Guest Maj Millard Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 Related this to a pilot friend recently, and he couldn't believe it. OK your out flying late one afternoon, you've gone a bit further than you should have, as you do, turned for home, and theres' that damn headwind again !. The sun is down on the horizon, you don't have an accurate last-light time, you know it's still 20 min back to base, so how much daylight time time do we have ??. Ok, outstretch one arm in front of you, (unless your in a Jab) present two fingers, and place the bottom edge of the bottom finger on the hirozon. Read how many fingers between the horizon and the sun. Each finger represents 20 mns. I finger=20 mns. 2 fingers= 40mns. 3 fingers, you guessed it =I hour. Don't believe it ?...check it out next time the sun sets, should be later today. Over the years I've found it to be pretty accurate in a pinch. Have fun with your fingers....I'm off to play with some sideslipping.................................................................................................
Yenn Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 Hey Maj, does that work at any altitude? I work on 15 deg per hour and then have to estimate the number of degrees.
Ultralights Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 the thurther south you go, the longer, to the point the sun wont set at all.
dazza 38 Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 Thanks for the, hint (advice) major, i will try it.
turboplanner Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 ...I'm off to play with some sideslipping............. I've been working on it in the car all afternoon........................
Tracktop Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 I've been working on it in the car all afternoon........................ Not so much smoke if you do it in the air :)
HEON Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 OR, punch into your trusty GPS time of sunset at current or proposed location! Love that technology!
stanzahero Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 How cool! Another use for "two fingers"!
Guest Maj Millard Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 Hopefully by the time you manage to get it out of some of the latest GPSs, the sun hasn't already set !........................ Yenn I don't think you could go high enough for it to make much difference. It is all within a few minutes anyway. The difference between concern and sheer panic.
jcruffle Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 You could always check the last light from NAIPS while you are planning your flight........
Guest Maj Millard Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 Try getting NAIPS out bush in places !! Plus one of the reasons and joys of flying ultralights as we do, is so that we can jump in and go for that quick joy flight, without being burdened down with an hours' flightplanning, and other Bxxxxxxx as required in GA. An experienced pilot should certainly be capable of carrying out a local VFR flight, without all the baggage. It's one of the reasons many of us have chosen ultralights over GA.........................................................................................
HEON Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 Point taken Maj Millard on "latest" GPS. I actually use my back up GPS I carry which is very basic "hunting,fishing an shooting" type...designed for that market! (no need for insulting posts...I is one myself)
Guest Maj Millard Posted November 21, 2009 Posted November 21, 2009 Insulting posts ??...please explain.....On GPSs I actually turned my Garmin 295 into several hundred dollars of additional flying money, haven't missed it at all. Still use my ultra-reliable and simple GPS 12 which has taken me accuratly to many destinations throughout the country, and continues to do so. Additionally I can pick up another one if I need to for a couple hundred bucks.................
Yenn Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 GPS 12 a great little machine and it does all I ask. Where is the inability to go for a quick flight at low cost with GA? There is no great need for flight planning to do a local flight, plus the fact that you can plan as you fly leads to flexibility. If I had a GA plane at my home field it would be no more expensive to fly than a RAAus plane, and I would as a bonus be able to fly in controlled airspace.
HEON Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 Insulting posts...my attempt at a light hearted comment! I said I used a (very) simple basic backup GPS to get last light, the type which is very simple to use and aimed at "hunten,fishen,and shooten" types. That is only basic info included like; sunset (can I see iron sights?); moon phases(good fishihg?) etc...no need to calculate the required escape velocity to get into orbit at your current location! As some could think I was implying that this group could only use a simple GPS I said no insulting posts (required) as I was one that fitted into that group myself..... Made sense to me at the time
HEON Posted November 22, 2009 Posted November 22, 2009 Shooting is the art of solving problems without taking the skin of your knuckles:laugh:
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