Pilot's tip of the week

Cruise Crosswind Correction

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Subscriber question:

"I’m a student pilot and training in a glass-panel airplane. I feel like there’s got to be an easy way to get my crosswind correction when flying along without drifting off course first. What’s the secret?" — Wilber C.

Martin:

“Indeed – there’s a small but particularly useful indicator within the HSI of probably every modern electronic flight instrumentation system. It’s the ground track marker, typically depicted by a small magenta diamond at the top of the HSI compass rose.

The idea is simple. When we are tracking a course with the lateral deviation bar centered, to stay on course we have to fly an actual ground track that matches the desired ground track. Instead of estimating which heading will provide the right amount of wind correction, we can turn such that the ground track marker sits on top of the HSI course pointer. As long as the actual ground track matches the desired track (represented by the course pointer), the needle will stay centered.

If a lateral deviation exists, simply turn such that the ground track marker is on the same side of the course pointer as the deviation bar. That will make the deviation bar move towards the center, and once it is centered—well, you guessed it, turn back such that the ground track marker again rests on top of the course pointer. This removes all the guesswork from determining the perfect crab angle into the wind.

One practical note: Pilots learning to track a course like this for the first time sometimes struggle with the fact that in a turn, the ground track pointer moves in the opposite direction of the heading bug. We’re used to turning towards the heading bug to maintain a heading; but in the case of ground track, we must turn away from the marker to center it. “

Do you use GPS ground track information as a regular part of your flying?

(NEW) IFR Mastery scenario #173 “Mammoth Winds West of Macon” is now available. A last-minute switch to a slower airplane is unfortunate, but flight planning shows strong tailwinds will almost make up the difference. The time and range should still work—until you level off in cruise and see an ETA an hour further out than you anticipated. Surely that can’t be right. But what is right? Watch the Intro video.

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