brainhurts
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jan 21, 2006
- Posts
- 826
I remember navs doing Airborne Radar Directed Approaches (ARDA'S) where he used the radar in map mode and fooled with the sector scan to "burn out" the airfield. It was set up like a non precision approach. The nav would get real serious and put a tapered "hood" (kind of looked like a black soccer cone, only with 2 eyeholes on the radar scope and give headings and descents based on this approach that was contrived under very stringent terrain rules, and the pilots would comply. It was a lot of pressure because the nav could come off looking really bad if he was "burning out" the local K Mart parking lot. The idea was for the nav not to "peek" and it was considered very bad form. Some navs could really do it but it seemed most of them faked it and the pilots would many times have to break off the training for safety reasons. I remember our squadron commander had decided to fly with a crew one time and since he did not get a chance to fly very often, he decided to hand fly an ARDA. The squadron commander was so busy with his cross check and flying a smooth airplane, he was actually breaking out in a sweat. The navs headings and descents were perfect! As he flew, the squadron commander would look at the copilot and shake his head knowingly about how sh1t hot this nav was doing. When they got to the "MDA" the squadron commander says "hey nav, take alook at this! nice approach" it was then that the squadron commander finally had a chance to look back at the nav, who had left his sideways chair was sitting in the jump seat with his hood to his eyes looking straight out the front windscreen! Priceless.
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