From gwhitt@ix.netcom.com Thu Nov 29 02:42:24 2001 Path: cygnus.com!enews.sgi.com!arclight.uoregon.edu!logbridge.uoregon.edu!paloalto-snh1.gtei.net!lsanca1-snf1!news.gtei.net!newsfeed2.earthlink.net!newsfeed.earthlink.net!news.mindspring.net!not-for-mail From: "Gene Whitt" Newsgroups: rec.aviation.student Subject: A Plea for Help Date: Wed, 28 Nov 2001 21:37:20 -0800 Organization: MindSpring Enterprises Lines: 103 Message-ID: <9u4hjn$sik$1@nntp9.atl.mindspring.net> NNTP-Posting-Host: d1.f7.35.87 X-Server-Date: 29 Nov 2001 05:37:59 GMT X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Newsreader: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.50.4133.2400 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.50.4133.2400 Xref: cygnus.com rec.aviation.student:196055 Response to a plea for help: After I had written this to an individual, I thought that it might be of interest to others... Navigation, weather and charts are the only three areas of aviation you should not try to self-study. Reading a sectional should begin with learning to read the longitude and latitude hatch marks that divide the chart into rectangles. the charts are expendable so mark them up with colored pens Have someone show you how to find the longitude/ latitude location of an airport and then you do several until you can do it fairly quick. Use a long ruler to make sure your lines are straight. If you have an AF/D directory the longitude and latitude of every airport will be there. Only some of them will be on your sectional. Important that you know the nautical mile distance can only be measured on the vertical lines. Look at a globe in a library so you can verify how the horizontal distances have the same number of marks over smaller space as you leave the equator. Once you have learned how to find where you are on a chart, it is time to learn the things shown on the chart. Make a black rectangle using a quarter section of a full degree distance in Long/lat. Circle all the little symbols in the rectangle and use the legend panel on the side of the chart to identify every item. Get help for those you can't seem to identify. Do this until you can randomly pick an area and be able to identify most of the symbols. Some of the instructional videos explain charts very well. Certain symbols have a variety of forms, such as VORs, airports, towers, and airspace. You will never truly understand airspace until you get the opporturnity to fly into the multiple situations created by both the colored lines and the weather influence on them. Some of the lines are only effective when the weather gets bad. I would suggest you go to a library and get a basic geography book that explains and names the different shapes of land and water. Additionally, you want to note how the shading and colors are used to give altitude and shape to the parts of the charts. I have written about some of this in the History section of my web site. http://www.whittsflying.com Last, you must understand that there is a wide variation in student ability to understand spatial relationships. You should begin at your home airport and have someone point to all the cities that are within driving distance. You want to learn your home area first and how it is depicted on the chart but learn to 'read' the ground first. Consider drawing a two mile circle around your airport on a chart and on a regular road map. Note the differences and similarities. Have someone fly you over some of the places you have identified. You will find that flying low or high makes a great difference in how you see and find things. Finding strange airports will never be any easier. Draw a five mile and ten mile circle and learn as much as you can about the names of schools, hospitals, golf courses, and places pilots are familiar with. Lastly, get two old sectionals and paste them together if it is necessary to get a pizza sized circle to cut out with your home field in the center. This is only needed if your home field is near one edge of the sectional. Paste the chart on to a piece of light cardboard Using the circle mark off every 30 degrees magnetic around the outer edge of the pizza. Draw colored circles from the center at 2, 5, and 10-mile radii. Hilite all the points that could be used in radio communications to show where you are relative to the airport as well as the points that others might use to tell where they are relative to your position. These points along with altitude will make flying safer for all. I have used the back side of the pizza to paste the radio callups, position reports, and advisories I might use when arriving from any direction. I paste the radio calls so that just by flipping the pizza over I can see what my calls should be according to the direction of arrival or departure. It is vital for your mental and emotional well-being that you know where you are when flying. Being able to tell where you are is equally important. With the pizza you can have your own departure and arrival simulator to practice for each flight. By flying frequently but going in and out from varied directions you will soon be able to discard the pizza and fill your plate with healty food. More if you wish... Gene Whitt