That is a good description, pics or a diagram would help, but in essence you are plotting the two points in scale with the center of the RMI/HSI representing the VOR/DME and then eyeballing the appropriate course. Think of it as drawing the trig rather than making a precise calculation. An analog solution.

 

The APD gave me a "fix-to-fix and enter holding" on my DC-9 rating ride. Afterward, he said: "OK, I just wanted to see what you'd do."

 

Saak

Used to be UPT check ride item, we all hated, as Adlerdriver said. Used to get clearances with 'em.

GF

 

If you have a military issue E6B, on one side of the sliding scale at the bottom is a bunch of grid squares.

Place the center grommet "o" right at the top of this grid on the perpindicular line.

Rotate so that your present position radial is at the top dead center of the compass rose

Each line down the center of the grid is scaled. I don't have one with me, so I am doing this from memory. One side has 15, 30 and 45, and the other side has something else. If you do the math on the number of lines between the numbers, one side is in increments of 3, and the other side might be 10.

Scale out whatever DME you are and make a mark straight down dead center from the grommet. If you want, label this position one.

Rotate the compass rose until your desired radial is underneath top dead center, and once again make a mark with the DME position you are trying to hit. (use the same scale for both problems i.e. if you used the 3 increments for the postion 1, then make sure to measure in 3s for postion 2)

Rotate the dots until position 1 is directly on top of position 2, you may have to move the grommet down into the grid square to make sure the two dots are on top of the same vertical line.

The heading at the top of the compass rose with the two dots aligned vertically is the no wind heading to go from radial/DME postion 1 to radial/DME position 2

Ironically, this was in the old Navigation For Pilot Training book Air Training Command Phamphlet 51-16, and the pencil method visualize the RMI and make the vertical line method was in Air Navigation Manual 51-40 used at Nav School. The Nav book said it may be more accurately solved using the E6B, which was the method taught at Nav School. Pilot Training taught the pencil visualize method which was in the Nav School Book.

If I could have found a whiz wheel, I would have scanned it in with each step, because it really is simple once you see it. I show it to the students today, just to prove how much of a dinosaur I am getting to be, and so they can practice fix to fixes with each other, and one person can be the arbiter of accuracy by judging off the whiz wheel, if they can find one.

 

Not too many civvies have the military E6B, but my ASA unit has a headwind-crosswind determination table on it with a square grid located just below the regular wind side markings, suitable for this problem. Works well and gives accurate course corrections.

I also tried a few more examples of the other method the ASA book gives for the slide rule side, and found it is pretty inaccurate, especially for large course corrections. I would never use that method as long as we have a grid method.

 

... Resurrecting dead thread

He asked because this question is on the Sheppard air gouge for a Delta interview. I googled the question since I also had no idea how to figure this out via an easy method and was led to this old thread. No idea if this question is really asked, but if it is there will be no wiz-wheel and to the best of my knowledge, no calculator capable of sine, cosine, and tangent.

 

I've been looking over those feedback questions and thinking "I can't be this big of an idiot, right?" I'm glad to hear that (at least in this case) I'm not the only one....

 

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I suspect it's asked to see if one can dope a simple trig problem, ie did you pay attention and can remember high school stuff.

GF

 

My initial wag is a 210 degree heading, then update as you get closer. That's using a "fix to fix" technique taught in the USAF.