Page 26 - Feb22T

From the Flight Deck
Ancestor Worship
Pilot Math: WAG’s and TLAR
by Kevin R. Dingman
an·ces·tor - wor·ship Noun phrase Colloquial slang used to describe the reason
for continued use of, or belief in, irrational, unnecessary or inefficient procedures, policies, practices
or devices.
Afellow client attending my recent CE-650 (Citation III, VI & VII) initial course arrived without having completed the ATP written – COVID cancellations being one of several valid reasons for the postponements. The rest of the class was more than willing to offer advice and assistance for the upcoming exam, scheduled between our ground school test and his first simulator session – no pressure. We all found ourselves shaking our heads, however, over the requirement that he bring an E6-B to the ATP testing facility – you know, the flight planning “Whiz-Wheel” thingy for making those pilot-y,
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time-distance TAS/GS and wind- triangle calculations.
When was the last time you saw, let alone used, an E6-B? Probably around the time you whipped out your slide rule at Home Depot or used a typewriter to compose and mail a letter via USPS. The E6-B is fun to play with (like Silly Putty and Etch A Sketch), but inflight use would be sort of student-like and distracting. While ancestor worship may be used as derogatory slang for continued use of outdated reasoning, some old-school pilot-math is nice to keep in our hip pocket – ancestrally derived or not.
Drats: That awkward moment when you finish a math problem and your answer isn’t even close to one of the choices.
Except for geometry and the calculations used in chemistry, college mathematics scared the derivatives out of me. When I talk to prospective youngling pilots, I’m often asked, “How much math is there?” or “What kind of math do pilots use?” While some are curious about health requirements and the plethora of government rules and regulations, many worry that we