Pilot Watch
Join Date: Feb 2006
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The Laco Frankfurt GMT is a good example. The Mido Ocean Star GMT offers similar readability with better water resistance. If you want something cheaper with a quartz movement, Timex and Mathy-Tissot have half decent models available.
My Breitling Aerospace does it nicely. I leave the digital window on utc and a quick spin of the crown changes the hands by an hour at a time whilst retaining accuracy. You can also have a third time set on the digital window options.
MM
MM
I am useing an Apple Whatch.
It has different dual time clock faces and in addition one can customize a clock face like in my screenshot, which shows local time in the center, and in this case, 3 different timezones on the outside. UTC, New York and Singapore.
It has different dual time clock faces and in addition one can customize a clock face like in my screenshot, which shows local time in the center, and in this case, 3 different timezones on the outside. UTC, New York and Singapore.
I like my Samsung watch where you can design your own screens. Green colour for normal and red for night flying.
You can also have a Nav app with TAFs etc, but useless in reality. All I need is local time/date and utc.
You can also have a Nav app with TAFs etc, but useless in reality. All I need is local time/date and utc.
All of these fancy watches have one thing in common - whether a 3000 buck Rolex or a 300 buck Timex they only tell the time now. The OP seems to have a problem with how to apply zone time for later in the flight when a forecast published in UTC will take effect. For that, all that is needed is to know the zone time difference, and how to add or subtract that from UTC. Mental arithmetic is the quickest and easiest way to do this. No magic watch required. Assuming you know roughly how long your flight will take from where you are sitting while planning, simply look at the clock on the wall. Big hand/little hand (or if a digital clock, make it easy and set it to 24 hour format). Getting forecast updates in flight is a no-brainer, because all aircraft GPS nav systems display UTC.
A bit like instantly knowing reciprocals (adding/subtracting 180), this stuff is an essential piloting skill, easily learned by all but the most dyslexic.. Maybe an examination in basic mental math should be part of the PPL test?
A bit like instantly knowing reciprocals (adding/subtracting 180), this stuff is an essential piloting skill, easily learned by all but the most dyslexic.. Maybe an examination in basic mental math should be part of the PPL test?
Last edited by Mach E Avelli; 5th Jul 2022 at 01:48.
Join Date: Mar 2006
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My daily driver is one of the Casio Pro Trek series of watches, for exactly the reason you’re looking for. It has a “world time” mode where you can display the time in any time zone (including GMT of course) and (quite usefully) your home time is permanently shown at the bottom of the display.
Of all the watches I have, it’s simply the easiest to use while flying when I need to switch time zones. I almost never set it to display UTC though, for the simple fact that the airplane clock will only display UTC, so I don’t have much need to display it on my watch.
Of all the watches I have, it’s simply the easiest to use while flying when I need to switch time zones. I almost never set it to display UTC though, for the simple fact that the airplane clock will only display UTC, so I don’t have much need to display it on my watch.
All of these fancy watches have one thing in common - whether a 3000 buck Rolex or a 300 buck Timex they only tell the time now. The OP seems to have a problem with how to apply zone time for later in the flight when a forecast published in UTC will take effect. For that, all that is needed is to know the zone time difference, and how to add or subtract that from UTC. Mental arithmetic is the quickest and easiest way to do this. No magic watch required. Assuming you know roughly how long your flight will take from where you are sitting while planning, simply look at the clock on the wall. Big hand/little hand (or if a digital clock, make it easy and set it to 24 hour format). Getting forecast updates in flight is a no-brainer, because all aircraft GPS nav systems display UTC.
A bit like instantly knowing reciprocals (adding/subtracting 180), this stuff is an essential piloting skill, easily learned by all but the most dyslexic.. Maybe an examination in basic mental math should be part of the PPL test?
A bit like instantly knowing reciprocals (adding/subtracting 180), this stuff is an essential piloting skill, easily learned by all but the most dyslexic.. Maybe an examination in basic mental math should be part of the PPL test?
Beware. Not all 'World Time' watches can display half-hour time zones such as South Aust/NT and those in India.
I have the Garmin D2 air which I quite like for flying and exercise. Has UTC which is easy to find. It also has a lot of other stuff which I don’t need; have deleted some of it. If I’m honest I’ve flown for years without anything like it, and don’t really think it’s made a big difference. But I needed a new watch and decided to spoil myself; happy with it.
