Stage 3 Lesson 14: Navigation

Vocabulary flashcards covering key chart types, navigation fundamentals, time/heading conversions, VOR/DME/GPS operation, lost-procedure actions, and flight-planning terminology from the lecture notes.

Sectional Chart

The most common VFR aeronautical chart; scale 1:500,000, revised every 56 days (semi-annually) and rich in airport, airspace, NAVAID, and topographic data.

VFR Terminal Area Chart (TAC)

Chart focused on Class B areas; scale 1:250,000, depicts VFR transition routes and is revised semi-annually.

World Aeronautical Chart (WAC)

Global series for moderate-speed aircraft; scale 1:1,000,000, revised annually (some areas every 2 years).

Latitude

Angular distance north or south of the equator measured in degrees, parallels run(drawn) east-west.

Longitude

Angular distance east or west of the Prime Meridian (0° at Greenwich); meridians run(drawn) north-south.

Prime Meridian

Reference meridian (0°) passing through Greenwich, England, from which longitude is measured.

Time Zone

15° segments of longitude equating to one hour of Earth rotation; four zones in the conterminous U.S. Must be taken into account during long flight eastward-espicially if the flight must be completed at dark.

UTC (Zulu Time)

Universal Coordinated Time based on 0° longitude; the aviation standard 24-hour time reference.

Magnetic Variation

Angle between True North and Magnetic North; shown as magenta isogonic lines on charts.

Isogonic Line

Broken magenta line connecting equal magnetic variation values.

Agonic Line

Line of zero magnetic variation where True North and Magnetic North coincide.

Magnetic Deviation

Compass error caused by an aircraft’s internal magnetic fields; corrected via a deviation card. These cards are mounted near the compass.

Compass Heading (CH)

Final heading to fly after correcting True Course for wind, variation, and deviation.

True Course (TC)

Intended ground track measured from True North on a chart. Point A to point B.

True Heading (TH)

Heading after wind-correction angle is applied to True Course. Direction the nose is pointed.

Magnetic Heading (MH)

True Heading adjusted for magnetic variation.

Wind Correction Angle (WCA)

Degrees added or subtracted to TC to offset wind drift and obtain TH. Adjusting heading to maintain track and course.

Groundspeed (GS)

Aircraft speed relative to the ground; TAS adjusted for wind.

Pilotage

VFR navigation by visual reference to identifiable ground checkpoints.

Dead Reckoning

Navigation using computations of time, airspeed, distance, and direction, corrected for wind.

Wind Triangle

Vector diagram showing relationships among wind, aircraft heading, and ground track.

Course

Planned path over the ground expressed in degrees clockwise from 0° to 360°.

Heading

Direction the aircraft’s nose is pointing during flight.

Track

Actual path made over the ground; equals course if drift is zero.

Drift Angle

Angle between heading and track caused by crosswind.

VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range)

VHF ground station transmitting radials; provides magnetic bearing TO/FROM the station.

DME (Distance Measuring Equipment)

UHF system paired with VOR/TACAN that gives slant-range distance, groundspeed, and time-to-station. Errors: line of sight and directly overt (it cannot tell how far away you are)

VORTAC

Combined VOR and TACAN installation providing VOR radials plus DME distance.

OBS (Omni-Bearing Selector)

Knob on a VOR indicator used to select a desired radial or course.

CDI (Course Deviation Indicator)

Needle showing left/right deviation from a selected VOR/GPS course.

HSI (Horizontal Situation Indicator)

Instrument integrating heading, course, and CDI information on one display.

Cone of Confusion

Area directly over a VOR where CDI and TO/FROM indications fluctuate due to weak signal.

Reverse Sensing

Incorrect needle response when flying inbound on the reciprocal radial with OBS set improperly.

DME Hold

holding pattern that is based on a specific DME distance from a navigational aid (like a VOR/DME).

RNAV

Allows a pilot to fly a selected course to a predefined point without the need to over fly ground-base navigation facilities, by using waypoints.

GPS (Global Positioning System)

Satellite-based RNAV providing worldwide 3-D position fixes using at least four satellites.

RAIM

Receiver Autonomous Integrity Monitoring; checks GPS signal integrity, requiring ≥5 satellites (or 4 with baro-aiding).

