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

Moderator: AndyR

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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740495
Who on here spends hours and hours planning theoretical routes in skydemon when they don't even have a licence or plane... This guy!

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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740499
Oh good, I've got trips to Stratford upon Avon, Le Touquet and Chartres all sorted this evening.

Productive.

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By dc3guy
#1740502
Not sure if everyone else knows this or not, but there is a free limited version of SkyDemon for the web.

I did purchase the full app and I do spend hours planning routes, although I’m only 8hrs through my PPL and my school uses their own license when I do go up :)

Just FYI for anyone
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By David Wood
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740534
Nothing wrong with that at all. :D

Word or caution 'though: SkyDemon is a truly transformative piece of software and I'm a great fan of it - don't misunderstand me on that. And yes, there is lots that you can learn from planning routes on SD and talking yourself through how you would get from A to B.

However, do remember that (like it or not/sensible or not) for your training and your flight test you will be expected to use a chart and to mandraulically calculate all of the stuff you get at the touch of a button on SD. It is also important that you know how to do it if the iPad goes blank. So, use SD for what you describe but don't skimp on the manual skills also.
By PaulB
#1740539
I used websites (pre-SD) to do the triangle of velocities calcs and other conversions.

I made routes up, plotted them and calculated drifts/GS etc with whizz wheel. I then used the website to check I’d got it right. I did this loads of times for loads of made up routes and wind speeds/directions.
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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740541
David Wood wrote:don't skimp on the manual skills also.


Absolutely agree. I'm currently studying the Nav exam and have ground school tonight and Thursday to learn those skills. It's great having SD to check I've worked it out correctly

CRP1's are amazing little devices

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By GrahamB
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740555
Pre NavBox ProPlan and subsequently SD, I'd created an Excel spreadsheet formatted as a Plog which calculated it all for me, and which I then printed out.
By dc3guy
#1740570
I’m really looking forward to geeking out and learning manual calculations, but also happy such a good tool is available when I’m solo!
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By David Wood
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740579
Flyin'Dutch' wrote:Time to confess.

After my Qualifying Cross Country I have never ever used either trigonometry or a WhizzWheel to plan a trip or work out a plog.

It is possible.


And the reality is that <1% of qualified pilots planning trips would get out their wizz-wheels and sharpen their chinographs; any more than anyone these days prints off pages of NOTAMs and laboriously plots the lats and longs onto a chart to see if they are relevant. Life's moved on.

Sadly the syllabus hasn't - and that was the point that I was gently trying to make.
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By David Wood
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740581
GrahamB wrote:Pre NavBox ProPlan and subsequently SD, I'd created an Excel spreadsheet formatted as a Plog which calculated it all for me, and which I then printed out.

Me too. But I haven't used it for years.
By Crash one
#1740587
Once you get through the mandatory “precision” nav exam it is quite rewarding to plot a route or diversion off the top of your head, fly it, hit the target, and compare your calculations with Skydemon (other software is available).
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By Nero
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740903
The nice thing about it, from my original scenario, is that I can be in bed at midnight plotting routes to France and not disturb the Mrs! I think she'd object to a 1:500000 map, pens, rulars, protractor and whizz wheel in the bed....

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By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1740908
If you are comparing manual calculations with Sky Demon - it does some things which you probably wont do including using a reduced forward speed when climbing and using a more accurate predicted wind (although you can set SD to use a specific wind). It is a useful tool to check your working out though! When learning, I used http://www.skydemonlight.com/ to check my workings (you do need to use a browser which supports Silverlight).