Learning to fly, or thinking of learning? Post your questions, comments and experiences here

Moderator: AndyR

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By David Wood
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1904487
Here's a question. Slightly tongue in cheek, but based on a 'there I was...'

You are flying in an ill-equiped vintage aeroplane. You have almost no instruments and certainly no transponder. You do have a PAW Rosetta and some months ago you installed a magnetic iPhone holder on the somewhat limited instrument panel on which to secure your iPhone so that you can see Skydemon and traffic information whilst in flight. Since you seldom if ever use the ancient P10 compass and you seldom venture far from home you weren't too worried about the effect of the powerful magnet on the compass when you stuck it in. That was a mistake.

It's a nice day, around 2 in the afternoon. You are heading home (roughly 240 degree track) from somewhere relatively unfamiliar and you call for a transit of a MATZ. Since you can't squawk the MATZ controller asks you to turn to 190 degrees for identification. At that very moment your iPhone unexpectedly shuts down. You aren't too worried about the lack of a moving map because you know where you are. You set 190 on the ancient compass and it points in a direction that you know cannot be right.

How would you estimate 190 degrees?
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By Iceman
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1904490
Do you have a rate-1 turn indicator, and a watch ?

Otherwise, your turn is 50 degrees left which is very nearly half a right-angle, so the heading you want is half way between your current heading and your left wing-tip direction.

Iceman 8)
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By VRB_20kt
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1904494
(Reminds me of an FI friend charged with taking a vintage type from one airfield to another. A few minutes after take off he realised he was heading into the afternoon sun when his intention was to fly East. A smart turn to put the sun behind him did the trick. )
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By xtophe
#1904505
Pretend you are a politician and say there is too many hypoticals and answer a different question.

Or, tell "Unable" to ATC and continue in class G avoiding the ATZ.
By FlyingBoot
#1904563
I would do something similar to what @Iceman suggests. Look out of your cockpit 45 to 50 degrees from straight ahead (hopefully to the left) and spot a landmark to turn onto. This is what you would have to do anyway sans Iphone (other and better mobile devices are available) as the old wibbly wobbly compass isn't the most accurate of things in turns, climbs and dives. If the controller tells you that you are not quite on a track of 190 then at least they have spotted you.

Alternatively, throw the Iphone mount into the back of the cockpit so that the old compass has a chance of working. I would suggest to throw it out of the cockpit but that might get you into trouble.
TopCat liked this
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By Sooty25
#1904571
Pull out AtoZ, look for a road near by that runs a bit round from straight down, fly along it.
By TopCat
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1904586
FlyingBoot wrote:Alternatively, throw the Iphone mount into the back of the cockpit so that the old compass has a chance of working.

Beat me to it :)