Tc/th/mh/ch

MikeOH58

MikeOH58

Well-Known Member
I don't know about anyone else, but i've always had trouble remebering True Course, True Heading, Magentic Heading, Course Hearding and their order on a Nav Log, and what they pertain to.

Last night I came up with a little rhyme that immediately clicked, and I just figured I would post it incase anyone else is having trouble remembering....

For what its worth....

The Cow THinks Milk Has CHemicals.

TC / TH / MH /CH

All you have to do is remember that small sentence, and just know that it's WCA / VAR / DEV and you should be all set...

Anyways, I hope this can help someone. Definately helped me!
 
MikeOH58 said:
I don't know about anyone else, but i've always had trouble remebering True Course, True Heading, Magnetic Heading, Course Hearding and their order on a Nav Log, and what they pertain to.
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There are a few nmemonics out there for this that include WCA and Variation.

But I really don't understand your question. Why do you need an acronym to memorize the order they appear on a Nav Log when all you have to do is look at the Nav Log? Are you worried about someone asking you to do your flight planning on a napkin?
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
Why do you need an acronym to memorize the order they appear on a Nav Log when all you have to do is look at the Nav Log? Are you worried about someone asking you to do your flight planning on a napkin?
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Simple....Getting ready for the CFI initial...Just trying to cover EVERY possible area.
 
just remember that tc is what you measure..it's the measured course that's all..nothing else has been taken into account.

true heading implies that the wind has been taken into account so that your 'heading' allows you to 'track' that tc.

magnetic heading implies that you have now taken 'magnetic variation' into account. as you know,you'll determine that variation along your course from the chart.

finally, course heading implies you've taken deviation in the 'compass' into account. factor that in and you have your final ch.

if your aircraft are like the ones i tend to have to use, the compasses haven't been 'swung' on a compass rose in so long that i don't even bother and stop at mh. i usually have to honestly set a dg in trainer aircraft to the mag heading of the runway..lol. fortunately, the examiners in our area have been understanding about this detail on ppl checkrides.

since it's a cfi ride, i'd recommend to focus more on what they all actually mean and you won't go wrong. keep in mind, you'll be teaching this material shortly during the second, or x-country phase of a student pilot's training. best to you. :)
 
exleardriver said:
since it's a cfi ride, i'd recommend to focus more on what they all actually mean and you won't go wrong.
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I agree. This is truly one of those things that, if you understand what they are and why you use or calculated them, the order in which they are calculated is pretty clear. Besides, there's no magic or, AFAIK, preferred FAA order for a navigation log.

If you understand them, for example, you realize that instead of taking TC and forecast winds aloft and using them to calculate TH and then applying magnetic variation to get MH, you can skip TC, figure out the MC right from the chart, apply magnetic variation to the winds, calculate MH and skip TH altogether.

Besides, there are things you need to memorize and there are things you don't. Since these calculations are always taught with a chart, a nav log, and an E6B (unless you're into teaching trig functions), I think this falls into the latter category. I just don't see an examiner saying, "I' a post solo student. We're about to do our first dual cross country. Teach me how to plan the flight, but without an E6B, navlog or a piece of paper."
 
MidlifeFlyer said:
"I' a post solo student. We're about to do our first dual cross country. Teach me how to plan the flight, but without an E6B, navlog or a piece of paper."
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Hehe, that made me laugh, for some reason. :)

Yes, I agree. I don't see the need for a mnemonic when, if properly understood, it should be clear how each fits into place but to the original poster, nice mnemonic either way. :)
 
BTW, good luck, Mike. Trying to cover all the bases is a good thing. Just watch out for those trees; they tend to get in the way of the forest. ;)

I finally remember the standard mnemonic for this:

True Virgins Make Dull Companions (some versions use Timid instead of True and Company instead of Companions)

True ± Variation = Magnetic & Magnetic ± Deviation = Compass

(Of course, this =is= printed on most manual E6Bs)
 
After spending the day going teaching lesson plans to my instructor as he played the new student, i've learned there is only one acronym/mneomnic (whatever) that a flight instructor has to know...

KISYSFA

Keep It Simple You Stupid F*#$ing A$%HOLE!


LMAO
 
fwiw, one of my faves of the15 pre-solo requirements that must be accomplished are the ground reference maneuvers. remember, in the spirit of keeping it simple, that these are taught to teach your student to make the plane go where YOU want it to go - not where the wind wants it to go..you teach how to visually fly a wind-corrected heading to track a certain course (the very same thing that you're doing when flying on instruments and flying a wind-corrected heading to maintain a specific course while 'in 'actual')..i'n actual, not 'imc' for you,mark! :D

additionally, you teach that bank angle in the maneuvers are a function of gs, which itself is a function of the wind speed/direction. these maneuvers are all done at constant altitude, whereas the commercial maneuvers incorporate changes in altitude to add to the complexity.

these maneuvers are pre-solo requirements because the 'rectangular course' is meant to teach your student away from the busy traffic pattern how to focus and concentrate on learning how to fly a proper 'square pattern', crabbing where appropriate, so they don't wind up flying either the 'racetrack' or the 'parallelogram' traffic pattern.

so, learning how to 'crab' and getting how bank angle in turns is a function of your groundspeed, which is a function of the wind speed/direction..main points in my book. try to save teaching these on a very windy day..they really 'get it' then.

best of luck! let us know if you'd like more input on simplifying lesson plans down to the meat and taters.. :)

something else i frequently point out, as i always show far 61.87(b) to a new student, so they'll see what 'maneuvers' will be expected of them roughly the first 10 hours or so, is that 'go arounds' are listed last. personally, i think this a maneuver that needs to be learned very early in training, so that a student (law of primacy?) quickly responds to 'go around' if the landing approach when solo doesn't look right. i'm not suggesting in any way that the faa suggests these maneuvers be taught in this order..they don't, i just make it a point to emphasize the importance of recognizing when and how to comfortably execute #15..
 
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