Real-life flight planning

Thanks, but I have a Palm device, not PocketPC.

WingX from http://www.hiltonsoftware.com runs on a Pocket PC and let's you
quickly do route planning with wind calculations, it'll do W&B and a whole
lot more including having Parts 1, 61, 91, 119, and 141 of the FARs right on
your PDA. It's pretty cool if I say so myself (ahem...) Disclaimer:
Should be obvious.

Try it, you'll like it - it's free to download and try.

Hilton

As a student, of course, I did everything by hand, and meticulously, and
eschewed GPS navigation as well.

Try my site, www.cockpitgps.com for some info on using GPS. Someone
suggested that you use CoPilot for your Palm. Get it at www.palmgear.com.
The data is available at Paul Tomblin's excellent navaid.com.

--John Bell

Paul Folbrecht wrote in message link.net...

1) Winds aloft forecasts are never right- usually not close.

2) There's no need to produce a nav log, etc. with checkpoints when the
route is familiar.

Well, I think you might wish to consider the implications of 1)
on 2).

If you're only planning flights which are so generously within
the range of your fuel-on-board that the Headwinds from Hell
couldn't run you out of fuel, it's not a factor.

But once you start trading fuel for other forms of useful load
(pax and baggage) and flying longer flights, you need SOME means
of giving yourself the 'wake-up' call -- whoops, I'm going to
need another fuel stop.

So, how do you accomplish this? Well, one way is to make a
hard and fast rule "always land after X hrs of flight time".
But there are problems with this strategy. First, you need to
make sure "X" doesn't become fixed in your mind as a single
number, otherwise sometime you might take off with less fuel
and be running on fumes first. That's just a matter of doing
a preflight calculation and writing the number down. Of
more concern is, it might prove inconvenient to land near
the end of the flight due to limited or no airports, expensive
fuel, or flight plan hassles taking off again. If you have
to backtrack, detour, pay through the nose, or suffer delays,
the siren call of "maybe I have enough fuel to make it--I
really should..." becomes more seductive.

So, another way is to make a flight log and compare ATAs to
ETAs for enough waypoints to realize early-on when an extra
fuel stop is likely, and make the best, most convenient choice.

This applies whether the route is so familiar that you could
fly it in your sleep, or whether you're flying it for the
first time.

Now mind you, when I was a student pilot I was made to plot
checkpoints quite close -- maybe every 20-30 miles. That's
really not necessary IRL and would become quite time-consuming
when planning a 900 mile flight.

For new routes, I am going to produce a nav log, knowing full well that
my heading will not likely match the precomputed values due to differing
winds aloft. No matter. But, of course, for such flights, I'm not
going to be doing things the old-fashioned way anymore. I want some
good software to make it easy.

Since you have a Palm OS PDA, I strongly recommend Laurie Davis'
"Co-Pilot" program with Paul Tomblin's waypoint database. It won't
run on your PC, but it's simple, user friendly, and the price is right
(donations optional but appreciated).

On the PC, I use is DUATS flight planner combined with a paper
low-altitude enroute chart to sanity check routing and Airnav.com
to find inexpensive fuel stops.

I've used AOPA's tool and Aeroplanner and I like them both, but
I can accomplish more faster without the graphical interface.

In DUATS flight planner, select "direct routing for GPS/loran"
to get a list of VOR degree-distance waypoints which make plotting
a long route onto a VFR chart a cinch.

So, I think I have two questions: 1) Does this make sense?

Makes sense, barring the caveat that familiarity does not
remove the need for a nav log in some circs, and is a very
appropriate post for either .piloting or .student IMO.

Have fun,
Sydney

Being newly licenced (yesterday), I've started thinking about the type
of VFR flight-planning I'll do in the real, post-student world, and what
tools I'll use.

First of all, it seems that everyone here has forgotten their manners --
CONGRATULATIONS, Paul! Welcome to the .0005% of the world that gets to fly!

As far as flight-planning goes, I'd recommend checking these out:

1. www.Aeroplanner.com has some really great on-line flight planning
stuff -- including the ability to print out sectionals with your course line
and 10-mile-ticks superimposed. They are fabulous on long trips, cuz
they're on notebook-sized paper and you just "flip" from one map to the
next. No "octopus arms" in the cockpit, fighting to fold a sectional!

2. Destination Direct ( www.destdirect.com/ ) is (IMHO) the best stand-alone
PC flight planner. I've used it for years, and was able to flight plan your
trip from Timmerman to Appleton in about five seconds, with fuel burn, ETA,
waypoints, etc.

As time goes on and you garner more flight experience, you'll find that you
really can't get lost, as long as you know just a very few basic landmarks
along your route. For example, to fly from Iowa City, IA to Janesville, WI,
do I *really* need a flight log that ticks off every railroad track and
power line from here to there?

Nah. So long as I know where (a) I-80 is, (b) the Mississippi River is, and
(c) the nuclear power plant in Rockford, IL is (it emits a tower of steam
visible for 50 miles), and have a rough idea of the necessary heading and
winds aloft, it's almost impossible NOT to find Janesville. Overlay this
knowledge with your VORs, a clock, and a moving map GPS, and, shoot, you'd
have to be pretty unlucky to really get "lost."

