Page 19 - April 2015 Volume19 Number 4

time, heading and speed. Should the MFD fail, a back-up chart or tablet won’t have all the MFD’s features; our mental picture should be able to fix our last known position and project the flight’s progress to its present location.Night, IMC or unfamiliar locations are all operational challenges requiring extra caution. Having previously made an entry to an airport helps to orient us, although one must not be lackadaisical from having had a fleeting familiarity. Facilities do change, and new obstructions can pop up. Following charted procedures is particularly important when visibility is obscured, but that doesn’t mean you can’t keep track of your progress, anticipating where the next magenta path will appear and what the leader line on the flight path icon is forecasting. Do not abandon your responsibility as pilot-flying--keep track of where you are and where you’re going.The sad result of loss-of-positional- awareness is an aircraft literally flying itself, and if intervening terrain or obstructions loom up quickly, impact may be unavoidable. Distractions, like passenger requests or ATC re-routes, must not replace monitoring the flight’s progress. And it will progress; airplanes need forward momentum to maintain controlled flight. That means you’re not where you were minute-before- last; you’re now over here.GPS or multi-sensor navigation systems are great at marking a present fix. They are not so helpful with relating that fix to hazards and routes, especially when a flight plan has yet to be loaded. The pilot’s duty is to know roughly where he or she is, and to use the GPS in a forward- looking manner, free of surprises.Where Are You Now?In our wonderful world of moving maps and databases, we have the ability to see our location on a screen, in terms of waypoints andMicro Aerodynamics Inc. Third Page4/C AdYingling Aviation Third Page4/C AdAPRIL 2015TWIN & TURBINE • 17