Bris to Longreach - tips and suggestions

[red750]

I have done some short legs on compass alone, but its hard to read, especially at this time of year with all the thermal turbulence.

That's what I was saying in my earlier post. The DG is much more stable. However, you need to keep an eye on it. Here is an earlier report I posted about the trip where I drifted off course due to a faulty DG. This was my navex 5 (solo) before getting my unrestricted licence.

 

I took off from Moorabbin, flew to Mangalore where I performed a touch and go, then headed for Kerang. It was a warm summer day, with lots of thermals, so again the plane was bouncing around. I was navigating via the directional gyro and trying to locate ground reference points, but one place looked pretty much like the next.

 

My planned track passed between Pyramid Hill and Kow Swamp, a reasonably large lake which should have provided easy reference points. When I should have been abeam Pyramid Hill off my left wing, there was nothing. After scouring the countryside I located it many miles off my right wingtip. I identified that I was approaching a highway running roughly parallel to a river, which turned out to be the Loddon Valley Highway and Loddon River which ran up to Kerang. I was around the area of Durham Ox. I estimated a new ETA at Kerang, advised Flight Service and followed the highway to Kerang, where I landed and had lunch. On the return journey via Horsham, I climbed to get smoother air and used the compass

 

On the map below, the red line is the intended track, and the yellow line is the actual track.

 

 

 

[Pearo]

That's what I was saying in my earlier post. The DG is much more stable. However, you need to keep an eye on it. Here is an earlier report I posted about the trip where I drifted off course due to a faulty DG. This was my navex 5 (solo) before getting my unrestricted licence.I took off from Moorabbin, flew to Mangalore where I performed a touch and go, then headed for Kerang. It was a warm summer day, with lots of thermals, so again the plane was bouncing around. I was navigating via the directional gyro and trying to locate ground reference points, but one place looked pretty much like the next.

 

My planned track passed between Pyramid Hill and Kow Swamp, a reasonably large lake which should have provided easy reference points. When I should have been abeam Pyramid Hill off my left wing, there was nothing. After scouring the countryside I located it many miles off my right wingtip. I identified that I was approaching a highway running roughly parallel to a river, which turned out to be the Loddon Valley Highway and Loddon River which ran up to Kerang. I was around the area of Durham Ox. I estimated a new ETA at Kerang, advised Flight Service and followed the highway to Kerang, where I landed and had lunch. On the return journey via Horsham, I climbed to get smoother air and used the compass

 

On the map below, the red line is the intended track, and the yellow line is the actual track.

 

[ATTACH=full]41711[/ATTACH]

Yup, I am hearing you.

 

I was lucky because I did my navs in mixture of analoge and digital cockpits. My solo navs were both in analog (although my test was in g1000). The DG is one thing I was a little paranoid about, so I checked it a lot more often than not.

 

There is another valuable lesson with your story, lost procedure! I actually got lost in my PPL test whilst doing a low level diversion!! But I recovered, found myself and got to where I needed to be!! The ATO got me lost again under the hood, found myself again. I have been really lost about 4 times whilst training, it would have been easy to cheat and just fly east to the coast, but each time I persisted and worked out where I was based on topography alone.

 

 

[ben87r]

May as well nap in your lounge room and you know the bed is comfy each night.

That's what I say to the boss, he disagrees tho!

 

 

[Pearo]

Trip done as planned. 4 legs with the first IFR.

 

I am sold on IFR, so much easier, and I reckon safer too.

 

 

[Ferris]

Hey Pearo, this Sounds like a fantastic trip. Your quite correct about the EFBs, they make life so easy and we become lazy. BUT don''t forget your radio nav aids. I know in these days with GPS, the ADF and VOR are boring, but you will always know your position relative to the nav aid. Just by tuning to the aid as flying past will confirm your bearing to it (sorry I'm telling you how to suck eggs here). Just don't forget the value of the NDB and VOR and keep an eye on last light.

 

Safe flying and remember to cancel your SARTIME.

 

 

[Pearo]

Hey Pearo, this Sounds like a fantastic trip. Your quite correct about the EFBs, they make life so easy and we become lazy. BUT don''t forget your radio nav aids. I know in these days with GPS, the ADF and VOR are boring, but you will always know your position relative to the nav aid. Just by tuning to the aid as flying past will confirm your bearing to it (sorry I'm telling you how to suck eggs here). Just don't forget the value of the NDB and VOR and keep an eye on last light.Safe flying and remember to cancel your SARTIME.

Problem with radio navaids, is they are all being phased out. And the ones that break down now are not being fixed. Also, all the g1000 cockpits I fly dont have ADF recievers, so NDB's are useless to me. Unfortunately, everything is going GPS.