Flying In The Arctic

[Iceman72]

One other item to add a bad situation are SOLAR STORMS over the next couple of years they are to be some of the worst in over 50 years, if your not aware of them look it up GPS, cell and SAT phones are all affected. to the point where they are not worth a crap.

[Blackmac]

One other item to add a bad situation are SOLAR STORMS over the next couple of years they are to be some of the worst in over 50 years, if your not aware of them look it up GPS, cell and SAT phones are all affected. to the point where they are not worth a crap.

 

If all these (GPS, cell and SAT phones are all affected.) , so will the SAR SAT.

 

So, guess what, back to map reading, if you know how to.

 

If I'm not mistaken PDM comes into effect and for your added info I was flying in the Arctic in 1956, so I do have some idea of the area, from Tuk to Res.

 

With a "SAT" phone, assuming no solar storms ("doomsday scenario"), you will be able to contact your company and advise them of the situation. If it was a catastrophic situation, they can still home in on the GPS on the phone. Most smart companies these days also also include flight following so they have some idea of where you are, or were.

 

In my personal opinion if you don't have that type of equipment on board in this day and age you working for the wrong company.

 

Don

 

 

 

[Iceman72]

I agree you need everything you can possibly have to get home safe, and never get complacent not knowing how to read a map.

[sharkbait]

Having a set of bearing tables and knowing where you are ( Map ) vs where you are going ( GPS ) can be usefull.

Also a very wise man told me : Time, speed, distance works! - He flew Lancasters in WW2 and had 20000 + hrs, most of it bush, when I worked with him in 1974.

Most folks today regard a flight log as a diary not a work sheet.

When I worked in Somalia and Kuwait it amazed me how many people could no longer read a map to the point that if the GPS was not working they did not want to go.

[deuce bigalow]

Having a set of bearing tables and knowing where you are ( Map ) vs where you are going ( GPS ) can be usefull.

Also a very wise man told me : Time, speed, distance works! - He flew Lancasters in WW2 and had 20000 + hrs, most of it bush, when I worked with him in 1974.

Most folks today regard a flight log as a diary not a work sheet.

When I worked in Somalia and Kuwait it amazed me how many people could no longer read a map to the point that if the GPS was not working they did not want to go.

 

 

wouldn't have made much difference in Kuwait. Couldn't see bugger all for sand and dust most days. also in a flat sandy dessert map looks like a tan place mat.

 

But the officers club usually made up for it.

[SRobertson]

Having a set of bearing tables and knowing where you are ( Map ) vs where you are going ( GPS ) can be usefull.

Also a very wise man told me : Time, speed, distance works! - He flew Lancasters in WW2 and had 20000 + hrs, most of it bush, when I worked with him in 1974.

 

So how did they do this under night IFC? The DG slowly slaves off. I would be pretty uncomfortable using heading and time as the obscuring Ice Crystals and BR very quickly obscure the lights of stations and towns.

[old dog]

So how did they do this under night IFC? The DG slowly slaves off. I would be pretty uncomfortable using heading and time as the obscuring Ice Crystals and BR very quickly obscure the lights of stations and towns.

 

We did it for many years with 212's and 61's, .... before GPS, .... with a slingload, .... a long way from any place with town lights.

[DrDukeSolomon]

We did it for many years with 212's and 61's, .... before GPS, .... with a slingload, .... a long way from any place with town lights.

At night? WOW, I just cr@pped my pants!

[sikorskyman]

Yes remember those days on Lougheed Island and Graham island, in November and December , with a Shirley Bell 212 , sling loads to the drilling sites.

 

Pilot left side would take off visual using the bubble door window and then pass over controls to the Pilot on the right who would fly the leg on instruments until they reached the sling load drop off point. Then when the left side pilot had visual would take the controls again.

 

Worked very well and was very dark, I remember we would only see a glow in the south for about 30 minutes each day (??) Night.

 

Not to mention the eskimos who patrolled around our 212 and the Ok´s S61 making sure the polar bears did not sneak up on us engineers while working on the aircraft.

 

Flew 300 hours in 5 weeks, One captain, one co-pilot, one engineer and a apprentice. So much for duty days and flight hour restrictions back in the early 80´s.

 

Was quite a experience.

[SuddenStop]

slight thread drift:

 

We call them Inuit in Canada.

 

carry on