Does anyone remember life before digits? This is me picking my way cross country back when the windshield and a map were the primary nav aids. Another ancient re-written Grassroots tale.
You took me back to 1972 when I flew my G3 cup to Oshkosh. I was building cross-country time in those days and did almost all of it the way you fly. It truly taught me how to look outside and fly a straight line.
When flying my Cub through the north woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where even the roads are few and far between, a sectional, compass and watch gave precious little confidence as to your whereabouts. Behold that little sawmill with the creek running north and south....Hah, 10 more minutes and doubt starts creeping back into your psyche again. Rinse, repeat.
Thanks Budd. Brought back memories, both good and scary.
My student solo cross country to Pietenpol Field…couldn’t find it, landed at county airport, used pay phone to get directions…I was close by, but that southern Minnesota farm country looks the same in every direction. And Cherry Grove is just a crossroads.
Purpose achieved when Mr. Pietenpol signed my logbook, which is how you proved you flew your plan in those days.
Budd, wonderful words! Recall my many night flights across the country (as a passenger) in Constellations and DC-6's looking down at the lighted small towns wondering who lived there and what their lives were like. Later across Africa from Johannesburg to Frankfurt. Seemingly hours with no lights on the ground then suddenly, or so it appeared, the Mediterranean coast lighted like a necklace. Dark again then the European coast and the Alps from below to off in the distance.
Your comment about playing taps brought back memories. I did the same, almost always the echo where I would leave the band and hurry to the appointed place and wait, somewhat out of breath, to play the echo. Did this for several years until I graduated to high school. Our town was under3,000 in the 60's and now over 6,000. However, it is a lakeside Summer resort and the population soars to 30,000 for three months in the Summer. Still a small town though.
Don’t forget the water towers! Just last week I was driving through the suburbs just South of Chicago and noticed that every small town I drove through had their name on the Water tower.
One of my favorite stories was told to me by the DPE that gave me my private in 1966. By 1976, he was the chief pilot of our charter business we had back then. He admitted that one of his tricks was to land at a small airport, stroll in and spot the payphone. He would then fake a phone call- having discovered the NAME of the town he was in by looking at the phone book in the booth! 🤣
I loved the rememberances your article triggered. I flew a J-3 from Orlando to Vermont years ago, inching my finger along the map in the chilly cockpit- but at least not an open cockpit line you “enjoyed!”
Ok Budd, The same applies to low level cross country in a Helicopter, except you are looking for wires and towers. We even flew 500 foot cross country in the Army, when I was flying the Bird Dog. The old small towns on a map are like the M-1 carbine, and 1911 .45 I keep, not really useful today, but they remind us of our past. Yes, some of us carried those in Vietnam, long past their role in WWII. Short and easy to get in and out of the Helicopter. Keep up the good work, and yes, some of us still carry a folded map and follow RR tracks. (IFRR)
I still consider an M-1 carbine useful. At 100 yards it has the same energy as a .357 magnum, still useful, light and quick.
When I was instructing in Champs and then Cherokees for Oklahoma U one of our standard cross countries was at 500 ft simulating getting caught under the klag. The student and I got in the airplane and he/she didn't know where we were going and I'd select an obscure crossing or village about an hour away. Tell them to find it. We'd show them how to pinch the map where we started and where we wanted to go and crease the map along that line. Then rub the pencil along that crease. That gave the course line. Heading came from a VOR circle close to it. Select two points a distance apart, measure it on the pencil and mark with your thumb nail on pencil and time how long it takes to fly that distance. Use the pencil measurement and see how many of those there were to the selected destination and that gave an approximate ETA. Great training for when you really need it.
You took me back to 1972 when I flew my G3 cup to Oshkosh. I was building cross-country time in those days and did almost all of it the way you fly. It truly taught me how to look outside and fly a straight line.
When flying my Cub through the north woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where even the roads are few and far between, a sectional, compass and watch gave precious little confidence as to your whereabouts. Behold that little sawmill with the creek running north and south....Hah, 10 more minutes and doubt starts creeping back into your psyche again. Rinse, repeat.
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Rinse, Repeat. I absolutely love that. It's part of the relentless doubt we all have when eyeballing our way across country.
Thanks Budd. Brought back memories, both good and scary.
My student solo cross country to Pietenpol Field…couldn’t find it, landed at county airport, used pay phone to get directions…I was close by, but that southern Minnesota farm country looks the same in every direction. And Cherry Grove is just a crossroads.
Purpose achieved when Mr. Pietenpol signed my logbook, which is how you proved you flew your plan in those days.
Budd, wonderful words! Recall my many night flights across the country (as a passenger) in Constellations and DC-6's looking down at the lighted small towns wondering who lived there and what their lives were like. Later across Africa from Johannesburg to Frankfurt. Seemingly hours with no lights on the ground then suddenly, or so it appeared, the Mediterranean coast lighted like a necklace. Dark again then the European coast and the Alps from below to off in the distance.
Your comment about playing taps brought back memories. I did the same, almost always the echo where I would leave the band and hurry to the appointed place and wait, somewhat out of breath, to play the echo. Did this for several years until I graduated to high school. Our town was under3,000 in the 60's and now over 6,000. However, it is a lakeside Summer resort and the population soars to 30,000 for three months in the Summer. Still a small town though.
You're the Charles Kuralt of aviation.
Don’t forget the water towers! Just last week I was driving through the suburbs just South of Chicago and noticed that every small town I drove through had their name on the Water tower.
One of my favorite stories was told to me by the DPE that gave me my private in 1966. By 1976, he was the chief pilot of our charter business we had back then. He admitted that one of his tricks was to land at a small airport, stroll in and spot the payphone. He would then fake a phone call- having discovered the NAME of the town he was in by looking at the phone book in the booth! 🤣
I loved the rememberances your article triggered. I flew a J-3 from Orlando to Vermont years ago, inching my finger along the map in the chilly cockpit- but at least not an open cockpit line you “enjoyed!”
Keep up the good work Budd!
You're dead on. I forgot the obvious. I can't count the water towers I've circled at 800 feet under a deck thankful to finally figure out where I was.
I love the phone booth trick. I would have never thought about that.
Ok Budd, The same applies to low level cross country in a Helicopter, except you are looking for wires and towers. We even flew 500 foot cross country in the Army, when I was flying the Bird Dog. The old small towns on a map are like the M-1 carbine, and 1911 .45 I keep, not really useful today, but they remind us of our past. Yes, some of us carried those in Vietnam, long past their role in WWII. Short and easy to get in and out of the Helicopter. Keep up the good work, and yes, some of us still carry a folded map and follow RR tracks. (IFRR)
I still consider an M-1 carbine useful. At 100 yards it has the same energy as a .357 magnum, still useful, light and quick.
When I was instructing in Champs and then Cherokees for Oklahoma U one of our standard cross countries was at 500 ft simulating getting caught under the klag. The student and I got in the airplane and he/she didn't know where we were going and I'd select an obscure crossing or village about an hour away. Tell them to find it. We'd show them how to pinch the map where we started and where we wanted to go and crease the map along that line. Then rub the pencil along that crease. That gave the course line. Heading came from a VOR circle close to it. Select two points a distance apart, measure it on the pencil and mark with your thumb nail on pencil and time how long it takes to fly that distance. Use the pencil measurement and see how many of those there were to the selected destination and that gave an approximate ETA. Great training for when you really need it.
Great read !
Beautifully written. Thanks, Mr. Davisson.