GPS criticizes my pattern work

zaitcev

zaitcev

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Pete Zaitcev
Here's my recent flight overlaid on Google Maps. BTW, the accidentially narrow right pattern resulted in a go-around as I got too high. The tower didn't give me another right pattern afterward, maybe I should have requested it. The point here is though, without GPS or instructor onboard I did not realize that my right pattern was defective and that it probably was what caused me getting high, so GPS can be useful in this regard.
 

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It's only defective if you can't land out of it.. what.. you did say you went around..

Most people that do not do them often, have problems with right hand traffic patterns. They are not used to looking cross cockpit to space the downwind and turns. Grab a CFI and go do some odd patterns.

Want to have fun? Fly a rt pattern in a twin, where the engine nacelle covers the runway.
 
zaitcev said:
Here's my recent flight overlaid on Google Maps. BTW, the accidentially narrow right pattern resulted in a go-around as I got too high. The tower didn't give me another right pattern afterward, maybe I should have requested it. The point here is though, without GPS or instructor onboard I did not realize that my right pattern was defective and that it probably was what caused me getting high, so GPS can be useful in this regard.
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I use my handheld for instrument lessons for exactly the same reason. The feedback value is enormous.
 
This is a fun idea! I kinda want to try it now.
This is what I love about flying in the sim, when I'm done I can see my DME Arc, or my approach or my missed, or whatever the situation is.

Next up: Getting a handheld GPS that can record something like this and has color, and airport database at least as good as the KLN 94 (I know everybody hates it, but I love that GPS)
 
Cool! I like downloading tracks when I'm out 'doing' something.

Here's the track from my IR checkride a few years ago:

attachment.php


I used to remember what order the tracks were in, but they're a little fuzzy now. I know we went missed on one approach and went out to the VOR to the east and did a hold, then did the inbound VOR approach with a circle-to-land from there.
 
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Nice! I can see your hold pattern there. hahaha good tracks. how did you download them?
 
elmetal said:
Nice! I can see your hold pattern there. hahaha good tracks. how did you download them?
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My tracks came from a Garmin 396. There is a USB port in the back that will let you plug right in to a laptop/desktop.

I don't remember the exact user interface, but IIRC, it seemed fairly easy to do. Actually, I haven't done it in a few years. I should try to d/l some of the recent tracks again.
 
Seems like it's rare I do left hand patterns. I'm normally coming in on a right hand pattern 90% of the time to my home field, and most of the places I fly to tend to have right hand patterns for some odd reason.

Come to think of it, most of the pattern work I did for my PPL and my first solo was right hand patterns as well.
 
I learned a lot using a GPS tracker for my patterns, too. Have you tried viewing it in Google Earth, with altitude? That's really fun, here's an example from my first solo. GPSVisualizer.com is a good simple website tool for turning GPS tracks in to KML, for Google Earth.

Two caveats.. One, the speed reported by the GPS will be ground speed, not airspeed, so don't freak out if it looks like you're flying 45kt approaches if you were doing so on a windy day. Two, GPS position is not always accurate, particularly altitude, so sometimes the data will be wrong. Still, it's a useful tool.
 
My Blackberry phone has a basic GPS. I have used it for saving tracks when we were off-roading. I use Blackstar Nav on my BB and it allows me to save the tracks as KML or GPX. Then I just email the file to myself, download it on my computer, and import it into Google Earth.

I haven't tried it in the plane yet, but I don't see why it wouldn't work - I'm pretty sure it's actually using GPS - not just cell tower triangulation.
 
I have a cheap, simple to use GPS Data Logger, which you can read about here. Use it for tracking my motorcycle rides, pattern flying, and some of my intrument training.
 

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Rob Schaffer said:
I have a cheap, simple to use GPS Data Logger, which you can read about here. Use it for tracking my motorcycle rides, pattern flying, and some of my intrument training.
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got any ideas of some good gps tracking software for Android?

I want something like you have, but my phone has a GPS, so if I can get some software to do what your gps logger does, it's one less thing I have to carry/buy!
 
I've been doing this for some time- I got almost all my flights logged. It was neat to see the improvements in pattern work, turns around a point, etc.
 
elmetal said:
got any ideas of some good gps tracking software for Android?

I want something like you have, but my phone has a GPS, so if I can get some software to do what your gps logger does, it's one less thing I have to carry/buy!
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My Tracks
 
elmetal said:
got any ideas of some good gps tracking software for Android?

I want something like you have, but my phone has a GPS, so if I can get some software to do what your gps logger does, it's one less thing I have to carry/buy!
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rmaps will track you in the air.
 
thanks guys, I'll look into them, sorry for the hijack!
 
BillTIZ said:
We download the files and compare flights.. there is software that will reply multiple flights at once so you can watch a competition. There is also software that will refly the routed over google earth.
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Do tell of this refly software!
 
elmetal said:
Do tell of this refly software!
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Yes, do tell!

But count me as another person who thinks that reviewing GPS tracks is a good thing for pilots. Student pilots especially can look at things like turns about a point, steep turns, and landing approaches to see what needs to be polished.

I try to track all my flights in case I see something cool or something unusual arises - it's nice to see exactly where I flew.
 
a lot of glider pilots use SeeYou which is designed for glider flight analysis and optimization. There is also a way to play back the gps files in google earth but i don't know how to do it.
 
zaitcev said:
Here's my recent flight overlaid on Google Maps. BTW, the accidentially narrow right pattern resulted in a go-around as I got too high. The tower didn't give me another right pattern afterward, maybe I should have requested it. The point here is though, without GPS or instructor onboard I did not realize that my right pattern was defective and that it probably was what caused me getting high, so GPS can be useful in this regard.
Click to expand...

Ah, so your wind was generally from the west...

Having a way to chart that in-flight would be nice, to allow you to make adjustments and realise you weren't as far out as you thought.
 
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