Cross country question? How is it done today?

I fly in Southern Ontario, where we're bounded by the Great Lakes. My navigation is simple... if I hit a big lake, "home" is the other way! We're also up on a very large plateau, so if we drop off the top, turn around (No turn points out that way).

I'm being silly, of course. I use GPS and carry a letter-size sheet with the turn-points and major objects on it for most navigation, plus the VNC is tucked in by my hip.

I should also add:
If I fly across a big river between two big lakes, then I will likely meet up with F-16 pilots who will be very cross with me.

With my limited experience of soaring, using maps, slide rules, etc. while soaring is plain stupid in this day and age in my opinion.
There just isn't time to do finicky calculations while you should be scanning for other traffic and looking where you're flying, where the next source of lift is, where's the next possible outlanding field, etc.

If the GPS should fail so what? You already have a suitable outlanding location identified and you've already got a good idea of which direction you're flying and how far you're likely to glide so what is the problem?
A map and "old school tools" isn't likely to make you glide any further and it certainly won't automatically select a suitable outlanding spot for you.
If anything it will keep your eyes busy inside the cockpit while you fly yourself into trouble.

Use a GPS and "fly the plane".

I taught XC Ground School for several years. We covered the basics of course selection, navigation, off-field landings, etc. At one point, we fooled around with the old-style whiz-wheels and some of the underlying calculations using spreadsheet tables to illustrate the finer points of glide angles, headwinds/tailwinds, speeds to fly, etc.

The week after the whiz-wheel exercise, one of the students shows up at the next class all excited to share with us his creation (be forewarned - he's an engineer). He had created a slide rule of sorts using rigid plastic, sliding windows, and a graph. He had mapped out the airports (public use and private) for a silver distance flight using a 1-26. If you "just slide this bar here, input the McCready speed by moving this here, use the lookup table to find the airports in range here after applying a safety margin here..." The device was about 2 feet square and insanely complicated. We had a good laugh, but it did bring home the point. The first XC flights aren't so much about finely calculated maneuvers as they are about having faith in the sky ahead of you and the fields around you. Loose rules of thumb and general awareness of location are usually good enough given the broader uncertainties mother nature throws at you.

P3

On Thursday, September 12, 2013 10:16:41 AM UTC-4, Surge wrote:
With my limited experience of soaring, using maps, slide rules, etc. while soaring is plain stupid in this day and age in my opinion.

There just isn't time to do finicky calculations while you should be scanning for other traffic and looking where you're flying, where the next source of lift is, where's the next possible outlanding field, etc.

If the GPS should fail so what? You already have a suitable outlanding location identified and you've already got a good idea of which direction you're flying and how far you're likely to glide so what is the problem?

A map and "old school tools" isn't likely to make you glide any further and it certainly won't automatically select a suitable outlanding spot for you.

If anything it will keep your eyes busy inside the cockpit while you fly yourself into trouble.



Use a GPS and "fly the plane".

Yeah, what a maroon! BTW: I still have the CAD files.

On Thursday, September 12, 2013 12:06:47 PM UTC-4, Papa3 wrote:
I taught XC Ground School for several years. We covered the basics of course selection, navigation, off-field landings, etc.

The week after the whiz-wheel exercise, one of the students shows up at the next class all excited to share with us his creation (be forewarned - he's an engineer).

Tom,

Congratulations on beginning to find what soaring is all about!

Join the 1-26 Association if you have not. Incredible support and encouragement for $15 per year, and you can find anything you need to know about the 1-26 from people on the email list.

Get either an Oudie or similar device and learn the program. Oudie has the See You mobile soft ware, or you can get one of the cheaper or free ware programs already mentioned above. But you need to learn the program on the ground. Set up the program with a safety altitude for glides, ie 1000 ft above the ground for pattern altitude.

Even in a 1-26 it can be difficult to judge glides especially when you go from downwind to upwind etc... The program helps a lot with this as well as awareness of where you are, airspace ...

Do not think you can fly airport to airport in a 1-26 like many of the 40:1 birds can, but you do not have to. You just have to keep a safe place to land within reach. YOU CAN FLY CROSS-COUNTRY IN A 1-26!!!

Yes, you will meet more people on land outs than 40:1 pilots will, and there will be days when a 1-26 cannot go cross-country and a higher glide ratio ship can, but you can land in smaller fields safer and easier, giving the 1-26 a great advantage especially in beginning cross-country.

I would encourage you to at least get your Silver badge in the 1-26.

Kevin R. Anderson
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Join the 1-26 Association if you have not. Incredible support and encouragement for $15 per year, and you can find anything you need to know about the 1-26 from people on the email list.


I would encourage you to at least get your Silver badge in the 1-26.


Hi Kevin, I have been a member of the 1-26 association for about 3 years now. I purchased the 1-26E specifically with the intent of doing cross country (and my silver) in it, so no encouragement necessary

Tom
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Hi Kevin,

You might consider going to a Cross Country Camp. In a week you have
lectures in the morning from experienced cross country pilots and flying
during the afternoon, sometimes dual. Air Sailing has a good one as do
other glider-ports.

MG

--
Mike I Green

\
You might consider going to a Cross Country Camp. In a week you have

lectures in the morning from experienced cross country pilots and flying

during the afternoon, sometimes dual. Air Sailing has a good one as do

other glider-ports.

Thanks, have you read the thread?

Tom,

If you can, come to the Champs next June at Caesar Creek Club in Ohio. They will be in June, and you will learn more in a week and a half there than you can learn in 2 years on your own.

It is a friendly site, and there will be people that will be glad to help and mentor you.

Kevin

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