Sectional use

"Jay Honeck" wrote:
Seriously, how many here still use them for primary navigation? I
honestly can't say I know anyone who does, anymore.

Bob Noel wrote:
I do.

I do too, but not as much in the airplane as on the ground before the
trip. I look at the sectional first, then use it to program the
(handheld) GPS. I also make a copy of the part of the sectional I need
for that trip so I don't have to unfold/handle the whole sectional
in-flight. I've even laminated some of those frequently-used,
single-trip copies and put them in a binder, but always carry a current
sectional and TAC just in case.

As someone who's had my handy-dandy Star Trek Tri-Corder quit on me in
the middle of a long cross country flight, I'm very glad to say that I
always carry 'reasonably current' sectionals and an AFD or AOPA
airport directory with me on every flight.

On 1/27/2007 8:50:12 AM, "Jay Honeck" wrote:

Seriously, how many here still use them for primary navigation? I
honestly can't say I know anyone who does, anymore.

As an IFR pilot, I use a sectional to see what terrain and obstacles surround
my destination airport, if it is an airport with which I am unfamiliar. Other
than that, I do not use a sectional for flight planning.

Despite having a Garmin GNS430 and MX20 moving map I do use both sectional
and WACs for long cross countries (greater than 3 hour legs), though, as I do
like to monitor my course for fuel planning.

--
Peter

Jay Honeck writes:

Seriously, how many here still use them for primary navigation? I
honestly can't say I know anyone who does, anymore.

I use them to prepare flight plans, and to verify my position and look
for landmarks.

What replaces sectionals?

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

IT'S A SOFA! Where have you been!
"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...
There is a trick for drawing a line from one side of the sectional (one
airport) to the other side (an airport on toe opposite side) whan
planning
a route

What's a "sectional"?

ducking!

Seriously, how many here still use them for primary navigation? I
honestly can't say I know anyone who does, anymore.

Although we always carry current sectionals (we sell them at the inn,
so I have NO excuse not to), I can't remember the last time I opened
one. I think it was to check an AWOS frequency ahead, cuz Mary was
futzing with the 496's XM music screen...

It really is amazing how much flying has changed in the last 12
years... What was "Buck Rogers" stuff when I was training is now
"SOP"...
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...

Seriously, how many here still use them for primary navigation? I
honestly can't say I know anyone who does, anymore.

I always have mine opened to the area that I'm in, and if I'm going over 100
miles, I've got a course line drawn. I've got a Garmin Pilot III that is
always on too. I usually cross-check the sectional every 15 to 30 minutes.
Usually, when I see something that should be on the chart (airport, tower,
lake, river, road, power lines, etc) I check to see if it's really on the
map.

Ya need something to do.

The best part was approaching Moosehear Lake (Maine) at dusk. I pulled out
the flashlight to read the frequency on the chart. My 14 year old asked what
I needed the flashlight for. That was the first indication I had that my
eyes were getting old. My last flight physical, the Doc said it would be my
last without corrective lenses. When I pulled mine out of my pocket, he said
"Oh, so it's not a surprise? Keep a pair in the plane."

Thanks, I knew I had seen it somewhere!


"Ben Jackson" wrote in message
...
On 2007-01-27, Doug Palmer wrote:
There is a trick for drawing a line from one side of the sectional (one
airport) to the other side (an airport on toe opposite side)

As I recall, the instructions are printed on the edge of the sectional.

--
Ben Jackson AD7GD

http://www.ben.com/

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
oups.com...
Seriously, how many here still use them for primary navigation? I
honestly can't say I know anyone who does, anymore.

Well, maybe not for primary. I haven't drawn a line on a sectional in years
but not everyone has a fancy GPS to make using a sectional completely
unnecessary. I've got a GPS but it ain't fancy. Plus, I like the romanticism
of pilotage. I was just thinking yesterday that the next x-c flight I do, I
will do by pilotage.

About 1/2 of my flying is low and slow, or lake to lake. Even on longer
cross-countries, unless there is a big wind avantage to go higher, I'm down
at 3 or 4000. Around here, there's a lot of airspace to bust at those
altitudes. Even if I am trying to get to point B, I tend to wander a bit. As
in, "Hmm, I wonder what lake/town/ground feature that is over there." Plus,
following along on the sectional and matching the real world to the map is a
good way to keep my mind working and my focus on where I'm at. That also
makes it easier to get the ATIS frequency or CTAF for airports I'm passing
over. Without the sectional, there's typically a lot of button pushing and
knob spinning to find a nearby airport with an ATIS. On my GPS it is:

1) push nearest
2) select the airport
3) spin to the frequency page
4) see that there is a CTAF but no ATIS
5) push nearest
6) scroll to the next airport in the list
7) select the airport
8) spin to the frequency page
9) see that there is a CTAF but no ATIS
10) push nearest
11) which airport did I just do? I can't remember. Oh never mind...

I also find it very embarassing to be flying along and have my passenger
ask, "what town is that?" or "Where are we?" I like to have a better answer
than, "Gee. I don't know. But we'll be at our destination in 1 hour 22
minutes."
-------------------------------
Travis
Lake N3094P
PWK

Doug Palmer wrote:
There is a trick for drawing a line from one side of the sectional (one
airport) to the other side (an airport on toe opposite side) whan planning
a route, but I cannot remember it and cannot find it in any of my reference
material. can anyone help me out?

It's printed on the margin of the sectional itself.

On Sat, 27 Jan 2007 05:50:16 -0800, in
.com, Jay Honeck wrote:
What's a "sectional"?

Something that flies out of your aircraft when you pull the canopy back in
flight...

Something that you should update at least once every century or so...