2.12 Navigation - Ground School
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This page can contain a collection of personal notes, steps to remember, finished and unfinished content. Please excuse brevity.
Do not use specific information given like fuel flow, landing/take-off distances for your flights. Always refer to the POH of your exact plane for flight preparation. My information is just for references that I used.
Flight lesson 2.12 - Navigation Ground School
| Lesson number | Lesson name | Lesson date(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 2.12 | UPRT 2 | 06-10-2026 |
The flight lesson 2.12 with the name Navigation Ground School is a non-flying lesson but a deep dive into how to navigate using checkpoints. We can see this as a practical extension of the PPL Theory for Navigation which I passed around a year ago (https://flightblog.justinverstijnen.nl/ppl-theory-nav/)
Navigation goals
The goal of this lesson is that I am prepared to do on my own:
- Choose a good and recognizable navigation plan with nav log with obvious points on the ground
- Actually being able to perform the planned route
- Reconsider the route at any checkpoint in case of being lost or diverted
- Perform the flight planning with fuel, mass and balance calculations and take-off/landing distances
The Navigation Log
The navigation log which we will fill with our checkpoints and maintain during flight looks something like this:
| Meaning | |
|---|---|
| Route / Remarks | Write the checkpoint here with possible radio frequencies |
| Safe Altitudes | Safe altitudes, between MOCA* and possible upper limits |
| Flight Time - INT | Interval flight time (Checkpoint time) |
| Flight Time - ACC | Accumulated flight time (Total time) |
| ETO | Estimated time to Overhead Checkpoint |
| ATO | Actual Time Overhead Checkpoint |
| RETO | Rectified ETO, used when ETO and ATO has a big discrepancy |
| ALT | The planned altitude, if deviated we can add an arrow pointing up or down |
| CH | Compass Heading |
| DEV | Deviation of the compass |
| MH | Magnetic Heading |
| VAR | Variation |
| TH | True Heading |
| WCA | Wind Correction Angle |
| TT | True Track flown on the chart |
| Distance - INT | Interval distance in NM |
| Distance - ACC | Accumulated distance in NM |
| TAS | True Airspeed |
| WIND | Wind origin in degrees and knots |
| GS | Ground Speed |
| Fuel - USED | Amount of fuel used in USG |
| Fuel - REM | Amount of fuel remaining USG |
*MOCA: Minimum Obstruction Clearance Altitude: highest obstacle within 5 NM + 1.000ft
The first point must be the departure aerodrome and the last point the arrival aerodrome.
Navigation Log - Filled
| Gegeven | Checkpoint 1 | Checkpoint 2 | Checkpoint 3 | Checkpoint 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route / Remarks | ||||
| Safe Altitudes | ||||
| Flight Time - INT | ||||
| Flight Time - ACC | ||||
| ETO | ||||
| RETO | ||||
| ATO | ||||
| ALT | ||||
| CH | ||||
| DEV | ||||
| MH | ||||
| VAR | ||||
| TH | ||||
| WCA | ||||
| TT | ||||
| Distance - INT | ||||
| Distance - ACC | ||||
| TAS | ||||
| WIND | ||||
| GS | ||||
| Fuel - USED | ||||
| Fuel - REM |
To be continued…