Looking for advice and opinions on learning navigation skills

All great advice. The only thing I would add, and this is my personal rule,
is to never fly beyone gliding distance of a landable field; it doesn't have
to be an airport. Learn your territory as you expend your horizons and have
a great time! With that rule alone, I've flown my glider across the Rocky
Mountains and never had any damage. A few exciting moments, but never any
damage.


"Bob Whelan" wrote in message
...
On 3/21/2013 3:31 PM, son_of_flubber wrote:
I fly in a moderately difficult area with lots of landmarks, lots of
woods
and eastern USA scale hills and mountains and very few spots to land out.
Flying into valleys and not having enough space to turn around is a
possibility.

To date, I've relied on eyeballing the glide path to the airport and
getting back close to the pattern with plenty of altitude to spare. I'm
a
navigational newbie.

I've just started getting into the approach of calculating in advance
"safe
altitudes" at landmarks; altitudes that guarantee a glide to the pattern
at
best L/D with a large safety margin. My plan is to study the chart and
topo maps in advance, make a list of safe altitudes and landmarks (maybe
on
a 3X5 card) then practice picking out landmarks and observing altitude.
Plan and execute some mini-tasks around the airport with altitude
targets.
I'm using one of the classic books that talks about how to do this. In
short, develop navigational skills without a digital PNA. Once I have
better "navigational sense" I will learn to use a PNA. I'll stand off or
stay well above any valleys where I might have trouble turning around.

As I get into this and realize the difficulty and complexity of
navigating
on paper, I'm wondering whether my traditional paper-based approach is
dumb. Would it make more sense to start using a PNA sooner rather than
later? I'm not suggesting that I rely blindly on the PNA, more like a
combination of traditional methods with the PNA.

Is it smart or dumb to delay using a PNA for a season?

Are there any books that teach navigation with a combination PNA and
paper
based approach?

I can't speak to any 1st-hand experience with a computer (of any sort
other than my built-in Mark I Gray Matter) in a glider cockpit, but your
described approach seems fundamentally sound as I read it.

No matter when you begin using a PNA, it won't improve your existing
decision-making skills one iota, though you might imagine/hope/believe it
does.

Read everything you can. Pick every brain you can. (Both are fun to do.)
If you don't understand something from someone, keep asking 'em "Why do
you say/claim that?" until you're satisfied you truly comprehend their
reasoning...with which you may not agree.

Here's a link to an old article; nothing glider related in it needs
updating, though it was written over 20 years ago.
http://soarboulder.org/stories/kissing-tips-2

XC isn't fundamentally difficult from a conceptual standpoint. Nor need it
be fundamentally any riskier than your first solo, if approached sensibly,
by which I mean never lose sight of the fact the only certainty related
to XC is that you WILL be returning to earth. Fly accordionly, and it will
be a hugely fun, exhilarating, life-altering (in the good sense) blast!

HTH...

Bob W.

P.S. In my 1-26, I used 3 miles/1000' for planning purposes. In my
15-meter glass and G-103 flying I used 5 miles/1000'. I also "proved" (to
my satisfaction, in local flying) those values were conservative in any
conditions I'd likely be going XC BEFORE I ever went XC, then religiously
checked how I was doing if lowish-ground clearance and/or prudence
suggested I needed to be checking. Five mile diameter rings/arcs drawn on
paper charts were my guide. No cheating allowed...IOW, you have to be
directly abeam/atop some landmark to claim as achieved, any distance based
on using said landmark.

P.P.S. Eventually you WILL be flying XC and NOT be making good your
assumed glide ratio. No problem, so long as: 1) you always have a Plan B
(and maybe Plan C or D) in hand; and 2) you're aware of the fact you're
doing worse than you hoped! It goes without saying - or should, ha ha! -
you IMplement a backup plan sooner rather than later, should there be the
merest hint of doubt in your mind as to the validity of Plan A.