On Saturday, November 22, 2014 2:36:38 AM UTC-6, Richard wrote:
On Friday, November 21, 2014 7:42:53 PM UTC-8, Ramy wrote:
On Friday, November 21, 2014 3:30:50 PM UTC-8, Sean Fidler wrote:
Great stuff! Thanks!!!

Slightly of topic but I wonder why we are still using clock to tell directions. Yeah it sounds cool but is it really necessary?
In the age of digital clocks, it takes time for most people to interpret it. Case in point is tow pilots. I noticed about 20% of tow pilots turning opposite direction when I say for example turn to 9 oclock instead of turn left. The rest take few long seconds to interpret.
How about front, back, left, right, front left, back right etc, similar to car GPS? Or 20 degrees left etc? Yeah I know its not perfect either and some people mix left and right as well, but maybe something to consider.

Ramy

I sort of agree. The first time I heard the lady my reaction was where is that. I had not looked at a hand clock for at least 15 years. But after some use it came back.

Richard
www.craggyaero.com

True story:

Back in the days of diesel powered fighters with steam driven radars (F-4s, to those too young to remember), when one of the crewmembers called out a target to the other (F-4 is a two-seater, pilot in front rowing the boat, and WSO in the back shooting the ducks...), it was standard technique to use both left/right AND clock position, to avoid any confusion; so a call might be "OK I've got a tally on the bandit at left 8 o'clock, nose low, closing - come hard left!"

Inevitably, during a debrief of a fight while listening to the cockpit tapes, we heard this exchange: "I've got him! He's at Right 9 o'clock!" "You mean Left 3?" "No! Over there!!!"

Shortly followed by a "Guns tracking on the F-4 rocking his wings...." call..

Seriously, clock positions make a lot more sense than just left/right - as they devide the area to search into nice little unambiguous 30 degree sectors of sky. How do you do that with Left/Right (or Port/Starboard)?

Kirk
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