Do you prefer to navigate track up or north up...?

[Gnarly Gnu]

I'm interested in folks preferences. What would seem an obvious choice to me might be seen much different to you. Also I'm told many females have a different preference to the majority of males with regard to map reading orientation, but I'm not sure if that is a myth or not.

 

If you have a totally different technique please be sure to share it, the dislike button has thankfully gone the way of the Dodo here so if you don't like the confines of using a compass and the NSEW cardinal direction system don't hold back on describing your favourite tea leaves navigation method or the great hand drawn sketch global circumnavigation.

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

Whether it be map, GPS, or FMS, always track up!

 

 

[Mick]

I was trained to hold a chart track up and run the GPS the same way.

 

 

[Guest Maj Millard]

A lot less confusing when the map is oriented so the track matches the route... , track up for sure..

 

Maj...

 

 

[sfGnome]

Always track up, regardless of whether it is paper or GPS or tea leaves. However, I called that 'other' because of the gps choice.

 

 

[ianwells]

maps are always drawn with north at the top and that is the the way they should be used !!!!! except for the girls ?

 

 

[Mriya]

Last time I checked, I was still a guy, but I have to agree with the majority and go track-up:poking:

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

Whether it be map, GPS, or FMS, always track up!

How about that, you HH were the first one that I expected to nominate celestial navigation....

 

GPS - check

 

Autopilot - check....

 

 

[dodo]

...has thankfully gone the way of the Dodo here

...and your problem with the dodo is?

dodo

 

 

[Patrick Normoyle]

I go track up with everything, car GPS, paper map GPS and OZRUNWAYS, I'm just that kind of guy.

 

 

[LimaMike08]

North up for me. Didn't think I would be in the minority though. I will have to try track up and see.

 

 

[frankmcm]

Everything north up. last time my GPS battery died and defaulted to track up I couldn't cope.

 

(Comment removed - mod)

 

North up for me. Didn't think I would be in the minority though. I will have to try track up and see.

[Guest Andys@coffs]

If the device will orientate itself so that what you see is whats in front of you why would you do north up... when sh&t happens, and it will, why need to do a conversion when time is of the escence and stress levels are high....

 

 

[flyerme]

paper map nth up ( so I can read it whilst in strapped to my knee board)) ,GPS track up.

 

 

[Doug Evans]

track up for me

 

 

[SOS]

I'm in two minds. I must say that track up aids with nav, but north up helps with a quick " ABC what is your position" question ... which I can answer quickly as "10 SW of GAFA". With track up ... I have to think a bit. But that might just be me!

 

 

[dazza 38]

A lot less confusing when the map is oriented so the track matches the route... , track up for sure..Maj...

Im with Ross, having north up when you for example are heading due south doesnt make sense, it will however have the potential to confuse the pilot, things that appear on the map will be opposite to what appears out side looking through the windscreen. . Better off with track up so that if your planned track shows a little town on the left side of track and a lake on the right of track on the map.That is how it will appear through the windscreen.

 

 

[Halden Boyd]

Map up on track, GPS North

 

By the way check out our new Evans Head Great Eastern Fly In 2013 page. It's been up for a month and has had over 20,000 hits! http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Great-Eastern-Fly-In-Evans-Head-2013/387138744702187?fref=ts

 

 

[jakej]

Track up - so that looking out the window, which we all do , what we see is what's on the map/gps therefore immediate situational awareness

 

 

[Guest Howard Hughes]

How about that, you HH were the first one that I expected to nominate celestial navigation.... GPS - check

 

Autopilot - check....

Does one use a sextant track up, or North up? In that case surely it is North up!

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Which North ? . . . . . . ( ! ) True, . . . or that darned magneticky thingie. . . . . .

 

 

[flyerme]

interesting! looks like pilots use different techniques to what they feel is more understanding to them personally .

 

 

[facthunter]

The way you can read the words UP. Nev

 

 

[kgwilson]

Track up but sometimes have to turn the map round so I can read the names more easily. Track up with the GPS cause that's the way it does it & names are always the right way up. If you go north up, then as Jake says features on the ground won't be able to be correlated to the map easily.

 

 

[facthunter]

Some people can not easily map read features ( hypsometric tinted contours etc) unless they orientate the map with their track ( as the GPS can easily). If I am using a WAC chart I personally keep the chart North up. because I have no real difficulty imagining that I am going along the track wherever it is from. The advantage of this is that you always think in terms of bearing and the points of the compass. You can easily locate yourself in relation to known features. ie 15 NM southwest of XXXX tracking 045 degrees. Will you pass over xxxx ?

 

Today MOST orientate the map with the track and have a lot of difficulty with the concept of just where they are going. At the end of the day you will use what suits you I would urge the consideration of the North up and not just dismiss it. Nev