labbadabba
Pattern Altitude
This is a bit of a riff on the paper maps vs. iPads but now with flight planning.
Lately when flight planning, I'll find a route on SkyVector, do some weather planning, head over to FltPlan.com and put in a flight plan.
I get suggested altitudes, common routing, W/X en route, winds aloft and nice tidy NavLog. GREAT!!!
One thing I do notice however. In my student days, I would do the navlog by hand. Every distance and time would be calculated and every waypoint/navaid fully scrutinized. Every number and letter I scratched onto my navlog was then etched somewhere in my memory and my awareness seemed to be better when en route.
I'll admit, modern flight planning tools have probably made me lazy and thus I'm a pilot who is not as prepared as I could be.
So how do I get the best of both worlds? How do I get the optimized and time-saving flight plan while also being so familiar with every nook and cranny of the flight plan without writing out a whole navlog by hand?
Anyone else feel this way?
Lately when flight planning, I'll find a route on SkyVector, do some weather planning, head over to FltPlan.com and put in a flight plan.
I get suggested altitudes, common routing, W/X en route, winds aloft and nice tidy NavLog. GREAT!!!
One thing I do notice however. In my student days, I would do the navlog by hand. Every distance and time would be calculated and every waypoint/navaid fully scrutinized. Every number and letter I scratched onto my navlog was then etched somewhere in my memory and my awareness seemed to be better when en route.
I'll admit, modern flight planning tools have probably made me lazy and thus I'm a pilot who is not as prepared as I could be.
So how do I get the best of both worlds? How do I get the optimized and time-saving flight plan while also being so familiar with every nook and cranny of the flight plan without writing out a whole navlog by hand?
Anyone else feel this way?