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Minnesota Wing Aircrew Training: Task O-2024. Navigation and Position Determination for Scanners. Navigational Terms. Navigation Terms. Course - planned or actual path of the aircraft over the ground True course Magnetic course Heading - direction the aircraft is pointing
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Minnesota Wing Aircrew Training: Task O-2024 Navigation and Position Determination for Scanners
Navigation Terms • Course - planned or actual path of the aircraft over the ground • True course • Magnetic course • Heading - direction the aircraft is pointing • Drift - the effect of wind • Drift correction - degrees added to or subtracted from aircraft heading • Nautical mile (nm) - measurement used in air navigation • Knots (kts) - nautical miles per hour
Latitude and Longitude • Where they cross defines a point on the earth • By convention, latitude is stated first • Latitude is Based on Earth’s motion • Axis of rotation defines poles and Equator • Arbitrary point of Greenwich, England was chosen for ‘prime meridian’.
Latitude North Latitudes Equator • Parallels • Measure How Far North or South of Equator • Zero Degrees is Equator • “90 Degrees North” is the North Pole • “90 Degrees South” is the South Pole South Latitudes
West Longitude Prime Meridian East Longitude Longitude • Half Great Circles Intersecting at the Poles • Measure How Far East or West of England • Zero Degrees is Prime Meridian (England) • Numbers between 0 and 180 are either East or West Longitude • 180 Degrees is opposite side of globe from England • near international date line in Pacific Ocean
Twin Cities Northern Minneapolis is at 45 Degrees North (half way between the Equator and North Pole!) 93 Degrees West is roughly the Eastern edge of St. Paul. The Northwest corner of the state: Exactly 49 Degrees North Roughly 97 Degrees West Where’s Minnesota?
How Big is One Degree? • Degrees of Latitude are always the same distance apart, about 60 Nautical Miles • Degrees of longitude vary in distance – near the poles the lengths are quite small. • In Minnesota, a degree of longitude is about 40 to 44 Nautical Miles across
Dividing Degrees into Smaller Units • A ‘Minute’: 1/60th of a Degree • roughly a mile in size • Minutes are usually broken down into tenths of minutes • Alternatively, a ‘Second’ is 1/60th of a minute
Expressing Latitude and Longitude in Degrees and Minutes • Small high circle after number denotes degrees • Apostrophe after number denotes minutes • Example: Minneapolis Flying Cloud Airport 44o 49.63’ N 93o 27.43’ Wread as…44 degrees 49.63 minutes North 93 degrees 27.43 minutes West
Lat/Long on chart Lines of latitude and longitude on sectional chart
Expressing Direction: The Compass Rose 360 330 30 N 300 60 W E 270 90 240 120 S 210 150 180
Magnetic Variation PHYSICAL POLE MAGNETIC POLE • The magnetic pole and physical pole are not co-located • The difference in heading for the two poles is measured and referred to as magnetic variation • Near the magnetic pole the difference can be substantial
Magnetic Variation in the US Westerly Variation Easterly Variation +25º +20º -15º +15º -5º +5º -10º -0º +10º Agonic Line
Converting True Course to Magnetic Course • For East Variation, subtract from True Course True Course – Variation = Magnetic Course • For West Variation, add to True Course True Course + Variation = Magnetic Course • Mnemonic: “East is least, West is best” • “Least” should make you think of subtraction • Rule is reversed if one wishes to convert a Magnetic course to a True course.
Special-Use Airspace • Military Operating Area (MOA) • Military may be conducting high-speed operations • VFR aircraft are not prohibited • Military Training Routes • Instrument routes (IR) • Visual routes (VR) • Restricted Areas • Military may be conducting air-to-ground bombing or gunnery practice • No other aircraft are allowed
Chart Reading • Sectional Aeronautical Charts • 1 to 500,000 • Medium to slow speed aircraft • Types of Information • Topographical • Aeronautical • Legend
Sectional Charts • Publication Schedule • Legend changes somewhat over time • Four Charts Needed to Cover Minnesota • Twin Cities • Omaha • Green Bay • Chicago
Sectional Chart Contents • Physical Geographic Features • Areas: Water, Cities • Lines: Roads, Power Lines, Railroads • Landmarks: Race Tracks, Lookout Towers • Vertical obstructions • Maximum Elevation by Quadrangle
Sectional Chart Contents • Aeronautical Features • Airports • Airspace Boundaries • Radio Navigation Facilities
Railroad Seaplane Base Power Line Airport2 paved runwaysWeather on 118.375MHzField elev. 1424Traffic Frequency 123.0 MHzFuel available MaximumElevationFigure Vertical Obstruction(2549 Ft. MSL, 1192 Ft. AGL)
Airport with Control Tower Low LevelMilitary Training Route Lookout Tower Parachute Jump Area
Airportno paved runwaysfuel available Special Use Airspace Restricted Airspace Military AirportWith Control Tower
Class ‘B’ Airspace Class ‘D’ Airspace Ultralight Area
Pilotage • Navigation by visual cues • Uses recognizable landmarks • Correlate with sectional charts • Takes practice • Familiar things look radically different from the air • Seasons make a difference, especially winter • Be careful using lakes – be sure of the shape and placement next to other features • Difficult to use in sparse areas • Difficult at night
Pilotage tricks • Tricks: • Look for trees to find creeks, rivers, and towns
Position Determination • Sectional or Map • Work from larger to smaller • Work from a known location to present location • Watch the scale on maps • Remain suspicious if all points don’t seem to line up right • Use groups of 3 characteristics to verify position
Keeping Track of Position • Maintain positional awareness from takeoff to landing • Finger on the map method using visual landmarks • If necessary, ask the pilot or observer to determine position using GPS and/or VOR
Low Level Navigation THE DANGER • The biggest single problem is crew workload • Your perception of speed varies with altitude SPECIAL ATTENTION • Man-made obstructions • Air crew duties • These items should be covered during the briefing.
Obstacles and Other Dangers WAKE TURBULENCE
Obstacles and Other Dangers TALL TOWERS
Obstacles and Other Dangers POWER LINES
Obstacles and Other Dangers LOW-FLYING, HEAVY AIRCRAFT