Monday, May 13, 2019

Intersections.....and getting lost

So I flew an IFR lesson on Saturday. Flew VOR bearings and then intersections. It was going pretty well....for a while.

Then I made my mistake and tuned the wrong VOR...# 1 instead of #2 nav radio..........followed the bearings on the needles toward the wrong VOR radial and thus an incorrect heading.

Since I was paying attention to the time, I realized (eventually) that I had flown past the point in space and time where I should have found my intersection. 15 miles should have taken 10 minutes at a speed of 90 knots...I had been flying the bearing for 16.

Took a minute to figure out that I was flying the needles towards a bearing that WASN'T my intersection.

My instructor smiled. She knew what I had done, and let me do it so I'd learn.

Then, she told me to figure out where I was using only the two VOR's.
Which I did right the first time,  only took me about 3 minutes to figure out.
Then I had to figure out how to fly to the original intersection that I should have been going to before my fuckup.

'Twas an interesting lesson in navigation. And an interesting lesson in what not to do to prevent the very predicament that I was in.

Apparently, it is a mistake everyone makes...at least once.

Hopefully, this is my one time.

1.8 and 2, as Aaron puts it

Was supposed to take my Dad somewhere today, but the ceilings were too low. I decided that since conditions were WAAAY below my personal minimums, he'd have to wait. I didn't want to disappoint him, but wasn't gonna fly into rain with a 900 foot ceiling and hope that things improved before I got there.

Another IFR lesson tomorrow so I can be less dependent on clear and sunny skies.....eventually.

My goal is Instrument pilot by August and a twin rating shortly after....maybe then a faster and bigger airplane.

I gotta hit the books a bit more though.






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