Cross Country Diversions - My Number One Checkride Tip - MzeroA Flight Training

[@danasampson818]

I used this recently on my Commercial checkride. I did one for surface winds for 8’s on Pylons, and another for winds at 4000 feet. The winds that day were light, so there wasn’t much difference in ground speed or WCA. But, when I was practicing, there were days with 10-15 knot winds. It was a helpful tool. And btw, I passed the checkride!

[@GymPilot]

Great Idea, I never thought of that.

[@m_a_s6069]

Great video as always. Make sure you account for the giant E6-B in the CG calcs.

[@nathancarr8900]

PPL checkride in 22 days. I will be using this!! Thank you Jason for all of your fantastic videos!!

[@alainam.denino67]

I am getting very close to my private checkride. Thank you for this!

[@jbt9052]

Great timing, my Private checkride coming up in 2 weeks! :)

[@Only1Deltaco]

Super butter, this really helps. Thank you Jason for all you do for the aviation community!

[@Richard-mo1nc]

Thank you for sharing this great advice. I'll definitely try implementing this check ride in my navigation practice.

[@sazzy6264]

I like how you break down this information, very step by step. Anyone can fly a plane, but NOT everyone can pass a check ride. I'm not the most confident under pressure. This wind card tutorial did help me examine things that I can do to feel better equipped to prepare. Thanks again, Jason!

[@whoanelly737-8]

Sazzy not ANYONE can fly a plane. If they could, they'd pass the check ride.

[@davethibeault2484]

@@whoanelly737-8 you ain't passing shit if you flunk your oral.

[@germanthepilotr1070]

Great info your ground school is the best once I signed up I instantly gain a lot of knowledge. I’m know preparing for my Checkride

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

AWESOME!!!! Thank you my friend

[@jbroheretoday]

This is so helpful. Thank you so much.

[@KimWentworth-y8e]

Good to know as I am not able to do it on an electronic E6b. But it works on the this.

[@jackzink740]

Excellent Jason.

[@DS-hz4ie]

Does it make sense to instead of writing the actual speeds you write just the increase (or decrease) in you current airspeed? That way it's really easy to do no matter what your current airspeed really is, you just add or subtract the number. For instance, instead of writing 106, 98,110,100,... you write +6,-2,+10,+0,...? .

[@KimWentworth-y8e]

Indicated airspeed is different than ground speed. You need ground speed to calculate your time and distance.

[@michaelsmith2017]

Student pilot here. I'm just about to start cross country flights in my 141 program. In the Northeast where I'm at, winds can be very different 20 miles away from one place to the next. Would I need to do multiple wind cards based on checkpoints across my planned route or would I do a single card with an average for the entire route? Maybe based on the route midpoint? I understand the DPE is looking for the candidate to have the knowledge on how to safely handle the diversion decision but how specific of an answer are they really looking for on these?

[@darius6984]

Since you are inputting data that is true north, won't this affect your path in flight? What I mean by this is that the wind direction is read (not heard) and is true north (and not magnetic north). If we wanted to be accurate, shouldn't we either take into account magnetic variation or do these calculations via ATIS/AWOS/ASOS? I live near Washington DC and the isogonic line says 10W (which means you would add 10 to the true north in order to find magnetic north). If I wanted to do this diversion wind card preflight, would I need to add 10 to the winds if I am looking at them from a metar/winds aloft chart? I understand that this card is intended to give you a general heading, but won't it be off by 10 degrees (in my case) if I don't do magnetic variation?

[@DEEDEE-xh3dh]

You’re correct!

[@chrispaschetto9294]

Can I borrow that E6B for my written tomorrow?

[@nathancarr8900]

Chris Paschetto did ya pass?

[@lapastillla6489]

Ya did u pass ?

[@chrispaschetto9294]

@@lapastillla6489 yep, sure did

[@lapastillla6489]

@@chrispaschetto9294 congrats, what stage you on now? Multi? Or

[@chrispaschetto9294]

@@lapastillla6489 thanks, yep working on commercial multi engine rating now

[@darius6984]

Great video but I don’t see myself pulling out my e6b when flying to calculate time. Any comments or suggestions on this?

[@tar101672]

Great tip, but I don’t find it easy to use the E6B in flight either - I use the rule of 1 finger width = about 5 NM on a VNC, and guesstimate time based on my normal cruise speed (approx. 3 min per 5 NM segment).

