figuring zulu time

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SupraPilot

Pre-takeoff checklist
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whats up...for some reason i am very bad at figuring Zulu time..can someone give me an easy way to rememeber

thanx
Ant
 
Yes... Buy a Casio world time watch for $60.00, and you'll always know.

Other than that, you just need to know your time zones and be able to do the addition/subtraction.
 
just tell the briefer the local time and let them convert it
 
SupraPilot said:
whats up...for some reason i am very bad at figuring Zulu time..can someone give me an easy way to rememeber

thanx
Ant
Click to expand...


I have a navigator watch that has a twelve-hour bezel on it, so I can turn it to reflect zulu time wherever I'm at.
 
I write +5 or +6 in big letters on a sticky note and keep it on my desk at work.

Len
 
I Love my Zulu time watch makes it sooooo much easier. Absent one just add and subtract on a 24 hour clock.
 
Is this in preparation for some test, or for converting between local times on a flight plan?

If the former, you'll need to remember the conversion for your time zone, them simply add/subtract the correct number of hours for any other time zones just like you would do without the GMT conversion.

If the latter, just get a cheap watch and set it to GMT.

when doing the conversio to see if a tower is going to be open, you can sometimes see from your conversion if the time makes sense. Most towers don't close at 1AM- it's usually closer to 8 or 9 PM local time.
 
SupraPilot said:
whats up...for some reason i am very bad at figuring Zulu time..can someone give me an easy way to rememeber

thanx
Ant
Click to expand...
Start by thinking in terms of the 24 hour clock. EX: 9 AM is 0900; 9 PM is 2100. Then, add or subtract the time zone. For flight involving more than one time zone it's easier if you start with Zulu (GMT).
 
I simply convert to 24 hour and add 5 (during the summer).

6 am CDT
06:00 + 5:00 (it's AM, so just add 5 hours)
------------
11:00Z


6 pm CDT
06:00 + 12:00 (it's PM, so you have to add 12 hours)
18:00 + 5:00 (6+12 is 18, now add the 5 hours for GMT conversion)
------------
23:00Z


You can also just go to http://www.time.gov. You can then click on UTC to get the current Zulu time, or click on your timezone to get the difference from Zulu.
 
Set your watch to Zulu time. Let the rest of the world adjust.....:cheerswine:
 
Cap'n Jack said:
Is this in preparation for some test, or for converting between local times on a flight plan?

If the former, you'll need to remember the conversion for your time zone, them simply add/subtract the correct number of hours for any other time zones just like you would do without the GMT conversion.

If the latter, just get a cheap watch and set it to GMT.

when doing the conversio to see if a tower is going to be open, you can sometimes see from your conversion if the time makes sense. Most towers don't close at 1AM- it's usually closer to 8 or 9 PM local time.
Click to expand...

nah just for flight plan purposes... also its embarassing when talking to a briefer and i THINK i have the correct zulu time and i get "What time did you say you were leaving???" i hate to slow things down because i cant get it through my head

Ant
 
I make sure my cheap digital watch has two time zones. Switch to UTC for flying and you don't have to worry what time zone you're in. Right now it is a Timex Expedition.
 
For some reason I think in terms of -5 (CDT) and -6 (CST). I'm always looking at weather data in UTC and converting that to "my" time. I still have a discussion with myself everytime I have to go the other way when filing, even with a 2 time zone watch.
 
As part of my directional dyslexia...I imagine the Sun going from England to the U.S. It gets there first so they're behind us.

Someday I have to find out why Henning in Oz sees tomorrow morning before we do. I think it's because he's on the opposite side of the date line.
 
I finally get it down...and then they change the %#@ clocks again...like next weekend!
(I have it written on my planning form...which works great til I cross a time zone!)
When out of central, I usually say to FSS: "departure time...hmmm...about an hour from now"!
 
SupraPilot said:
nah just for flight plan purposes... also its embarassing when talking to a briefer and i THINK i have the correct zulu time and i get "What time did you say you were leaving???" i hate to slow things down because i cant get it through my head

Ant
Click to expand...

I just do 90% of my planning before calling the briefer and do the GMT conversions before calling. I do long flights infrequently enough that they are all a big deal and I plan them out days before & go over the plans over again.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
...
When out of central, I usually say to FSS: "departure time...hmmm...about an hour from now"!
Click to expand...

