Low-Level Nav!

[.Evan.]

One nav closer to that cross-country endorsement!

 

Went on a low level sortie, which was supposed to go to Wedderburn and St Arnaud, but we may have gotten momentarily geographically embarrassed and ended up in Charlton!

 

Oh well, I guess it's all part of the learning process!

 

Full story here: http://1000feetagl.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/low-level-nav-proper-one.html

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Low level Navs are more challenging, as your horizon is closer, so your identifying features need to be much more local. Gets tricky when there's no hills in sight and a relatively featureless landscape.

 

My CFI used low level over relatively featureless landscape to try and get me lost as part of learning "lost procedures". The destination was unknown to me at take-off, but after a while of flying in changing directions, he said. Take me to <name of town>. All I had was a kneeboard sized piece of WAC chart to navigate against, and the first step was to find the name of the town on the chart!

 

It was all good fun and he didn't get me lost :-)

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

If you're low enough you can read the names on the railway station platforms, that way you never get lost!

 

 

[turboplanner]

Evan as one who has looked under a railway station verandah, tried to find the name on the side of a pub and had to be content with the entry sign to the town, this is excellent navigation training, which makes you much less likely to sit back and stake your future on one little chinese gps.

 

The "lost procedure" that Davidh is talking about are even better because you get into a routine sequence giving you more time to spot some key feature while the instructor is pi$$$ing himself thinking he's got you foxed.

 

 

[.Evan.]

Thanks guys! I suspect that my instructor was secretly laughing to himself. Oh well, it gave me a real excuse to transition to best endurance mode!

 

 

[frank marriott]

Remember HEADING & TIME then other things fall into place.

 

FrankM

 

 

[Tomo]

Street signs work a treat too...

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

And pubs, I was always able to work out where I was by what pubs I could see, much to my instructors chagrin!

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Remember HEADING & TIME then other things fall into place.FrankM

While these are important, if you take the wrong heading for the right time, you aren't really navigating.

 

 

[brilin_air]

Well done Evan!!

 

We will be up at YBLT on Thursday arvo about 2ish

 

Brian is doing his BFR with Manny in our baby. (Manny is somewhat a tad excited)

 

-Linda

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

While these are important, if you take the wrong heading for the right time, you aren't really navigating.

My first solo flight after getting my full PPL priviledges (1986), I took off and headed 231 instead of 123!

It was only a looming Mountain range which I wasn't expecting to be see, that alerted me to the situation, turned around and backtracked to my starting point.

 

 

[frank marriott]

OK - correct heading and correct ground speed - but use whatever you find the best to get the task done.

 

 

[robinsm]

Practical application for low level nav ....get caught on a long Xcountry flight by lowering cloud/fog base. (yep, low level nav practice certainly pays off in the real world.)

 

 

[Guest davidh10]

Evan;

 

If as soon as you depart, you visually acquire a navigational feature that you want to achieve or a couple at least 90 degrees apart from which you can identify your position (say off to the side and ahead) and then as you achieve those, look for the next navigational feature, you will soon notice if your track is departing from the planned route. That would alert you to there being something awry with the plan, and you would make the required adjustment to stay on course.

 

 

[turboplanner]

It's when you get to some country where those navigational features are more sparse that the problems start.

 

If there's only one feature and you happen to see it, relax, fly on for 10 minutes and fail to see the next one, then realise the feature you saw wasn't the correct one, the heart starts to pump because you are lost.

 

When that happens you need to.....

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Evan;If as soon as you depart, you visually acquire a navigational feature that you want to achieve or a couple at least 90 degrees apart from which you can identify your position

And hope what you think your seeing is what you are seeing. Time.. Time... Time... The one true constant. Track crawling is a great way to end up off course if time is not used as a feature.

At low level it becomes even more crucial as visually aquiring those features is all but impossible until you are right on them, and how do you know they are the right ones??? Because your watch tells you they are ( or aren't)

 

 

[poteroo]

Practical application for low level nav ....get caught on a long Xcountry flight by lowering cloud/fog base. (yep, low level nav practice certainly pays off in the real world.)

You're in serious trouble if under a fog base!!

 

The best solution I know for being forced lower than 500 agl, (= lower than acceptable), is called a diversion.

 

happy days,

 

 

[robinsm]

I know, problem was that it closed in ahead and behind me, plenty of diversion feilds but unable to get to them. I got my self into that situation through being cocky but I was lucky that the lesson was learned with only my nerves as casualties. Tired. long trip poor judgement, what can I say. Again, lesson definitely learned.

 

 

[motzartmerv]

Unfortunately it tends to take one or two of these bad experiences before we humans get the gravity of it. A healthy respect is something thats hard to teach but easy to learn (by getting caught out)..then you have your 'ahaa' moment.. Thats what they are always going on about...:)