Easy Navigation Techniques for Pilots

Navigation the easy way!

Navigation is the means to get from A to B. The method of navigation employed to find B can be calculated to many decimal places or just approximated – over there looks about right.

As an individual of limited mental agility and, like most of you, a guy whose mental capacity halves as soon as I get in an aircraft, I have always been on the lookout for simple techniques in flying. For most of us, navigation is the most challenging aspect of flight - it requires both motor and mental skills, operating simultaneously! I am impressed by some of techniques taught in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s by the RAF. The techniques are rules of thumb, approximations and guestimates that allow average pilots to fly accurately and using minimum mental capacity.

The less challenging the task and workload in the air, the better the lookout, anticipation and prioritisation of the pilot – the key is to KISS or Keep It Simple Stupid. I hope to show you how you can plan a route inside 10 minutes (with practice). What is more, the techniques compensate for DI or compass errors – thus the techniques are major contributions to flight safety.

The easy lessons cover the theory and practical employment of the 1 in 60 rule – oh no you groan but read on – basic navigation techniques, track keeping and time estimation (including the Maximum Drift Technique), the navigation work cycle and medium level planning techniques and finally low level techniques and planning. Read all the articles and have a go!