Wolfgang Schwanke writes:

http://www.flightstore.co.uk/images/...rop_1_1241.jpg

Thanks. Still looks a bit awkward to use in flight. I mean, you have
to manipulate the device and the chart at the same time, and you have
no table, and you still have to fly the plane. It looks very awkward.

You do your flight planning before take-off.

But what if the plan must change during the flight?

Traditionally, you draw a line on the map along the path you plan
to fly, you mark it with time ticks, and in regular intervals
you mark important landmarks that allow you to check that you're
still on course. You only really have to do
map work when an expected landmark doesn't show up at the expected
time, causing you to suspect that you're off course.

The map must get pretty messy after a while, although I suppose that
if you have to buy a new one every month, it doesn't matter too much.

It's hard to imagine squinting at the map in flight. Multiple pilots
have told me that it's possible, though. I'd have to watch them do it
to see how they manage. Certainly reading maps in a car is extremely
awkward, although aircraft can be configured to fly in a more stable
way than a car drives, so I suppose that helps.

Having a copilot would change everything, of course.

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