Map Reading
 

I was watching a pre-smart phone film recently with my 25 year old daughter and the star was given an address to meet up with someone. She asked how on earth he found it without a phone to guide him?

So it made me think that with the reliance on satellite systems for GPS and navigation, is map reading still taught to budding pilots?

If the satellites were taken out in a war footing, will they still be able to navigate (and I suppose that applies to other armed forces, though I believe that astral navigation, is in the Navy)?

All RAF personnel (and I presume Army and Navy) are taught map reading.

You don't need to be in the Military for loss of nav signals to cause havoc.
Inmarsat I-4F1 satellite outage disables tractors

Although the army aver that the most terrifying sight for a group of soldiers is an officer approaching with map and compass.

Whoever heard of a woman who could map read?
(Ducks to avoid incoming):ooh:

Chevvron
In the 'good' old days of gliding competitions where crews chased their pilots round the countryside, my wife became adept at identifying the best route down many a country road. The only other problem to sort out was approaching T junctions. To ensure turning the correct way, 'My left' meant turning in her direction and 'Your left' turning in mine.

Did you not have a compass…

There is an alternative perspective:

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(Sorry, needed 8 posts to be allowed to post URLs):

https://www.davesinclair.org/prose/vne

Sensible lady !..notably with her ending.

Maps, and gliding, well yes they did come in useful....however, it did help when the heroic pilot could be more accurate as to the location..." in a field with tree's at one end and cows in the other " didn't really give an accurate location.

Some crews would look at the task, and then position themselves at say a mid point on a leg....some crews had more money than sense however....most of us just sat, and waited.

I heard a tale of a retrieve crew who drove many miles to fetch a glider only to find on arrival that the trailer contained a three piece suite.

I wore one of those in my wedding.:ok:

CG

Sofa I think it would have suited you, Sir!

In fairness to Mrs vasco she can read a map really well, mind you she can’t park!

If it’s so bad the satellites were taken out. There would be no civil aviation! So no problem there.

In RAF MT Despatch at JHQ Rheindahlen there was a very low cross-beam, adorned with a notice:

CHICKEN! .... sorry, I meant DUCK !!

Back in the day half the bush pilots I flew with would invert the map when heading south, others could read the map properly north up.

If the half who "would invert the map when heading south" reached their destination, I can't see that they were doing too much wrong.

I think that you don't understand the civil commercial environment. Civil traffic would still exist, just not quite as busy.