49....it was the way early Gulf of Mexico flights were done when the only nav gear was a field map, compass, and watch/clock.

The technique is as you describe....eliminates guessing which way to turn for the search if your destination does not show up on the "corrected" track. If one holds the corrected track and the rig doesn't show....how do you know which way to turn to look for it?

The beef is to justify the existance of the crew who had a better sense of humour.

I didn't really expect to get much feedback. By "serious navs" I was just generalising for "crazy, out there, extreme" navs. But thanks for the stories! I must say that I have run into a few pilots (FW and RW) these days who really don't appreciate true navigation. I think having a GPS is a great thing but I think people's reliance on modern tech is diminishing the aviators list of skills. Mind you most of those pilots were still in their 20s. Not saying gen Y is lazy or anything as i'm still in my 20s :}

Years ago when I was a V Bomber pilot I would condescend to enter the dungeon where the navigators used to grovel. Once there I would demonstrate my skill by doing a three star astro fix.

A week later we would fly my cocked hat as a long range navex.