Selective Availability (SA)

Former intentional degradation of civilian GPS accuracy, discontinued in 2000.

VFR Waypoint

Five-letter “VP___” RNAV point shown by a magenta star or flag, used only in VFR flight plans and navigation. Only permitted under VFR.

5 C’s (Lost Procedures)

Climb, Communicate, Confess, Comply, Conserve—standard steps when lost.

Flight Diversion

Alteration of route due to weather, fuel, or emergencies; involves selecting alternate, computing heading, fuel, and notifying ATC/FSS.

How to Get true course (TC) calculated to compass heading (CH)

TC ±WCA = TH ± Variation = MH ± Deviation = CH; converts true to compass heading.

Fuel Consumption

Rate engines burn fuel, usually gallons per hour; used with GS to compute required fuel.

Implicit Pilot Fatigue

Risk factor mitigated by planning rest and considering time zone changes and daylight hours.

Military Intercept

Hop on with guard frequency 121.5 MHz. If Transponder equipped transponder code 7700 unless told otherwise,

Course Intercept Angle

Heading difference chosen to join a desired radial; usually > degrees off course but ≤ 90°.

VFR Transitions Routes

A specific flight course depicted on a Terminal Area Chart (TAC) for transition to specific Class B airspace. These routes include specific ATC-assignment altitudes, and pilots must obtain an ATC clearance prior to entering class B airspace on the route.

Eastern Standard Time Zone to Zulu Time

Add 5 Hours

Zulu to Central Standard Time Zone

Subtract 6 Hours

Zulu to Mountain Time zone

Subtract 7 hours

Zulu to Pacific Standard Time zone

Subtract 8 Hours

For calculating Time zones to Zulu during Daylight savings

1 hour should be subtracted from the calculated time.

How to correct your heading, caused from unsual geological affects on magnetic force?

East is Least, West is best, this indicates which to add or subtract to correct for your heading.

Heading

The direction in which the aircraft is pointing as it flies.

Airspeed

Rate of the aircraft’s progress through the air.

How to calculate Distance?

Distance = Groundspeed x Time

How to calculate Time?

Time = Distance/Groundspeed

How to calculate Groundspeed?

Groundspeed = Distance/Time

Where would we find out fuel Consumption?

Performance Charts in the POH.

Why are Flight Plans a good idea to file?

Good operating practice since the information contained in a flight plan can be used in search and rescue in the event of an emergency.

How can you file a Flight Plan?

Telephone, radio, or on www.WXBrief.com.

What are the different types of Ground-Based Navigation?

VHF Omnidirectional Range (VOR), Nondirectional Radio Beacon (NDB) - most basic form, Global Poisoning System (GPS).

VOR/DME RNAV systems

Allows direct, pilot-defined navigation using VORTAC signals processed by the aircraft RNAV computer. Allows straight-line navigation between almost any two points, regardless of airway structure. Requires VOR/DME to work.

Three types of RNAV units modes

VOR, en route, and approach

What is GNSS

Global national Satellite System

How many satellites are needed for a 2D picture?

3 Satellites

How many satellites are needed for a 3D picture?

4 Satellites

How many satellites are needed for a 3D picture plus RAIM?

5 Satellites

How many satellites are needed for a 3D picture plus RAIM and fault detection?

6 Satellites

How many Satellite are in Constellation?

Baseline system: 24 satellites in 6 orbital planes with 4 satellites per plane and spare slots.

Flight Diversion Steps

1. Fly to direction we are diverting

2. Contact ATC (to let them know we need to divert)

3. Do we have enough fuel to get there.

4. change altitude based off of VFR cruising altitude

5. Contact FSS to update

Flight Diversion

May be necessary due to unexpected weather, system malfunctions, or poor preflight planning. Risk management is critical during diversion to identify, assess, and mitigate hazards such as inadvertent VFR into IMC.

Automatic Direction finder (ADF)

Electronic navigation equipment that operates in the Low- and Medium-frequency bands. Used in conduction with the ground based nondirectional beacon (NDB), the instrument displays the number of degrees clockwise from the nose of the aircraft to the station being received.