All of these fancy watches have one thing in common - whether a 3000 buck Rolex or a 300 buck Timex they only tell the time now. The OP seems to have a problem with how to apply zone time for later in the flight when a forecast published in UTC will take effect. For that, all that is needed is to know the zone time difference, and how to add or subtract that from UTC. Mental arithmetic is the quickest and easiest way to do this. No magic watch required. Assuming you know roughly how long your flight will take from where you are sitting while planning, simply look at the clock on the wall. Big hand/little hand (or if a digital clock, make it easy and set it to 24 hour format). Getting forecast updates in flight is a no-brainer, because all aircraft GPS nav systems display UTC.
A bit like instantly knowing reciprocals (adding/subtracting 180), this stuff is an essential piloting skill, easily learned by all but the most dyslexic.. Maybe an examination in basic mental math should be part of the PPL test?
A bit like instantly knowing reciprocals (adding/subtracting 180), this stuff is an essential piloting skill, easily learned by all but the most dyslexic.. Maybe an examination in basic mental math should be part of the PPL test?
Stopped wearing a watch as my hair started falling off the top and migrating to other parts of the body.
A flight plan has the info that is needed on the top, and good ones add that to the Wx brief and Notams. The times don't mean anything by themselves, they only mean something when correlated to the operations data. Alternatively, get foreflight on your iPad. After 11 years of using it, I believe it has a touch of divinity or at least is worthy of sainthood. It is the only item on the aircraft I trust to function at all times. And coffee... The Wx brief is a thing of beauty, as are the Notams. I recall one Notam pack for a polar that ran to 88 pages, not including Wx, or the RIF FPL... having some rational presentation goes a long way to helping to have a good day out. No wonder Jepp is easing out of their EFB..
“Sydney Ground this is Car 2. You’re going to need to close Runway 34 Left temporarily. There’s a nude pilot asleep on the piano keys.”
“Car 2, Roger. Please advise how long it will take to remove the pilot. And by the way: How do you know it’s a pilot?”
“Sydney Ground, he’s got a big (‘duel’ Timezone) watch and a small penis.”
“Car 2, Roger. Please advise how long it will take to remove the pilot. And by the way: How do you know it’s a pilot?”
“Sydney Ground, he’s got a big (‘duel’ Timezone) watch and a small penis.”
Watches
I use a Seiko with a bezel. A great watch. It does not tell me the next time zone but my Ozrunways iPad does that for me. My Seiko has an automatic wind mechanism. Shake it and it winds up. No batteries that fail when needed. It has a 41 mm case diameter. I would like that at 42 or 43 mm. As my eyes get older I like all printed matter and watch faces to be bigger, makes for easier reading at a glance. When I first got the watch at cost of about $600 it was missing times. My favourite watch repairer, Albert, took it, gave it a lube and said that at the factory someone forget to grease & lube the cogs. He fixed it and it has never lost a minute since. May Albert live a few years longer as I have work for him with other watches like my older Casio with a bezel.
It is often said that you can pick a pilot in a crowd. He will have the biggest watch and will wear Ray Ban sunnies.
I agree with both.
The watch for an easy to read face at a glance and the Ray Bans because they have slim side bars that when under a headset keep the noise out unlike a pair of James Bond sunnies that leave a gap around the side bars.
The other way to tell a pilot is is if he or she are wearing a pair of elastic sided boots. R.M.Williams are the favourite when the wearer can afford them.
Pilots. Watches. Sunnies, Boots.
It is often said that you can pick a pilot in a crowd. He will have the biggest watch and will wear Ray Ban sunnies.
I agree with both.
The watch for an easy to read face at a glance and the Ray Bans because they have slim side bars that when under a headset keep the noise out unlike a pair of James Bond sunnies that leave a gap around the side bars.
The other way to tell a pilot is is if he or she are wearing a pair of elastic sided boots. R.M.Williams are the favourite when the wearer can afford them.
Pilots. Watches. Sunnies, Boots.
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These days I find that a quick look at the calendar in the morning gives me more information than I really need ..... the sun refines the precision during the day and at night one is asleep. Easy.