teaching how to divert

[PILOTO]

hi everyone! question for all you CFI's. how you teach your student to divert? please if you can explain. thanks in advance.

 

[plunger]

Here's what I do. I'll pick an airpot to divert to an then have the student find it on their sectional. I just tell them to turn to a heading in that general direction. It doesn't need to be exact. Then once the turn is complete, i have them use the plotter to get a heading, distance, and ETA from our approximate location. Our aircraft are GPS equipped so once all that is complete, I'll have them back themselves up with that. We'll also dicscuss reasons for diversions. Hope this helps.

 

[midlifeflyer]

I hate mnemonics, but I was on an aviation newsgroup when someone asked for an acronym for diversions. I made this one up as a joke, but it's turned out to be pretty usable.

The 4 F's

Find it - select the place to divert to
Figure it - estimate the direction that you'll need to fly to get there.
Fly it - Get going
Fine tune it - now that you're heading there generally, take the time to make sure that your estimated heading is correct. This may be tuning in a navaid, the "roll the pencil to VOR" method of determining magnetic course, or just locating landmarks that tell you you're on your way.

(The 5th "F" is for =real= emergencies )

In practice, I try to land at an unplanned airport on at least one dual cross county, planning an in-flight "problem" ranging from bad weather to a system failure.

 

[User546]

I like that "4 F" acroynm midlifeflight!

I teach them:

1) Select appropriate diversion airport
2) Turn in general direction
3) Do a quick estimate of ETA and fuel req't (fuel calcs more important when your towards the end of the trip or the diversion airport is quite a distance away)
4) Fine tune the heading using the VOR/straight edge method
5) Contact FSS and let them know your diverting and updated ETA.

 

[bobbysamd]

Diversions

I would tell my students to take me to XYZ airport. Of course, they should always know their position. Once they've found XYZ airport, I would tell them to turn toward it, measure distance, use IAS and calculate an ETA. Make sure they have enough fuel. Last thing would be to update with FSS.

A great trick I learned from my Riddlers was to convert an ordinary pencil into a plotter by cutting NM divisions in it with a pocketknife. Use the pencil to measure distance and hold it, in that position, to a VOR compass rose on the sectional to obtain magnetic heading. IAS will give a close-enough airspeed to use against distance to obtain an ETA. Of course, VFR cruising altitude rules must be observed. If airspeed and heading are held accurately, the ATA will be very close to the ETA - well within PTS standards and almost as close as figuring in winds and TAS.

Use of navaids should be encouraged, but time should be spent doing diversions by pilotage and ded reckoning only - just as one should do for ordinary cross-country training.

Hope that helps some more.

 

[PILOTO]

thank you guys!!!

 

[Flylo]

I hate mnemonics, but I was on an aviation newsgroup when someone asked for an acronym for diversions. I made this one up as a joke, but it's turned out to be pretty usable.

.

Darn, I can't remember what mnemonics means.

.

 

[minitour]

Step 1: Press the Microphone buttom
Step 2: Say, "Approach (center, whoever), Cessna 123 (callsign) request vectors to ___"
Step 3: Go the way they told you.

 

[User546]

Step 1: Press the Microphone buttom
Step 2: Say, "Approach (center, whoever), Cessna 123 (callsign) request vectors to ___"
Step 3: Go the way they told you.

No way Mini, you must remember everything has to be made as difficult as possible for these guys when they're learning to fly.

 

[bobbysamd]

Nrdo

Step 1: Press the Microphone buttom
Step 2: Say, "Approach (center, whoever), Cessna 123 (callsign) request vectors to ___"
Step 3: Go the way they told you.

What if you're in a non-radar environment? What if your radios have failed. What if the FMS has failed? What if the glass goes? They are installing glass in 172s and 182s these days. These things are known to happen, you know.