Lesson Learned Over The Weekend

Dazzler

Well-Known Member
Make sure that you place the True Course line along the edge of the Sectional Plotter, and read the true course from the protractor where it lines up with a Lat/Long line - and not the other way around!

Set off on a dual cross country with a student yesterday in completely the wrong direction because I failed to notice this simple mistake. Oops! I caught the error about 10 minutes into the flight and we were able to turn around and rejoin the planned course at the second checkpoint.

Was just slightly embarrassing!
 
Make sure that you place the True Course line along the edge of the Sectional Plotter, and read the true course from the protractor where it lines up with a Lat/Long line - and not the other way around!

Set off on a dual cross country with a student yesterday in completely the wrong direction because I failed to notice this simple mistake. Oops! I caught the error about 10 minutes into the flight and we were able to turn around and rejoin the planned course at the second checkpoint.

Was just slightly embarrassing!
I bet next time you'll make sure their course makes sense eh?

Students NEVER think to check that...

"oh, I'm supposed to go to this airport that's north of us. It makes good sense to fly a 090 heading!"
 
Situational awareness is our friend! This is exactly why I don't allow my primary students to use GPS until after their first solo XC.
 
:rotfl: Ranks right up there with "think before you speak," not many people heed that advice either. I bet you saved numerous pilots from doing this with your post though, so thanks.
 
Your supposed to say "I knew thats what was going on, I wanted to see how long it would take you to figure it out."
 
Any airspace violations? :D

No worries dude, one night me and a student ended up flying a chair pattern on our night x-c.

It gets desolate out here and I fortunately saw the McDonalds arch's first, "um, do realize you are over XYZ?"
Now that's pilotage.

--------

We had a girl bust Bravo airspace because she wrote 180 true course instead of 018. The instructor missed it we he endorsed the solo x-c and she flew completely off the sectional!
 
I had a guy on his first solo cross country. I reviewed his preflight planning and he had a mag course of "20" written down. It was correct for the direction of flight. He gets in the plane and after takeoff he decides to add a "0" to it. So now he's flying 200 instead of 020. :whatever:

The tower asks him if he knows he is headed in the wrong direction. He says, "I think I messed up on my preflight planning." This was just after I signed off his cross country. :mad:

He gets back and I ask him, so is New Hampshire north or south of Massachusetts?

Moral of the story: I make sure they write down a three digit number for the heading now.
 
It took you 10 minutes to realize you were going to wrong direction? I admit, I have made my fairshare of bonehead mistakes, but I can instantly tell which direction we are going as soon as I takeoff.
 
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