[@Anthonyoutsidethebox]

So are you then computing various times and putting them on that card as well? Or using the winds to then compute the times when the examiner does the diversion?

[@daffidavit]

Do you all realize that "MzeroA" above in this video does NOT have an instrument rating? He's got the Ph.D. of FAA aviation certificates. He's got an ATP, an Airline Transport Pilot certificate. This certificate "subsumes" the commercial and instrument pilot certificate and rating. It's the "doctorate" degree of aviation.

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

Thanks for watching!

[@KimWentworth-y8e]

The old fashioned mechanical e6B is way faster than using a electronic e6b. I can not even manage to key in the correct numbers. However, i do not think I could do this while flying the aircraft. Not coordinated enough. PS, I land the aircraft just find. PS, you have to use the mechanical one as the electronic gives you bad answers, and is very hard to use.

[@whoanelly737-8]

Omg. Can you make this more complicated? You don't need the E6B. Remember these (it's simple math): 0 degrees, 1; 30 degrees, .85; 45 degrees, .7; 60 degrees, .5. Here how it works: 10 knot wind on your nose? Subtract 10 from your TAS. 10 knots 30 degrees off you nose? Subtract 8.5 knots. Wind 45 degrees? Subtract 7, 60 degrees? Subtract 5. Make a guess for 90? Subtract 0. Add for wind on the tail. These are the same numbers used for easily figuring load factor. 45 degree bank? 1 divided by .7 = 1.4 G. 60 degree bank? 1 divided by .5 equals 2 Gs.

[@natashadzinoruma5087]

Pilot Forever I know right

[@nicodaemos]

Whoa Nelly, this is an underrated comment. Nice insight!

[@jpjdo1212]

Thanks for this. but i really would prefer just writing it down along with WCA the less calculations i have to do on the fly the more i can focus on actually flying.

[@cartercampbell4646]

This comment gave me a seizure brohiem

[@whoanelly737-8]

@@cartercampbell4646 I don’t know what a brohiem is but remembering three numbers is pretty hard. Let’s see, if the wind is 45 degrees off your nose, 70% of the velocity is the crosswind component. Ouch, my head hurts. Let’s try another brain killer: If the wind is 30 degrees off your nose, 1/2 the velocity is the crosswind component. Now for the seizure, if the wind is 60 degrees off your wing, the crosswind component is almost 90% of the wind velocity. Yep, really, really hard. You can also easily apply these factors to wind correction angles but good luck with the E6B instead.

[@DaveSalvator]

This is really helpful, but how do you quickly calculate the distance to the diversion airport? Sectional chart and guestimate? VOR/DME if applicable? Odds are the DPE won't let us use ForeFlight or onboard GPS. For fuel burn in a 172, the real number is ~7 GPH, so my instructor has me round it up to 10 for easy/quick math. But if you could answer w/ a quick way to estimate distance to diversion airport, would appreciate it. Thanks.

[@davethibeault2484]

Where are you hearing they won't let you use fore flight or the gps? I'm not saying you're wrong; i just never heard that. You should be able to use any available resources unless they wanna simulate a system failure like the gps going down. i guess paper charts would be your only option. i just remember the order of what i need: distance, groundspeed, leg time, fuel.

[@davethibeault2484]

you can always triangulate VORs if you're not sure of exact location, then just measure the distance on your paper chart with a plotter.

[@thegeek3348]

Do you have to use the old school E6-B? Could you just put the diversion into fore flight and check ETE, GS, and then just calculate fuel based on ETE?

[@EarthAmbassador]

Depends on the DPE. Some DPEs will not let you use your ipad on diversions.

[@seattleraf]

It’s a bit annoying that based on which DPE I get I may or may not be allowed to use GPS/G1000 or ForeFlight when the ACS itself looks for the applicant to use all available resources during a diversion. Not to mention that in other videos about diversions there’s plenty of people in the comments that recommend against “fumbling with an E6B” during the exercise and stories about DPEs yelling when doing so. I’d feel comfortable using GPS or E6B but not knowing whether I’m “allowed” or “should” use one vs the other vs neither is frustrating when realistically I’d use any tools at my disposal. My instructor is okay with me using GPS on the G1000 to find distance, GS and ETE and then it’s easy to approximate fuel used. So I’ll assume but be prepared to be wrong that our local DPEs will as well…

[@jeffersonsteeflex2364]

Would it be frowned upon if during my checkride when told by the DPE to divert to a specific airport, I simply contacted approach control and and asked for the heading rather than using my plotter?

