Mon Sep 13, 2021 9:08 pm
#1870139
Gosh, bit of a humbling experience today. Part way through my CPL and did my first 2 hour long navigation, old school style. Chart, stopwatch and compass. Having passed my PPL 20 years ago I, can hand on heart, say that I last navigated like this on my PPL skills test and have since then "enjoyed" the advances in affordable moving map technology. Evidently allowing my map reading and cockpit management skills to deteriorate in the process.
First leg was a bit chaotic at the start but I soon ended up pointing in the vaguely correct direction and the timing and headings seemed to work OK. I remembered to rely on the times and headings and was pleased with the result. However the next leg was planned to cross Birmingham airspace on a West to East track. Called up in good time e to be informed that my planned track would be inconvenient, to say the least, to the departures. The superb controller suggested an overhead the field transit which I accepted. This is where I really started to feel the pressure as I had to work out how to get to the Western edge of the airport perimeter, with said Birmingham International right on the chart fold. I have to admit the I ended up track crawling somewhat and best guestimates, without redrawing a new track. In hindsight I think this was a mistake and I should have replanned properly. Having been cleared into the Class D I felt a bit compelled to "get on with it". I have to say that this was only coming from me and there was no such pressure from the excellent ATC. I eventually spotted the airfield and routed to the Western perimeter where I got an ace view of the goings on underneath. Cleared straight across then back to the chaos of trying to exit the zone with my huge unfolded chart with no lines of any use on it!
Once I spotted coventry I was then able to exit the zone and find my turning point.
I must admit I didn't really mind the Class G navigation leg as it was pretty much as I remembered it however the Class D transit with the change of transit route and resultant dealing with a half mil chart that seemed to be alive and determined to get me in trouble (legal or otherwise) AND having no gadgets or navaids to assist made me wonder if everyone was like this back in the day, and whether Ded Reckoning in or close to controlled airspace can be made easier. Of course I was under radar control and could have asked but the spirit of the exercise was DR nav to the fullest extent possible.
It was a great flight but did get me wondering if there is a CRM issue that I need to resolve.
Also does anyone have any interesting ways of regaining track other than the usual Closing Angle etc techniques taught at PPL level?
First leg was a bit chaotic at the start but I soon ended up pointing in the vaguely correct direction and the timing and headings seemed to work OK. I remembered to rely on the times and headings and was pleased with the result. However the next leg was planned to cross Birmingham airspace on a West to East track. Called up in good time e to be informed that my planned track would be inconvenient, to say the least, to the departures. The superb controller suggested an overhead the field transit which I accepted. This is where I really started to feel the pressure as I had to work out how to get to the Western edge of the airport perimeter, with said Birmingham International right on the chart fold. I have to admit the I ended up track crawling somewhat and best guestimates, without redrawing a new track. In hindsight I think this was a mistake and I should have replanned properly. Having been cleared into the Class D I felt a bit compelled to "get on with it". I have to say that this was only coming from me and there was no such pressure from the excellent ATC. I eventually spotted the airfield and routed to the Western perimeter where I got an ace view of the goings on underneath. Cleared straight across then back to the chaos of trying to exit the zone with my huge unfolded chart with no lines of any use on it!
Once I spotted coventry I was then able to exit the zone and find my turning point.
I must admit I didn't really mind the Class G navigation leg as it was pretty much as I remembered it however the Class D transit with the change of transit route and resultant dealing with a half mil chart that seemed to be alive and determined to get me in trouble (legal or otherwise) AND having no gadgets or navaids to assist made me wonder if everyone was like this back in the day, and whether Ded Reckoning in or close to controlled airspace can be made easier. Of course I was under radar control and could have asked but the spirit of the exercise was DR nav to the fullest extent possible.
It was a great flight but did get me wondering if there is a CRM issue that I need to resolve.
Also does anyone have any interesting ways of regaining track other than the usual Closing Angle etc techniques taught at PPL level?