KEY TO A GOOD VFR NAV

Throughout flight training we spend many hours flying under VFR (Visual Flight Rules). As part of your skills tests, both PPL(A) and CPL(A), you are to conduct a navigational flight where your skills and knowledge are assessed.

You are expected to plan and fly a route to specific aerodromes, taking account time and fuel. Be ready to fly a diversion at any point your examiner orders you to do so.

• A good navigation starts with proper preflight preparation.
• Once in the cockpit and airborne, we should be looking outside 90% of the time.
• Feel for things! Reach for things! Only look inside to confirm your inputs!
• You want your airplane to be on your side, not against you! Therefore, invest time to trim the airplane.
• Using three fingers on the yoke ensures flight control inputs are not excessive.

• Trust your time! Amend it if you are flying faster or slower than planned.

CYCLE: LAI

LOOKOUT — ATTITUDE — INSTRUMENTS

Lookout; Scan half the sky, starting on your from (tail to nose).

Attitude; Visually check that the aircraft attitude is level with the horizon.

Instruments; Check your instruments. ASI, HI, Altimeter, VSI. Then back out!

TERMINOLOGY

HAT — Heading, Altitude, Time.

THE 5 T’s — Twist, Turn, Time, Track, Talk.

pre-HAT

APPROACHING THE WAYPOINT:

Carry out a ‘pre-HAT’ as you are approaching a waypoint.

Glance at your plog.

HAI!

What is my heading for this leg? Twist the heading bug.

At what altitude should I be flying?

Ensure timer (stopwatch) is reset and ready for start.

5 T’s

OVERHEAD THE WAYPOINT:

Once overhead the waypoint, do the five T’s.

• Twist; twist the heading bug to the heading required for this leg.
• Turn; lookout for traffic and start your turn.
• Time; as you turn, start your stopwatch.
• Track; roll out on the correct heading. Pick a feature in the distance to track.
• Talk; Talk to ATC.

post HAT

PAST THE WAYPOINT:

Do a ‘post-HAT’ and state to your examiner the following: “My command heading is 065º, my altitude for this leg is 3,000 ft., and ETA 42'.”

This shows that you are ahead of your airplane.

1) “TRUST YOUR TIME!”
Look for features expected at this leg’s halfway point, then chart away!

2) “2 min to go; MAP TO GROUND!”
When two minutes before ETA, look between your VFR chart to your outside immediate surorundings to identify big and small features.

3) “keep Chart at Eye Level!”
When your waypoint has been positively identified, state “Sir, this is destination X, my time says I should be here. It is left hand side of a big lake and north of the river where it meanders.”

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