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

Remember the DPE is trying to see your decision making ability. Of course that could be a tool in your arsenal for diversion, however what if your diversion was because of a failed radio. How, would you contact ATC. The most important thing to understand about a check ride is that the DPE is looking at your decision making in times of stress.

[@johnmcguire66]

MzeroA is correct but also beyond that, you're still going to have to know your speed and your wind correction and fuel usage. So you'll still need to be able to calculate it on the go to show the d.p.e. you still have an idea of your rough calculations. ATC isn't going to be able to calculate all that for you.

[@renemedinajr4218]

@@johnmcguire66 so... Dead reckoning?

[@joshpaul1976]

Why did he skip the wind velocity?

[@KimWentworth-y8e]

Why are you not using 50 degrees instead of 45 degrees, 140 degrees instead of 135 degrees.

[@Tiger13371]

Now if only you were permitted to use a flight calculator to find time with speed on the Canadian flight tests haha

[@ZBA1]

but why not using the gps groundspeed? if you have it i mean.

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

You can for sure! Just make sure you know how to do it manually if the GPS stops working! It's always good to have the skills to rely on! Thanks for watching!

[@ZBA1]

@@MzeroAFlightTraining thanks 👏👍

[@CuriousSoulCanada]

Yeeess!

[@heregoesmike]

This video is definitely more geared toward learning how to use the E6B and less so on executing an XC Diversion… I clicked it expecting a guide on how the procedure should be flown… The pilot is NOT permitted to use any official reference tools or “cheat sheets” other than their VNC/VTA, Pen, pocket calculator and hands. The purpose of the examiner in this exercise is to evaluate whether the pilot is capable of estimating (reasonably accurately) the enroute heading, time enroute, and fuel used, among other things like determining the MEF of the charted area(s) that will be transited, safe minimum cruise alt (ASL) etc… the latter should be done by looking outside. “On our route, we can expect high terrain here and here.” Excepting when the pilot is executing their XC departure, they will only need the E6B for that very procedure. The Diversion is essentially an exercise in dead reckoning (pilot’s term for an educated guess). The pilot should, based on the examiner’s diversion destination, determine the most practical heading and altitude. Most times the examiner will state that there is a cloud layer at (x) altitude that they must fly under. The heading doesn’t need to be direct if there are terrain conflicts, and the examiner will NOT dock marks for the pilot observing these conflicts and avoiding them safely. Based on MEF’s on their chart, and by gauging the height of terrain by looking outside that aircraft, they should determine a safe altitude (no lower than 500ft AGL) to transit to the alternate. Using 90kts INDICATED AIRSPEED, it can be ESTIMATED that the aircraft travels 1.5nm per minute flown. This will give the pilot a reasonably accurate estimation of the time enroute that is essentially time equals distance divided by 1.5. Example, 38nm to destination, divided by 1.5 = 25min enroute. A very simple acronym to use for this procedure is Circle (destination), Circle (start point), Line (between), Distance, Heading (use nearby compass rose on chart), Time(enroute). M(EF)ake a C(ruise alt)all, you’ll be F(uel used)ine. The pilot is allowed to use a basic calculator (not on a mobile phone) to provide more accurate numbers in estimation. The pilot should then perform the “5 T’s” on initiation of their diversion (Talk, Throttle, Twist, Time, Turn) just as they would’ve done when turning on course at their set heading point for their XC departure. Of course, the pilot should make the appropriate radio calls to the appropriate aerodrome, FSS or FISE frequency advising their diversion. Depending on proximity to, the call can be made with the intended arrival aerodrome if able.

[@joetroyner]

That e6b must really throw off your cg..

[@MzeroAFlightTraining]

Ha! Thanks for watching, Joe!

[@joetroyner]

@@MzeroAFlightTraining Thanks Jason. I have been wearing out your check ride oral audiobook. It's been very helpful. Check ride is on Monday!

[@bombud1]

Audio is low.

[@mikejohnson2299]

Why would you just not look at your actual real-time ground speed and not some previous calculation?

[@Flywithjay22]

@mikejohnson2299 I’m wondering the same thing. Wouldn’t it be easier just to plug in what it says.