Navigation question?

[prashna]

Hi all,

I am not sure where to ask this question. Can anybody explain what is
Tactical Navigation, IFR navigation (Instrument flight rules) and SAR
navigation? Desperately waiting for your replies:-(

Thanks in Advance

[David Cartwright]

"prashna" > wrote in message
m...
> Hi all,
>
> I am not sure where to ask this question. Can anybody explain what is
> Tactical Navigation, IFR navigation (Instrument flight rules) and SAR
> navigation? Desperately waiting for your replies:-(

Don't know Tactical without looking it up, but I would guess that it relates
to navigating with the purpose of getting somewhere without getting shot
down by someone - so I would imagine that it's all about finding one's way
from A to B (and, with any luck, back again - this item optional for
kamikaze pilots) using geographical and weather features to approach in as
stealthy a manner as possible. I guess pilots use a kind of tactical
navigation when flying light aircraft for pleasure - it's all about plotting
your route to follow lines on the ground, turn at notable waypoints (big
masts, road junctions, etc) and so on.

IFR
This is, basically, navigation by sole use of instruments and
instrument/navigation aids, and without reference to the ground. IFR can be
flown in both VMC (when you can see the ground) and IMC (when you can't). If
you're wondering why you'd need IFR in visual conditions, it's typical in
busy, high-grade controlled airspace where ATC tells you where to go in
terms of bearings and ranges and you must fly by the instruments to achieve
the stipulated route accurately. Basic IFR involves using radio navigation
aids to beacons and ground transmitters which give you the ability to fly
specific magnetic bearings to/from reference points accurately, usually with
range information as well. NDBs (non-directional beacons) are particularly
entertaining, as they suffer from "coastal effect" which makes them
interesting to use (i.e. wrong) when you're over the sea.

SAR
I'm assuming that you mean "Surveillance Approach Radar", or "Talkdown"
(this is what I'd call SAR - and the only SAR relating to radar and
navigation that Google tells me about is used for stuff like forest mapping
and cartography). This is where you're under the control of a ground
controller, who is "talking you down" to a safe approach. You use your
instruments to maintain the heading that he/she tells you to, and they
monitor you using an accurate, short-range radar so he can see how far you
are from the airfield. If you have "mode C" on your transponder, he can see
how high you are too, but if you don't (and nothing I've flown has) then the
controller will tell you "you should be at XXX feet" at each stage of the
talkdown and it's up to you to adjust your rate of descent accordingly. I
dunno about anyone else, but when I did my IMC (UK-only rating for IFR
flying that's much less involved than an IR) doing the talkdown was one of
the bits that was most fun.

D.