villages aren't much help.

It does, and even minor features in landscape will give you sufficient feel where you are, but that needs training and the capability for something a friend called "pattern recognition". Last is a fading skill, deriving a feel for position on the basis of at first sight insufficient data - thats one increasingly killed by the GPS-brain-extension (had a weekend with some young boyscouts and their orientation skills in unknown terrain are decreased to a shocking minimum - guess they won't find from home to kindergarden without GPS ...).