Pietenpol-List: compasses
Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2001 11:00 pm
Original Posted By: Matt Dralle
Pieters,Have been reading all the E-mail about compasses and wonder if I can putin my two cents worth.At the risk of sounding older than Corky, I got my private in 1949 inAthens GA. I had purchased a 1939 J-3 with a Frankin engine from theFBO there. Since I had been flying unlicensed aircraft in Washingtonstate, the instructor was pretty lenient with me and the cross county Ihad to do was a real no brainer--"follow the highway to" etc. With a new legal ticket, I took off for Seattle. The first part of thetrip I landed more times off airport than on and always had to askwhoever came out to see what was going on "where is the nearestairport?". No matter how well I prepared for the next day's flying,wind triangles, compass courses, tick marks, and time, check points andbrackets, I was always lost. Finally in desperation, I really startedreally using the sectionals and correlating what I saw with what was onthe map. At that point, I really began to enjoy this 10 day trip, newvistas opened up. I tell friends that I "flew west until I got to thePacific Ocean, then turned right and went to Seattle."Larry Neal is right, don't worry too much about compasses, GPS etc,these aids are fine, but for real enjoyment learn pilotage. And this isthe reason we build Pietenpols.Oh yes, the reason that I was lost most of the time was that we foundthe compass had a 23 degree error!John Dilatush, NX114DSalida, CO dilatush(at)amigo.net"Just have to finish the machine to make the prop, then make to prop andgo flying!"+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++________________________________________________________________________________Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 20:57:56 -0800
Pieters,Have been reading all the E-mail about compasses and wonder if I can putin my two cents worth.At the risk of sounding older than Corky, I got my private in 1949 inAthens GA. I had purchased a 1939 J-3 with a Frankin engine from theFBO there. Since I had been flying unlicensed aircraft in Washingtonstate, the instructor was pretty lenient with me and the cross county Ihad to do was a real no brainer--"follow the highway to" etc. With a new legal ticket, I took off for Seattle. The first part of thetrip I landed more times off airport than on and always had to askwhoever came out to see what was going on "where is the nearestairport?". No matter how well I prepared for the next day's flying,wind triangles, compass courses, tick marks, and time, check points andbrackets, I was always lost. Finally in desperation, I really startedreally using the sectionals and correlating what I saw with what was onthe map. At that point, I really began to enjoy this 10 day trip, newvistas opened up. I tell friends that I "flew west until I got to thePacific Ocean, then turned right and went to Seattle."Larry Neal is right, don't worry too much about compasses, GPS etc,these aids are fine, but for real enjoyment learn pilotage. And this isthe reason we build Pietenpols.Oh yes, the reason that I was lost most of the time was that we foundthe compass had a 23 degree error!John Dilatush, NX114DSalida, CO dilatush(at)amigo.net"Just have to finish the machine to make the prop, then make to prop andgo flying!"+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++________________________________________________________________________________Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 20:57:56 -0800