Customer Reviews

Global Navigation for Pilots: International Flight Techniques and Procedures (ASA Training Manuals)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very well-written, clear, and (so far as I know) comprehensive explanation of what it is intended to describe. The problem is that it seems to be many years out of date. The copyright is last given as 1998, but the content includes anachronisms from even earlier, the most glaring of which is that all the world maps are marked with the USSR. This leads me to doubt a lot of other information in the book, such as "current" trends in European air traffic control and the global reach of LORAN-C. Still, I doubt that the basic systems described have changed that much in the intervening years. It does have INS and GPS.

Navigational concepts are presented at a high level and in a thorough manner. Although a good grounding in navigational principles is helpful to get the most out of it, even a novice will be curious to learn more. As a former ship's navigator and aircraft pilot of 35 years, I learned more from this book than any before. The authors' explanation of the principles of long range navigation and their description of how GPS works are the best I ever read. It is so clearly written that anyone can get something out of it, with or without a technical background. I have used this book to teach navigation to university students and to Civil Air Patrol cadets.

I was disappointed with this book and found its contents to be good with the basics but lacking for its intended purpose of enlightening its readers about "global navigation".

The book dedicated quite a bit of time into the technology and a lengthy discussion of rudimentary skills of dead reckoning and pilotage that every aviator should know by heart. However, a person who seeks to have knowledge of "global navigation" has already reached a level of competence on these particular topics.

So many of my questions were not answered which includes the determination of point of no return or perhaps point of equal time. The importance of these subjects cannot be disregarded. Also, the book hardly dealt with general weather patterns along the North Atlantic route nor did it make mention of navigation around the dangerous mountain ranges of Europe, Asia, and South America. It dedicated a good bit of effort to talk about the organized tracks when crossing the Atlantic but these are routes that are mostly used by airliners. We, the readers, are not transcontinental airline pilots but rather general aviation or perhaps corporate pilots who fly smaller airplanes that need more guidance on "other" preferred routes not just for crossing the Atlantic or Pacific but throughout Europe, Asia, or South America. It gives a good dissertation on filling out an international flight plan form which is fine but it does me no good if I do not know how to best travel from one continent to another. This book, unfortunately, is not able to see much further than domestic flying.

This book is a very comprehensive picture of what every pilot should know
about navigation. A clear, easy language and thorough explanations of basics and navigation rules makes it easy for everyone, even like me who just begins the flying adventure.

Very Satisfied, Fast, Condition of Book was Good - I would use this seller again.

This book packs a LOT of good information into its rather small size, and seems like every time I pick it up I learn something that I didn't know before. Very thorough and in-depth coverage of the subject - though (as another reviewer pointed out) some of it may be somewhat dated by now (LORAN-C, references to USSR, etc.), but it's still a good foundation for global air navigation.

Be aware of at least a couple of typos in the book (there may be more, these are just the ones that I've found so far) for which I had to deduct one star from the rating:

1) On page 124, under "Description of North Atlantic Airspace" - first paragraph line #5: The term "350 north latitude" makes no sense, should probably be "35° north latitude" (?).

2) On page 292, Figure 15-5: The labels for Observer #1 are incorrect, "30° WEST LONGITUDE" should be "60° EAST LONGITUDE" (as the text on page 291 states correctly).