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May 15, 2002 - Learning to Navigate
After the solo today was almost a let down. Just some more
instrument flying (the stage check made both me and Michael realize that
we're behind on our instrument time).
We also did some basic VOR and NDB radio navigation as well as some
dead-reckoning. This was
all in warm-up for our cross-country flying which was coming up fast.
Up until now you could get by with being a nearly complete idiot when it came to
maps and navigation. Get in the plane - fly east to the flat stuff -
practice - fly west back home. But with cross-country flying to places you
haven't been before that doesn't quite work.
There really wasn't much remarkable on this one. Again Michael tried to
confuse me (NDB navigation is especially hard since you have to convert lots of
relative bearings in your head) but all those years of Flight Sim plus my solid
map skills from my scouting and Army days had me well covered. What takes
many students several lessons to get over we did in about an hour and I seemed
to convince Michael that I knew what I was doing (which I did in all fairness).
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