Who remembers flying the Radio Range as a Commercial pilot?

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David MacRay
Posts: 1259
Joined: Wed Jun 03, 2015 3:00 pm

[quote]
That is because we are so fuckin old. :)
[/quote]

I have heard it beats the alternative.  :P


Colonel
Posts: 3450
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2015 10:31 am

[quote]the only Old Farts who have experienced the joy of aural range flying[/quote]

My father and his cronies all flew AN, back
in the late 1940's and early 1950's in Harvards
and such. 

However, they quickly moved onto the ADF
in other airplanes as they went on squadron. 
That was actually the only nav radio in the
T-33, which my father flew all over Europe
and Canada, sort of like a pickup truck, except
that a pickup truck had more comfortable seats.

An ADF and a GCA was all you needed, I guess.

These days, knowledge of AN, like a 5 digit
licence number, is probable cause to have
your medical revoked!
Liquid Charlie
Posts: 524
Joined: Sun Aug 23, 2015 1:34 pm

[quote][font=verdana][size=2]when I got my instrument rating we had to be able to send and read morse code[/size][/font][/quote]

I can remember being more worried about the morse check than anything but I got Oshawa beacon to identify -- lmfaoooooo - up until a few years ago (when we stopped using them, not sure of what goes on today and likely the worst approach plates ever made but air canada knows best) air canada 580 manuals had no morse code on the maps and expected their pilots to know code. Old philosophies - fast forward to today and automation has even removed all memory items from the QRH on NG aircraft
Four Bars
Posts: 87
Joined: Sat Jun 13, 2015 6:48 am

You're right: Air Canada required all pilot candidates on their initial course to be able to receive Morse code at( IIRC) five words per minute although it seemed much higher than that.
Some guys were still struggling with it right down to the wire. It is an acquired ability, unlike learning almost anything else that I can think of.
Tell my students that it's "pilot music" and they just roll their eyes at the old-guy humour
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