Holding heading & height

[motzartmerv]

Ignition. There are some serious flaws with the advice you have offered.

 

Quote" if you point at something on the horizon, that is on the track you need,... and if you then get cross wind... you will still fly towards the point that you picked, which will keep you on track or heading to your track where you can pick it up again..."

 

This is not correct. Heading and track are not the same. Infact in strong winds, heading and magnetic track can be vastly different, especially in slower aircraft.

 

You need to understand that where the aircraft is pointing is rarely where it is going. Whenever there is wind that isnt directly on the nose or tail, pointing the aircraft at something will ensure it DOESN'T fly to that point.

 

Bit more study needed, but good onya for tackling navs, its bout time...hehe..;)

 

 

[rdarby]

Won't this scenario lead to track and heading being the same? If you pick an object a few miles ahead that is on your desired heading, and then make sure yo fly right over it, have you not essentially made sure that what you are tracking is your heading? So you neutralise the wind by making sure you fly from physical point to point, at each point finding another that is on the heading? If you do this though you need to ignore where you are pointing and just make sure you go over the spot on the ground? This confuses me.

 

 

[motzartmerv]

rdarby. I think your confusing track and heading. The track is the desired track over the ground.Simply, the straight line between two points. The heading is the heading required to maintain that track over the ground. As i said before, in any wind that is not directly on the nose or tail (rarely) the heading required to allow for the wind is NOT going to be the same as the track magnetic.so if you roll onto your desired heading and choose something close to point at, the closer you get to that point the heading will keep changing because you aren't actually flying towards that point, you are merely pointing at it.

 

clear as mud?..lol

 

 

[Thirsty]

I interpreted Ignitions post to be - find a point on the intended track and point at it - that's where I want to go. Then take into account any crosswind (by pointing in the direction the wind is coming from) and you will fly to that point.

 

This is what Merv is saying too I think so you are in agreeance?

 

I know I could be interpreting Ignition's post incorrectly in which case I would agree that it would be incorrect to simply point at something and fly at it. I think if you did that and could study the trace later you would see a curve bending out in the direction opposite to the wind and finally coming to the destination from a possibly great angle.

 

 

[rdarby]

Okay, so lets so I start with a heading of 200deg, and I know from my point of departure that a hill 5 miles away lies at 200deg magnetic. I fly to it. So my track will be 200deg, but my heading could be anything as I will have to point slightly away from the hill to counter the wind, and by countering the wind (i.e. heading is different from track) I will follow a track of 200deg. As long as I make sure that regardless of heading I do in fact pass over the top of that hill.

 

Is that right?

 

That scenario does not include a wind correction angle.

 

If you work out a wind correction angle to allow you to have say a heading of 215deg that equates to a track of 200deg, you still pass over the hill. That is the explanation my instructor gave me. You can fly so as to fly over the hill, but your nose may have to point somewhere else to enable you to get to the hill, as you want the hill on your track but your heading my be 15deg to the right of the hill.

 

But, and this is where I am confused, if you work out a wind correction angle and aim at say a house that is at 215deg, and make sure you pass over it, you end up with a track that follows your corrected heading. If that is true you will be 15deg off on the map, won't you? So to me you either fly the compass and use a heading that corrects for wind, or follow a series of points on the ground?

 

Am I closer now?

 

Ryan

 

 

[rdarby]

I think the key is that if you do follow a series of points on the ground that, as mentioned above, you only correct yourself when directly over that point, or you will be all over the place.

 

 

[motzartmerv]

rdarby. In your first instance, if you have worked out the heading required is 200, and a feature lieas ANYWHERE along a TRACK of 200 then this scenario is only possible in no wind, or a direct headwind or tailwind as track and heading are identical.

 

In the second instance, your nose will not be pointing 'somewhere else' it will be pointing at 215 which if held will give you a track of 200, and yes, this will still cause the mountain to pass underneath you even though you have never actually pointed at it.

 

Think about what would happen if you combine both examples. Say you wanted a track of 200 and held a heading of 200 but there was a breeze from the right, say 280. In this case, while you were pointing the nose at the mountain, ie, holding a heading of 200 the wind would drift you to the left of course (desired track), all the while you would need to keep rolling right to keep the nose pointing at the mountain, so you may end up on a heading of 250 or something. which is way off.

 

 

[Razza]

motz is correct, u could also use a distant reference on your desired track and keep that in the same position in the windscreen until such time as you can pick up another distance landmark to reference. I think that would be more effective than picking a reference off the nose (heading) as this particular reference will slowly move across the windscreen the closer you get. is that right? I guess the further away the reference point is the more accurate it will be

 

 

[ahlocks]

... find a point on the intended track and point at it - that's where I want to go. Then take into account any crosswind (by pointing in the direction the wind is coming from) and you will fly to that point.

This really shouldn't be posted in a students' area as it's a mug lair's quick and dirty way of checking that you have done your sums right.

 

At your chosen track intercept point after lift off, initially steer the intended track and note a line of features as visual way points of where you should be going. Take up your calculated heading and then eyeball that you are actually tracking (crabbing/sliding) along your intended route and note where your intended target is in the windscreen. i.e. three rivets left of the canopy centre and in line with the bug nugget on the combing. It should stay in that relative position if all is good. The target that is, not the bug nugget.

 

I'll be off now before Motz sees this.....