Maintaining VFR altitudes when following N/S roads/rivers

"Wilhelm" luv2^fly99@cox.^net wrote in
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"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...
BT writes:

What you are doing is not pilotage.
Fly a straight line based on compass and wind correction
computations. Time between visual points, towns, bridges, etc to
compute ground speed. Correct the heading slightly based on
"observations" from pilotage.

just following a meandering river or road is not pilotage.

Pilotage is supposedly navigation by visual landmarks, which
presumably includes roads and rivers. Successful pilotage implies
that you can navigate
with just the visual features and a chart. If you are using
calculations to
determine your position, it's more like dead reckoning. I do try to
navigate
that way, too, but periodically I like to practice navigation by
visual features on the land below alone.

If you are such a scholar on navigation, why are you asking dumb assed
questions?


Wassamatta, maxie, runnninga away from the bertster? Decided to pick on
Maxie instead?

;(



Bertie

"Wilhelm" luv2^fly99@cox.^net wrote in
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"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
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Wilhelm writes:

If you are such a scholar on navigation, why are you asking dumb
assed questions?

If you know more about navigation, why aren't you answering them?

Because I am absolutely certain, any real pilot already knows the
answer,

Well, you obviously don't.


Bertie

In rec.aviation.student Mxsmanic wrote:
Anyway, back to the topic ... it's true that I can fly in the general
direction of a road instead of following it precisely, but I find that it's
easy to get so far away that it's hard to see the road any more. Some
Interstates will turn west for miles, and then turn east again, and so on.
They stay in one direction long enough to get away from you if you are trying
to keep an "average" heading, but if you turn you have to change altitude.
Climbing and descending 2000 feet every few minutes seems like a lot for a
small aircraft.

Visibility must be really poor if you're doing this. I doubt an interstate
is making regular course changes of more than 90 degrees, so you should be
cutting the corners and seeing a maximum angle of 45 degrees to it. A few
minutes really shouldn't be taking you so far away from it that you can't
see it anymore. Even if you do get to where you can't see it, you're
presumably flying a course that will intersect it again soon, so you can
keep your position based on other landmarks until it heaves into view once
again.

I haven't seen anything in the FARs that provides a way around this for cruise
flight, except, as Bob has pointed out, flying below 3000 AGL. That would
work well enough in Iowa, and then the problem is solved. But over hilly
terrain it gets more difficult, and also other rules come into play for
low-altitude flight, such as the need to respect limitations over congested
areas, wildlife preserves, etc.

You could always try flying a glider instead. Nobody expects you to hold
any particular cruise altitudes there.

--
Mike Ash
Radio Free Earth
Broadcasting from our climate-controlled studios deep inside the Moon

Mxsmanic wrote:
If you are following a road or river or other feature on the ground while
flying VFR, and that feature runs north/south but often veers off to one side
or the other, are you expected to change your altitude each time you move from
a heading of 0-179 to 180-359 or vice versa?

One would think that if you are flying along a river or road you would
be below 3000 AGL so the regulation that you are asking about doesn't apply.

§ 91.159 VFR cruising altitude or flight
level.
Except while holding in a holding
pattern of 2 minutes or less, or while
turning, each person operating an aircraft
under VFR in level cruising flight
more than 3,000 feet above the surface
shall maintain the appropriate altitude
or flight level prescribed below,

Gig 601Xl Builder writes:

One would think that if you are flying along a river or road you would
be below 3000 AGL so the regulation that you are asking about doesn't apply.

Agreed, but in some cases terrain or other factors make flying below 3000 AGL
impractical. Also, at night I'd want to fly higher--the road or river might
be visible, but you can't always see what's on either side (although the
charts help).

In rec.aviation.piloting Gig 601Xl Builder wrote:

One would think that if you are flying along a river or road you would
be below 3000 AGL so the regulation that you are asking about doesn't apply.

I often fly across the SW desert using roads as primary navigation.

And, yes, I have 2 VORs, DME, ADF, and a GPS.

A typical flight to Vegas is through the Cajon Pass, turn right,
and put US 15 on the horizon on the left side of the spinner.

I glance at the GPS now and then to check ground speed then go to
GPS after I pass Jean to navigate through the class B.


--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

Mxsmanic wrote in
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Bob Noel writes:

An aircraft without DME, LORAN, and GPS may wish to stay out of the
Boston Class Bravo airspace. An excellent way to do that is follow
495 around Boston. For those that want the torture, I know it can be
done with just one VOR.

I see that the 495 is almost north-south (magnetic) in some portions.
How do you manage your altitude when flying that portion of the
highway?

A more difficult situation arises when the highway meanders
substantially back and forth from east to west, constantly crossing
360 or 180 degrees. If it's in hilly country (as it might well be if
it has to meander back and forth), just setting a single heading might
not be an option, as you can easily lose sight of the highway. So, in
that case, how does one manage altitude?


You're an idiot


Bertie

"Wilhelm" luv2^fly99@cox.^net wrote in
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"Mxsmanic" wrote in message
...

The rules vary elsewhere, but I "fly" only in the United States,
since I know
the regulations there better, and they don't change every 300 miles,
and I'm
more familiar with regions in the U.S.

You don't fly anywhere, you're nothing but a simmer flying a desk.

Neither do you, fjukkwit.


Bertie

"Wilhelm" luv2^fly99@cox.^net wrote in
:


"Bob F." wrote in message
. ..


"Dave S" wrote in message
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Why does everyone get on this guys case just because he doesn't
fly? He brings up some good typical student questions and some
even us old timers have to rethink.


Because he's never flown, doesnt WANT to fly, purports to know more
than those who do, and gives advice based on that.. all the while
asking such questions as above.

He's been asked not to do so. He's been asked to change his tact.
His antisocial tendencies overrule though...and he's a pest..

Maybe I'm like the blind man touching the elephant here since I don't
have a lot of experience with him. So maybe I'll play along for a
while and see how it goes.

--
Regards, Bob F.

You just sound like the latest sock puppet to me.

Do us all a favor and avoid his threads.

Just like you, Maxie!



Bertie


Bertie

"Morgans" wrote in :


"Bob F." wrote

Maybe I'm like the blind man touching the elephant here since I don't
have a lot of experience with him. So maybe I'll play along for a
while and see how it goes.

And the cycle continues, with different names, and different subjects,
but the same, never less.

Yep, but with a bit of effort, you could change, you know.


Bertie