Download Dead Reckoning Navigation
It is generally agreed that the compass is a pilot's primary navigation tool. But when it comes to specifying the second most valuable such device in the cockpit, there is often some difference of opinion. New pilots generally favor the GPS or VOR receiver. But those with more experience vote for the clock. After all, when a fuse blows or the left-right needle behaves like a metronome gone berserk, a pilot must resort to basics. The reliable compass and clock bromes his primary weapons in a battle of wits against the elements. The compass indicates where he's going and the clock tells him how far. Without either of these allies, a pilot can get lost, very fast, especially when above clouds or when over terrain where checkpoints are confusingly few and far apart.
Compass-and-clock, or dead-reckoning navigation, however, is slowly becoming a lost art as increasingly more reliance is placed on electronic guidance. Although no one can deny that VOR navigation has simplified cockpit workloads, pilots must avoid becoming too complacent.
Download Dead Reckoning Navigation
