Navigation

Finding Your Way in the Sky

The Navigation tab explores the art and science of pilots finding and maintaining their desired course, both visually and with the aid of instruments. Here members discuss the various skills, techniques and technologies that allow aircraft to safely and reliably reach their destinations.

Within the Navigation tab you will find:

• VFR Navigation – For flying ‘by the seat of your pants’, members discuss visual reference points, map reading, pilotage and dead reckoning – the basics of navigating by visual contact with the ground.
• IFR Navigation – For instrument flying in low visibility, members discuss the navigation aids, procedures and skills needed to fly ‘blind’ through the skies, including use of VORs, ILS, ADF and RNAV.
• GPS and GNSS – With the introduction of satellite-based navigation systems, flying has become far more precise. Members share tips on utilizing GPS, WAAS, EGNOS and other GNSS technologies for safer navigation.

Through discussing different navigation techniques spanning the history of aviation, the Navigation tab hopes to convey the wonder that even today, after a century of flight, pilots still navigate the skies much as Icarus and Daedalus first imagined – by monitoring the sun, stars, and earth below, and trusting instruments to guide the way home.

By connecting members passionate about navigating the airways, this tab aspires to pass on knowledge that will help the next generation of aviators find their path in the sky – whether they fly visually beneath the clouds or lose sight of the horizon above. The ultimate destination may be known, but the joy is in charting a course to get there.