T
RAINING
M
ANUAL
–
L
ANCAIR
IV/IVP
FLIGHT PLANNING AND
NAVIGATION
Flight planning today is much different than the detailed chart study and
navigation log computations of yesteryear. A visit I made recently to my old Navy
training squadron showed me just how far things have come since I went through
flight school in Pensacola.
In BC (before computer) days paper charts were used for flight planning. VOR
airways were chosen, magnetic courses determined, distances added, winds
applied, headings and groundspeeds computed using the trusty E6B whiz wheel
and finally fuel burn was calculated. It often took hours to plan a cross country
flight to the exacting standards of the squadron instructors.
Today, the Navy’s newest ensigns plan their cross country and low level training
missions (think VFR nav flights) on laptop computers in minutes. The laptops
contain the aircraft performance data; the student enters the waypoints and the
computer does the hard part.
Like the Navy ensign, we can use the power of the internet and sophisticated
software to plan our cross country flight to our favorite destinations. There are a
number of good flight planning software programs available today. I have been
using RMS Flightsoft for years. AOPA and EAA have online flight planning tools,
too. These tools allow you to pick a departure point, destination, enroute cruising
altitude and type aircraft. The software does the rest, calculating time enroute,
headings, and fuel usage.
Fltplan.com
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©
Copyright
2007
LOBO
May
not
be
copied
without
permission.