Finding Yourself…on the sectional chart
Being able to find yourself on the sectional chart is a very important skill to have, even if you fly with GPS. Since your DPE will almost inevitably take away your GPS at some point during your checkride, you’ll want to be ready to use paper back up charts (that are current and still VALID!) and quickly locate yourself on the map by pointing your finger and saying “We’re here”.
It should only take you about 5-10 seconds to look out the window and determine your location by referencing the paper charts (and you should be accurate to within about 1nm-2nm). In the video below, we’ll go over some tricks that will help. It is certainly worthwhile to practice this in the airplane with your instructor (especially before your first solo flight).
After watching the video above, go ahead and click this link to open up the quiz article in a new window and test your knowledge!