AVAT11001: Course Outline Aircraft and Terminology Radio Communications Structure, Propulsion, Fuel Systems Electrical, Hydraulic Systems and Instruments Air Law Aerodynamics: Basics Aerodynamics: Performance Human Factors Meteorology Loading Take-off and Landing Performance Navigation

Stuff to read Required Reading: BAK Chapter 12, pp. 355-374 VFG IN-FLIGHT, pp. 127-169

Navigation Navigation is the skill used to determine your location and plan your routes This topic is covered more extensively in AVAT12002 This week we will introduce the basic concepts of navigation Beginner pilots primarily use Visual Navigation You determine your location by what you see There are also a variety of instruments which can help you to navigate These are called navigation aids, or navaids 4-D Navigation (latitude, longitude, altitude, time) Sometimes people in the aviation industry speak about 4 dimensional navigation. This is when you account for not only where you plan on being (latitude, longitude, altitude), but also when you plan on being there (time). Time is an important element of navigation

How fast am I going? Speed IAS, Indicated Airspeed TAS, True Airspeed This is what you read off of the pressure based instrument in the cockpit (the airspeed indicator) See Figure 12-18 page 371 TAS, True Airspeed This is the speed of your aircraft relative to the air mass you are moving through It differs from IAS due to density changes and instrumentation errors See Figure 12-17 page 371 GS, Ground Speed This is the speed of your aircraft relative to the ground This is the same as TAS only when no wind is present

Which way is North? Magnetic Variation The north pole is defined as the northern axis about which the earth rotates The direction towards the north pole is “True North” See Figure 12-8 page 363 There is a magnetic pole near (but not exactly at) the north pole This is where a magnetic compass will point This is known as “Magnetic North” The difference between the direction that a compass points and True North is called Magnetic Variation. Magnetic Variation differs for different places on the earth Lines connecting points that have the same magnetic variation are called isogonals See Figure 12-12 page 368 The location of the magnetic north changes slowly over time. New charts are published and the isogonals will change as the north magnetic pole moves This is one reason to make sure that you use current charts

Magnetic Deviation The presence of ferrous metals (containing iron) and operating electrical equipment can change the direction a compass will point Each aircraft is tested and the difference between where the aircraft compass points and the actual magnetic north is recorded This is known as the magnetic deviation Deviation is specific to an aircraft Variation is specific to a location Pilots use the deviation to plan which headings their compass will indicate when they wish to fly a particular heading

Navigation Triangle A vector is a quantity that has a magnitude and a direction 3 vectors are used in navigation Vector Abbreviation Direction Magnitude HDG/TAS Heading True airspeed W/V Wind direction Wind speed TR/GS Track Ground speed These vectors combine to form what is known as the navigation triangle HDG/TAS + W/V = TR/GS See Figure 12-4 page 358

Wind Wind can have a large effect on navigation It affects which headings you will use Crosswinds will affect the heading you will use to cover a desired ground track It affects the time of the flight Headwind will decrease your ground speed Tailwind will increase your ground speed See Figure 12-6 page 360 for determining headwind and crosswind components

Directions Heading Track Bearing The direction the aircraft is pointed Track The direction the aircraft moves See Figure 12-1 page 356 Bearing Relative position between 2 objects It is important to specify if a bearing to TO an object or FROM an object Heading, track, and bearings may be given relative to True North or Magnetic North It is important to specify which Wind direction These are given as the direction the wind is coming FROM If a wind is blowing from the east to the west it’s direction is 090 Runway directions Given in 2 digit groups Specify the direction you are travelling when you go down the runway The west end of an east/west runway would be labelled 09

Time Time is referenced to the time at the prime meridian which runs through Greenwich England. GMT, UTC, Zulu all mean the same thing Know how to interpret the 4, 6, and 8 digit time groups See page 361 In Australia, there are 3 different Time Zones See Figure 12-7 page 362 During the summer, some states will set their clocks an hour ahead This is known as Summer Time or Daylight Saving Time, DST When this is done you are not “changing the time zone” For example, NSW in December is still in the time zone UTC+10. However, you would say “DST is in use” to know that the local clocks would display UTC+11 hours.

Location Specified by Latitude and Longitude Latitude is the position north or south of the equator Longitude is the position east or west of the prime meridian See Figures 12-8 and 12-9 page 363 Also can be specified relative to some distinctive landmark See Figure 12-10 page 364

Charts There are several different charts which are useful for aviation navigation VTC Gives the most detailed information near an aerodrome Not available for all aerodrome WAC Most useful for visual navigation Many useful land marks are presented PCA Provides some “big picture” information Abbreviations for aerodromes Areas defined for Area Forecasts (ARFOR) Flightwatch frequencies VNC Also useful for visual navigation Not available for all areas ERC Used for both visual and instrument navigation