PILOT NAVIGATION Part 2A

1. PILOT NAVIGATIONPart 2A Senior/Master Air Cadet

2. 4. MAP READING

3. Introduction We have seen that despite the development of very accurate navigation systems there is still no substitute for map reading However all of the errors that can be made on the ground are just as likely to be made in the air

4. Introduction The extreme mental pressures in the airborne environment demand that decisions have to be made promptly Therefore it is rare to navigate by map reading alone - other equipment is used as well

5. Weather Is a major influence on the accuracy of map reading, and at times may prohibit its use

6. Weather The lower the visibility, and the greater the cloud cover, the more difficult the map reading will be. At high altitude even moderate cloud cover can make map reading impossible

7. Aircraft Altitude Has a major effect on map reading requirements and technique Features which are ideal at low level are useless at high level, & vice versa

8. BAD GOOD

9. Low Level At low level it is important to chose features that have vertical extent

10. CHIMNEYS

11. MASTS

12. WINDMILLS

13. SMALL HILLS

14. National Grid Power Lines

15. National Grid Power Lines The power lines are marked on all military maps and provide good landmarks to navigate by. When a power line changes direction the insulators that the cables are attached to change from hanging vertically to horizontal which helps with pinpointing your position.

16. This is to enable them to be seen before the aircraft arrives overhead the feature

17. High Level At high level it is important to chose large features that have definition and contrast to stand out from a background

18. Lakes

19. Woods

20. Islands

21. A further consideration is the difficulty at high level of obtaining an “on top” fix with an aircraft of limited downward visibility

22. Unique Features Very large errors can be introduced into map reading simply by confusing one feature on the map with another For this reason villages are rarely used We need more unique features

23. These can be Power Stations

24. Bridges Can you think of anymore?

25. Colour, Contrast & Season Of all natural features, rivers and coast lines are the most useful, especially in poor weather Why? This is because they show the greatest contrast & colour between themselves & the land

26. Many land areas seen as ideal change their appearance with the seasons. A wood in the summer will not be as obvious in the winter

27. A wooded area which was used as a turning-point during Summer Camp would be much more difficult to identify in the winter when its leaves had fallen

28. Snow changes everything including man made features Snow has a dramatic effect on the landscape, eliminating many features and rendering many of the man-made line-features, such as roads and railways, virtually invisible

29. Map Scales In both military & civil aviation special maps are produced for map reading from the air These differ from OS maps in that they place more emphasis on those features which are more easily identified from the air, such as airfields, towns, railway tracks and masts.

30. HOWEVER THEY MUST BE UP TO DATE ! HOWEVER THEY MUST BE UP TO DATE ! HOWEVER THEY MUST BE UP TO DATE !

31. The choice of scale of your chosen map will depend on the speed of your aircraft Most aircrew use the 1:500,000, widely known as the “half million”. In general, the slower you fly, and the more detail you require, the larger scale map you will use

32. For high-flying, long-range aircraft the opposite is true Here, smaller scale maps reduce the number of sheets required

33. FEET METRES 914 610 305 152 3000 2000 1000 500 SEA LEVEL Map Symbols

34. CIVILIAN SITES H Helicopter AIRFIELD M MICROLIGHT LIMITED FACILITES G Glider

35. MILITARY SITES H HELICOPTER AIRFIELD X AIRFIELD AVAILABLE FOR CIVIL USE DISUSED

36. PARACHUTING 825 (350) UNLIT OBSTRUCTION & HEIGHT (FIGURES ARE HEIGHT ABOVE SEA LEVEL & (LOCAL GROUND LEVEL) 1978 (1031) LIT OBSTRUCTION AIRSPACE BOUNDARY A INDICATES THE AIRSPACE TYPE IE A-F B3 A FL45 -FL246 A

37. REPORTING POINT MANDATORY ON REQUEST

38. SPECIAL ACCESS/ ENTRY EXIT E/E BROOKLANDS VRP VISUAL REPORTING POINT GUILFORD

39. VOR DME TACAN NON-DIRECTIONAL RADIO BEACON

40. Timing Marks In a modern sophisticated aircraft the navigation equipment will tell you where to look if you become temporarily uncertain of your position (i.e. lost!)

41. In a simple aircraft we will not have this equipment and so rely on the stopwatch and map When planning a map reading flight it is normal to put marks along each leg at a set time - such as 2 minutes

42. If you lose your place along track while map reading, consult your watch, work out your time in minutes since the last point, and that will tell you where to look on the map.

43. 8 6 4 2 A Tutor is flying from the railway junction near Stowmarket via the mast South West of East Dereham to the lighthouse at Cromer

44. A route on a 1:50,000 map from an initial point (IP) to a target on the river near Allanton

45. Conclusion In common with so many aspects of aviation , successful map reading will benefit greatly from the amount of advanced planning

46. Through study of the route detailed preparation of your route and the careful selection of the unique features on the ground this will give you the best chance of recovery when you lose your way