Do you ever "navigate" this way?

[UnAnswerd]

The other day my instructor and I were up for a lesson. He pointed out that we were about to fly over the NYS Thruway, which is a major highway running east to west through the entire state of NY. I glanced out the window, and one thing I saw was how pronounced that highway was in relation to the surrounding terrain. I thought to myself, "I could fly across the entire state by simply following this huge line". One could even say that you could fly across the entire country by simply staying above a major interstate. So that is my question. Has anyone actually ever used a road or highway to navigate long distances, and is it a good idea??? It seems like a very good idea in VMC. I certainly have full intensions of learning to navigate by traditional methods/equipment, but was nevertheless wondering about this scenario.

 

[MGXsport]

Many people use prominate road sections or man made features as waypoints when they navigate. I think it helps people from just flying radio aid to radio aid and increases the Visual navigation skills and map reading.

One thing though is don't try planing on only manmade references because some of the locations may not be up to date on the sectionals or terminals. For example there used to be a large horse track close to my house that was labled. It hasn't been there for 10 years now but it is still used as a reference point on the terminal.

 

[Lead Sled]

The other day my instructor and I were up for a lesson. He pointed out that we were about to fly over the NYS Thruway, which is a major highway running east to west through the entire state of NY...Has anyone actually ever used a road or highway to navigate long distances, and is it a good idea??? It seems like a very good idea in VMC. I certainly have full intensions of learning to navigate by traditional methods/equipment, but was nevertheless wondering about this scenario.

Yes, it's very common. It's mentioned frequently on this forum - "IFR" I Follow Roads.

Lead Sled

 

[smokinhole]

IFR........ I Fly Roads


[edit]
D@MNIT! Somebody beat me to it!
[edit]

 

[Singlecoil]

Unwritten rule: Fly on the right side of the road (or river) so you don't hit the guy coming the other way.

 

[English]

I followed the 10 freeway once from Dallas to Los Angeles on my first "real" cross country when I had about 80 hours. It worked, plus I had several good emergency landing areas near a well-populated freeway.

At night in SoCal, flying VFR, it's the best way to keep track of where you are. Again, more emergency landing areas.

 

[Super_Cub_2414P]

Yep, followed the Colorado River north from Yuma for my first two solo XC flights as a student many moons ago, got lost on the third long XC following I-8 to Tuscon, missed the right turn at Gila Bend.

I like rivers best.

 

[pilotman2105]

Instant flight planning. No thinking required.

 

[JRSLim]

Its a great thing!

Whats funny, is for the long PP cross country, we have students plan a flight from COS to Goodland, KS. We've got highway 24 coming from the springs, straight up to Hwy 70 direct to Goodland. Oddly, Quite a few students want to plan the flight using a zig zag pattern of radio navigation and/or pilotage using roads and farms. Use whatever reliable landmarks are available and along the best route - if the highway is going to take you foff course, then you won't want to fly right above it, but maybe use it as a cros reference for other landmarks.

 

[minitour]

I did my PP solo XC flights using radio nav...I just thought it was easier to track the V-airways and then I used landmarks ON the V-airway to tell me where to turn off to go to the airports...worked really well...actually the one trip followed I-80 for a good portion of the flight...but I decided not to take the turnpike...

-mini

 

[Lead Sled]

I've taken several different weather radar courses. Some of them have gone into a lot of detail on using the radar for ground mapping. Over the years, I've logged over 1,000 coast-to-coast flights in jets and I've spent a lot of time playing with the radar. Archie Trammel was right when he talks about being able to ground map the interstate highways and cities in the mid-west. It doesn't work very well in the west - too many mountains. It doesn't work very well, on the east coast - too much stuff on the ground. But it's actually pretty easy to pick out the larger highways and interstates with the weather radar once you get east of Denver. Oh well, you can tell I'm bored.

'Sled

 

[Tinstaafl]

It's just choosing to use a convenient line feature that happens to be oriented in a desirable direction. You'd be foolish not to take advantage if such a line feature offered itself. Still have to be able to navigate without depending on such things:

1. as a check that your choice of line feature is reasonable &/or correct
2. when there is no line feature that you can use.

 

[Vector4fun]

Believe it or not, there's some places out West where you can still navigate via the old Stagecoach and wagon trails, if you know where they are. The Butterfield stage road runs right past the fire station at ELP.

 

[nosehair]

Actually, it is a required form of navigation training. It's called "pilotage" - navigation by known geographical landmarks. A technique that has sorta dropped by the wayside with all the heavy emphasis on "radio navigation".

 

[Tinstaafl]

There's more to visual navigation techniques than just following a line feature. That's just one useful method, along with plotting & DR, deliberate track errors, position lines, home to a known point (this one is 'pilotage' to me)**, drift & off track corrections and time/speed/estimates etc.

**I know 'pilotage' as the technique whereby you locate a feature, track to it - usually by homing - then identify another feature and fly to it etc. and by this method make progress towards the eventual destination.