Cross country question? How is it done today?

Get out your spare batteries And when those die, pillage the ones in the
oxygen system. Ask me how I know.

Regards,
Daniel



What happens if your GPS dies?

Why does it have to be one way or the other? Yes. These new gismos are very useful and they help a pilot manage the workload and allow more time to consider options. But, if you can’t navigate without them, you are more of a button pusher and less of a pilot. What happens when the batteries die?

You also need to be able to reason out whether the device is accurately processing the info correctly. Get the settings wrong and the information will be wrong. Most of these flight computers will tell you that you have a glide to somewhere without factoring in the terrain. I try to develop my own rules-of-thumb for making decisions. I always have a paper chart in the glider and I know how to read it.

Enjoy your cross country adventures. Learn all you can from other pilots. Develop your own philosophy for making decisions. Get a GPS and learn how to use it but don’t depend on it to tell you what to do.

Steve Rathbun -R5

I always have a paper chart in the glider and I know how to read it.


Understood, but when heading into a headwind or a cross wind, are you doing these arrival altitude calculations for the nearest airport in the cockpit? Ground school had us pre-calcualate these, but conditions change, and if off course, nearest airport changes also.

Thanks
Tom

You got it right when you said that you monitor whether the intended landing
field is rising or lowering in your windscreen...


"flgliderpilot" wrote in message
...
I always have a paper chart in the glider and I know how to read it.


Understood, but when heading into a headwind or a cross wind, are you doing
these arrival altitude calculations for the nearest airport in the cockpit?
Ground school had us pre-calcualate these, but conditions change, and if off
course, nearest airport changes also.

Thanks
Tom

On Wednesday, September 11, 2013 1:54:37 PM UTC-4, Dan Marotta wrote:
You got it right when you said that you monitor whether the intended landing

field is rising or lowering in your windscreen...

Thank you Sir.

Tom

Tom, just remember if you land in a farmers field here is what you do. As he approaches in his Pick em up truck, get down on your knees, close your eyes, clasp your hands in front of you and say, "heavenly father, I thank you for having this wonderful farmer's field here for me to land in. I'm sorry if I scared his prized Hereford bull, I didn't mean to. I'm sure my insurance company will pay for any damages, AMEN." Also remember that if he is wearing a cowboy hat he is a Cracker, a baseball cap means he is a red neck and no hat means he is from New York and doesn't want to look like a Cracker or Red Neck. Call me if it's a Cracker or Red Neck, I can deal with them for you....a New Yakker and you are on your own.

Walt

Understood, but when heading into a headwind or a cross wind, are you doing these arrival altitude calculations for the nearest airport in the cockpit? Ground school had us pre-calcualate these, but conditions change, and if off course, nearest airport changes also.

Hi Tom,

While airport hopping, or hoping as the case may be, is a technique that soothes the neophite cross-country pilot, in the long run it is counter-productive as it has you focus on the wrong things, such as you mention above.

You do not NEED to be able to glide to an airport at all times, but you do NEED to be able to glide to a landable field at all times. So, forget about continuous calculations to each airport enroute. Do the planning pre-flight and use those numbers. As you are flying, continually assess the conditions, your progress and availability of suitable landing options.

Of course, in some parts of the world, airports are the only option and you need to be able to reach a landable option. In FL, you should have plenty of field options. Sure, fields are inconvenient, but it's all part of cross-country soaring.

On 9/11/2013 8:22 AM, flgliderpilot wrote:
I am fairly green had my PGL for about 3 years now.

Been venturing into cross country, have done my first flight out to another
airport, and last weekend, an out to that airport and return, about 30
miles round trip (in a 1-26, no ridges, it's all flat Florida). Snip...

Congratulations on crossing a Major Psychological Hurdle...going XC!

However, I was told recently by an older experienced pilot that using a GPS
is "not the correct way to do it". Instead I should be thinking "can I get
there... now can I get there... can I get there...". I understand this
ideology, but I am pretty sure nearly everyone is using GPS these days.

So, does this mean I should not use modern navigation technology? I know
how to plot a cross country flight on paper of course, and required
altitudes to the next safe landing area.

Does this mean I should I actually be drawing circles on charts, carrying a
slide ruler to calculate arrival height at various distances, and
mechanically doing everything my GPS is doing for me? This means I am not
looking for traffic, or thermalling but instead flipping through charts and
playing with a slide ruler or E6B, and my eyes are not outside the canopy.

Let the religious arguments begin!!!

Writing as one who's never flown with other than paper chart w. self-drawn
circles, a homemade Willie Makeit glide chart, a conservative (used 3
miles/1000' for 1-26s, under most conditions) no-brainer mental calculator and
a desire to have gobs of self-generated XC fun challenges, here's my feedback.

With apologies to Bill Murray: "It doesn't matter. It just doesn't matter. It
REALLY just doesn't doesn't matter!"...whether you use charts or
battery-powered glowing screens.

What matters is that you learn the (safety-enhancing) basics: how to
"relaxedly" pick safe landing fields; how to most safely fly landing patterns
into fields/strange-to-you airports; how to judge IF you can reach your chosen
field(s). Neither charts nor GPS will help you if you can't do these things.
Sure, both have value (for navigation/airspace reasons), but in much of the
U.S. neither is CRUCIAL to safely and legally soaring XC, so use what works
for you, bearing in mind that electronic devices can stop working for a host
of reasons.

Regardless of which navigational approach you use, your brain at all times
should (must?) be fully engaged on what's outside your canopy. Safer, much
more funner, and makes for longer soaring flights, too - woo hoo! What good
will it do you if you (say) hit another airplane while knowing exactly where
you are...or doing the same thing when "navigationally befuddled?" All good
things come only from remaining aloft and plugging away. Knowing where you
are, believing you can reach "some safe out" when you in fact can't, etc. are
all secondary to always being able to safely land somewhere...and only Joe
Pilot controls that.

And Most Importantly, have fun however you skin the cat!

Bob W.

Good advice from Bob W!

One important thing to keep in mind is to not cede control of your destiny to your devices, electronic or otherwise. They are useful, but not omniscient. They will give you information to guide your decisions, but be leery of falling into the trap of letting them make the decisions for you. Somewhere in the back of your mind, remember how silly it would sound telling an FAA or NTSB representative, or even a sheriff or irate farmer "the box said I could make it, so that's what I tried."

And don't forget to come out west for some real cross-country soaring.

Thanks, Bob K.

Thanks gentlemen, I appreciate your input!