This way to the North...?

[Fozzer]

In England, our country is positioned so that the top, (Scotland, Whity's and Crazy Craig's part), is pointing North, and the botton, (Cornwall, Woodlouse's part), is pointing South, and West and East are directly either-side, (Me and Fag-end), which is cool... ...!
So when flying/driving by compass we just fly/drive in those directions to reach our destination, easy-peasy...
...BUT...!
California where I fly, on my real paper map of California, or my real globe, the State appears to be vertical, (or near enuf').
So I think to myself, (as I do), if I want to fly from Los Angeles to San Francisco, which is "vertically up", (or near enuf'), all I have to do is to follow my compass Northwards...
...WRONG...!
I actually have to fly a course North-West.
The West coast compass bearing is actually South-West and the Nevada Desert, East-wards, is actually North-East....!
..and from 'Frisco to L.A. I have to fly South-East.
It's all very confusing flying by compass while reading a flat paper map...!

Does any one else have this confusion when relating their countries up-down-left-right lay-out in relation to the

[ozzy72]

Fozzer you have to remember a map is a flat piece of paper and the world is a globe. The best way to get a perspective is to look at a small globe, and you'll suddenly see things clearly.
Oh and don't forget to clean your glasses mate

Ozzy

PS. I find after the 17th crate of Chateau Neuf de Pap my nav goes to rat droppings!!! I'm sure you are familiar with this problem.... But my flying is mightily impressive, if somewhat lacking in commonsense/sanity, but you knew that

[Fozzer]

...Fozzer you have to remember a map is a flat piece of paper and the world is a globe.....

Ozzy

Nah....!
I don't believe that... ...!
I don't venture too far off the Pacific coast of California in case I drop off the edge.... ...!

Cheers...
Paul.
(England).

..even Queen Elizabeth 1st. thought that Sir Walter Raleigh's fag was full of rat droppings....
It wasn't, of course.
Just ask Will, (Smoke-2-much).... ...!
LOL...!

[WebbPA]

Everyone knows that Key West is the southernmost point in the continental US - right?

And "South Florida" means Miami - right?

So which way do you go to get from Key West to Miami - East.  Actually, about 72-75 degrees.

[Rifleman]

Hey Foz ....next time you fly Calif, try traveling north to Vancouver Island and see if you can drop a message to our house...we are within walking distance of Courtenay Airpark.........you may find nice scenery if you travel towards the Pacific Coast by crossing the Comox Glacier......

[Mr. Bones]

and what about the earth magnetic field which influences the compass...

[Redwing]

You also have to consider magnetic variation and compass deviation! On the west coast, there's something like a 13 degree easterly error (from true north). Plus you have errors in compass readings due to magnetic interference from the aircraft itself!

[Fozzer]

,,,,and what about the earth magnetic field which influences the compass...

The only thing which affects my compass is my sandwich tin sitting on top of my instrument panel, but I always remember to take that into account... ...!
LOL...LOL...LOL...!

Cheers...
Paul....munching a cheese sandwich*... ...!
(England),

*which also changes my planes centre of gravity from my sandwich tin to my tummy.... ....!

[Fozzer]

Hey Foz ....next time you fly Calif, try traveling north to Vancouver Island and see if you can drop a message to our house...we are within walking distance of Courtenay Airpark.........you may find nice scenery if you travel towards the Pacific Coast by crossing the Comox Glacier......

Blimey Ken...
That's going to take weeks, (months), to fly from 'Frisco to Vancouver in my T-Bird II Microlight.... ...!
(Just got my trusty Readers Digest Great World Atlas out)... ...!
Vancouver = 125* Long, 50* Lat. in Canada, very close to the North Pole, therefore quite, (very), cold. (I'm not happy with "cold", it causes my Bing carburettors to freeze*).... ...!

Cheers Mate... ...!
Paul.
(England).

...*not to mention "other" parts... ...!

[SilverFox441]

That's not map confusion.

Map confusion is for all those people that want to drive from the US to Canada and get told they have to leave Detroit, Michigan, USA heading south to reach Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Or those poor fools living in one part of Panama that have the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Atlantic to the west.

True map confusion requires at least a 90 deg variance from what you know to be true.

[Cloud Maker]

 What say someone design a grid of longitude and latitude lines to past onto flight sim scenery so Fozzer doesn't end up as bear droppings after he runs out of petrol and crashes in the high Sierras...........LOL
 Only kidding.
  Cheers

[ozzy72]

Not a bad idea Cloud Maker. Every little helps.
Fozzer I think your best bet is to do what I do and get down low and read the street signs and then grab the local equivilant of the A to Z!
Of course I'm rather a lot of sandwiches short of a picnic

Ozzy

[Mr. Bones]

You also have to consider magnetic variation and compass deviation! On the west coast, there's something like a 13 degree easterly error (from true north). Plus you have errors in compass readings due to magnetic interference from the aircraft itself!

that's what i meant, the magnetic variation and compass deviation.

[Redwing]

that's what i meant, the magnetic variation and compass deviation.

Of course.......you knew that!

Then there's another problem.....the heading drift of the Directional Gyro (or Heading Indicator) due to precession, a characteristic of gyroscopic intruments!
Pilots should check and reset the DG to the magnetic compass every 15 minutes or so for accuracy (.....I think this can be turned on/off in FS2k2).

[SilverFox441]

Reset the gyro every 15 minutes!

Is this a real civilian requirement? When I was working the labs in CFB North Bay we were required to certify that the gyro didn't vary by more than 1 deg in a one hour period. I'd hat to think how much drag there would have to be on the bearing to get that much precession in so little time.

Also trying to align the gyro to the the standby compass was strictly forbidden except as a last resort. Even with a deviation card in the plane you would have to turn to one of the indicated cardinals or semi cardinals to acheive a known deviation (calibrated error) before attempting this. Even then your primary heading indication is now less accurate than your standby.