Laurence Doering writes:

No, the plotter he's talking about is a combined protractor
and ruler made of transparent plastic. The ruler's scales are
calibrated to match distances on aeronautical charts.

You can see what they look like at:

http://www.sportys.com/acb/webpage.cfm?&DID=19&WebPage_ID=68

I see now. Thanks. Still looks a bit inconvenient for use in flight,
although it would be easy enough to use for planning on a desk or
table. Not very expensive, either, compared to most of the other
stuff on the site ($995 for a pair of headphones that costs only $20
to make??). Definitely a rich man's hobby.

It's possible to whip out a plotter and measure distances and
headings on a folded-up sectional chart in your lap in a typical
light aircraft cockpit, but it's not very convenient.

And the aircraft is still flying. I know aircraft can be configured
to fly straight and level for long distances, especially with an
autopilot, but still ... it seems that one could get into trouble
quickly while peering at the chart.

Typically you'd use a plotter for flight planning on the ground.
Use the ruler to draw a line on the chart along your intended
course, use the protractor to measure the angle between your
course and a north-south line on the chart, and use the scale
on the ruler to find distances.

That sounds easy enough.

To answer your original question, in the pre-GPS era most people
would plot course legs that would keep them well clear of restricted
airspace. Make sure you stay near your planned course using a
combination of pilotage and dead reckoning, and you don't have to
worry about exactly where the boundary of the restricted airspace
is.

I'm glad that my original question is being answered, thanks.

Seriously, if you want to learn this stuff, you might want to
buy a private pilot ground school textbook of some sort, a plotter,
and a sectional chart or two. Use the textbook to find out how to
plan a flight using a plotter and charts, and then fly it in your
simulator.

I'm not sure what books to buy, and I can't buy anything off the Net
because I don't have a working credit card. There are a couple of
good pilot shops here, but their choice of English-language books is
limited (and very expensive, as always), with most stuff being in
French. Similarly, the only charts I can find locally are French
charts, and my simulator flights are mostly in the western United
States. I can find the charts online now, but obviously it's hard to
use this plotter device with an LCD screen.

Nevertheless, I'm trying to use the online charts more for flight
planning, particularly for flights with VATSIM, where others might
notice my mistakes.

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