By the way, where did you train -- Timmerman? I trained in East Troy ten
years ago, and lived in Racine until '97.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Oops. I already replied, realized that I forgot a congratulations, then saw
that Jay beat me to it. Anyway, congrats.

downloaded charts. In my mind - fuhgedaboudit. I'm not wasting all that
color ink for charts that are not quite as good as the real thing and only
show you a small section with no connection to the adjacent plats. But then
I love maps. I have no problem folding them around in the cockpit.

familar route: Coming back from Michigan to Chicago after Thanksgiving
weekend. A route that I have flown 20 times in the last couple of years. I
hit headwinds that were 40 to 60 knots. You bet I was watching time and
landmarks.

--
-------------------------------
Travis


"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:l9XQb.19922$U%5.156877@attbi_s03...
Being newly licenced (yesterday), I've started thinking about the type
of VFR flight-planning I'll do in the real, post-student world, and what
tools I'll use.

First of all, it seems that everyone here has forgotten their manners --
CONGRATULATIONS, Paul! Welcome to the .0005% of the world that gets to
fly!

As far as flight-planning goes, I'd recommend checking these out:

1. www.Aeroplanner.com has some really great on-line flight planning
stuff -- including the ability to print out sectionals with your course
line
and 10-mile-ticks superimposed. They are fabulous on long trips, cuz
they're on notebook-sized paper and you just "flip" from one map to the
next. No "octopus arms" in the cockpit, fighting to fold a sectional!

2. Destination Direct ( www.destdirect.com/ ) is (IMHO) the best
stand-alone
PC flight planner. I've used it for years, and was able to flight plan
your
trip from Timmerman to Appleton in about five seconds, with fuel burn,
ETA,
waypoints, etc.

As time goes on and you garner more flight experience, you'll find that
you
really can't get lost, as long as you know just a very few basic landmarks
along your route. For example, to fly from Iowa City, IA to Janesville,
WI,
do I *really* need a flight log that ticks off every railroad track and
power line from here to there?

Nah. So long as I know where (a) I-80 is, (b) the Mississippi River is,
and
(c) the nuclear power plant in Rockford, IL is (it emits a tower of steam
visible for 50 miles), and have a rough idea of the necessary heading and
winds aloft, it's almost impossible NOT to find Janesville. Overlay this
knowledge with your VORs, a clock, and a moving map GPS, and, shoot, you'd
have to be pretty unlucky to really get "lost."

By the way, where did you train -- Timmerman? I trained in East Troy ten
years ago, and lived in Racine until '97.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:l9XQb.19922$U%5.156877@attbi_s03...

By the way, where did you train -- Timmerman? I trained in East Troy ten
years ago, and lived in Racine until '97.

Ah, memories! I was born and raised about six miles from Timmerman (Silver
Spring and Lydell).

Then, I "Escaped FROM Wisconsin". :~)

More congrats!

As for getting lost...If I can't see Pikes Peak, then I'm lost. Or
else it's too foggy/rainy/snowy to go fly VFR.

(*chortle*)

In a previous article, "Jay Honeck" said:
1. www.Aeroplanner.com has some really great on-line flight planning
stuff -- including the ability to print out sectionals with your course line
and 10-mile-ticks superimposed. They are fabulous on long trips, cuz
they're on notebook-sized paper and you just "flip" from one map to the
next. No "octopus arms" in the cockpit, fighting to fold a sectional!

I like AeroPlanner, but this year I bought a Howie Keefe Air Chart Systems
IFR Atlas, and it was GREAT for en-route. I mark my route using removable
highlighter tape that I got from Sportys. For this year, I'm ordering a
VFR Sectional Atlas as well.


--
Paul Tomblin http://xcski.com/blogs/pt/
Just another organic pain collector racing to oblivion

First of all, it seems that everyone here has forgotten their manners --
CONGRATULATIONS, Paul! Welcome to the .0005% of the world that gets to fly!

Nah, not necessary. I got enough back-patting over at RAS. But thanks. :-)

As far as flight-planning goes, I'd recommend checking these out:

1. www.Aeroplanner.com has some really great on-line flight planning
stuff -- including the ability to print out sectionals with your course line
and 10-mile-ticks superimposed. They are fabulous on long trips, cuz
they're on notebook-sized paper and you just "flip" from one map to the
next. No "octopus arms" in the cockpit, fighting to fold a sectional!

Now that is cool- I had wondered if such software (that printed
sectionals with routes) was available and figured that it must be. This
I will have to check out.

2. Destination Direct ( www.destdirect.com/ ) is (IMHO) the best stand-alone
PC flight planner. I've used it for years, and was able to flight plan your
trip from Timmerman to Appleton in about five seconds, with fuel burn, ETA,
waypoints, etc.

snip

By the way, where did you train -- Timmerman? I trained in East Troy ten
years ago, and lived in Racine until '97.

Yep, Timmerman. I actually live just over the line into Racine county
right now, on 7 Mile Rd, which I'm sure you remember.

BTW, your establishment is definitely on my list of places to visit at
some point.

Yep, Timmerman. I actually live just over the line into Racine county
right now, on 7 Mile Rd, which I'm sure you remember.

Good God, man -- Mary (my wife) lived on 7 Mile Rd (just west of Hwy 32)
when I first met her! I must have driven down that road a thousand times...

Small world!

Now go enjoy a Derango's pizza for me, have some perch at Dino's (on 16th
St.), and start your day off right with some pecan kringle from O&H bakery!

:-)
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"