Flight Log: {007}

In this blog, I’m looking at navigation; the movement of an aircraft, including its occupants and/or cargo, from one place to another. Navigating is one of the three major skills developed by a pilot in training. The skill and training of being constantly aware of your position in the sky, while flying is one of the most daunting yet gratifying endeavours, I have ever embarked upon. There was just something about being able to pack my bags in the morning, fill up my helicopter’s tanks (and maybe a ‘jerry can’, depending on far I was intending on exploring my surroundings), and head off into the abyss. Exploring new areas and new airports, as well as being able to land or hover in areas normally completely inaccessible to people, was an absolute pleasure to accomplish. I loved it! One of my favourite parts of flying. When I completed my Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL), I used the majority of my hour building (more on this later), exploring and navigating as much and as far as I could. I certainly made use of the gift I had been given, to stretch my wings, and fly! Navigation is not all a bed of roses, however. There is an enormous amount of preparation and intricate planning that needs to take place on the ground first. We have a saying, ‘Failing to plan, results in you planning to fail’ – author unknown. This is where your skills in Geography and map work, from school, can be put to good use and developed even further. Normally, when you ask pilots or aviation companies which subjects are best to take at school if you intend on following a career in aviation, will say to you Mathematics and Physical Science are the most important. This is very true, and without these skills and knowledge, you will certainly have difficulty in completing your pilot’s licence. However, I always advise enthusiasts and students to include Geography in this package, as the skills learned in both map work and learning about the earth itself (including all its complicated systems), have certainly assisted me in my flying pursuits. I am going to cover this in a future blog, where I recommend the subject of Computer Science or Computer Studies, and the reasons for this, as another vital skill and knowledge set. The first time you go ‘solo navigating’, as a student, you will probably never forget! I can only remember nerves when heading out from the airport on my own, just my map and me. For me, this is what I refer to as the ‘second solo experience’, as navigating on your own, is a whole new skill in addition to flying the machine itself. You now have the responsibility of both bringing the machine back to base in one piece, and actually making it back to base without getting hopelessly lost along the way. I want to end off this entry, by explaining or attempting to explain, how it felt when successfully completing one of my navigations. I struggle to put into words, the feeling of complete satisfaction you get, when bringing your machine into the hover back at base, after successfully completing one of my navigation journeys. Each time you land back at base, you are met with such a feeling of achievement and personal growth, it’s incredible. This was certainly one of the most fulfilling and satisfying parts of my flying and flight training as a student. Pure bliss! The aircraft displayed are ZS-PAE (Pappa-Alpha-Echo) and ZS-RUL (Romeo-Uniform-Lima).