Ah, the pragmatist!
 
yea i never convert when filing or getting a briefing. but when reading metars, tafs, and the like, i just remember what time 0 Z is. 6 pm in the winter, 7 pm in the summer. then ill know 6, 12, and 18Z and can figure out the ones in between. if im confused i call the AWOS and look at my clock and figure it out.
 
Capt Kirk said:
I write +5 or +6 in big letters on a sticky note and keep it on my desk at work.

Len
Click to expand...

Bah.. I've been using +7 and +8 this whole time... No wonder its so difficult! :)
 
mikea said:
As part of my directional dyslexia...I imagine the Sun going from England to the U.S. It gets there first so they're behind us.
Click to expand...

"Behind" is kind of like right or left. It depends on which way you are looking. Maybe "later" works better. It is always going to be several hours later in England that it is here. If its mid-afternoon here and you come up with a zulu time that is mid-morning, you've got it backwards. If its mid-afternoon here, zulu time should be early evening. Exactly how much later it is in England than here depends on which time zone you are in and whether or not daylight time or standard time is in effect. The numeric correction value for your time zone and time of year, you are just going to have to memorize.
 
On my last job, I had to report my 4 sets of flight numbers for each flight to DHL in Z time, to my company in Central time & I was in the eastern time zone..... Man, That hurt!!!
 
ejensen said:
I make sure my cheap digital watch has two time zones. Switch to UTC for flying and you don't have to worry what time zone you're in. Right now it is a Timex Expedition.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Eric! I've been wearing an Expedition for years, and never realized it had a second time zone. Now I don't have to add anymore!

Dan
 
Move to Greenwich, UK. Its always ZULU time.
 
Anthony said:
Move to Greenwich, UK. Its always ZULU time.
Click to expand...

As Chris pointed out, London and Greenwich both observe DST. Only they change time on a different schedule than the US.
 
You guys think you have it bad? Try living on the far side of the world. Right now it's 1055 local on the 26th, but zulu time is 2155 on the 25th. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out if I'm looking at a current forcast, or yesterdays, or when is this thing valid, anyhow?

Chris
 
cwyckham said:
You guys think you have it bad? Try living on the far side of the world. Right now it's 1055 local on the 26th, but zulu time is 2155 on the 25th. I spend a lot of time trying to figure out if I'm looking at a current forcast, or yesterdays, or when is this thing valid, anyhow?

Chris
Click to expand...
The conversion works both ways you know. For you, convert Z to L.
 
Richard said:
The conversion works both ways you know. For you, convert Z to L.
Click to expand...

Yes, I do know that. My point is that I have to change days as well as hours. I just have two time zones on my watch for when it gets too darn hard.
 
cwyckham said:
Yes, I do know that. My point is that I have to change days as well as hours. I just have two time zones on my watch for when it gets too darn hard.
Click to expand...
I know you know that. I suspect you know that I know that...aw, forget it. My point is how does that make it any harder?
 
Richard said:
I know you know that. I suspect you know that I know that...aw, forget it. My point is how does that make it any harder?
Click to expand...

I guess I'm just not smart enough to know when a chart that says it's good for 260000 is good for in my local time and date without scratching my head over it each time. I never really had that problem when I was just converting hours in the U.S. and I could just say, "The sun comes up earlier in England, therefore..."

Tossing in the international date line just screws me right up.

Chris
 
wsuffa said:
As Chris pointed out, London and Greenwich both observe DST. Only they change time on a different schedule than the US.
Click to expand...

Move an hour time zone away every time its DST.
 
Chris:

I'm in Maine(USA - East Coast), and down the street from me is a fellow who has dual-citizenship. From April to early January I see John, regularly. But from early January to late March John and his significant other brighten the landscape of .........................New Zealand.

HR
 
Lawreston said:
Chris:

I'm in Maine(USA - East Coast), and down the street from me is a fellow who has dual-citizenship. From April to early January I see John, regularly. But from early January to late March John and his significant other brighten the landscape of .........................New Zealand.

HR
Click to expand...

They have the right idea. The beauty of the jet age is that if you have enough cash you can always be living somewhere where it's summer. Of course, I got it backwards when I moved here and had a "year of two winters."

Chris
 
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