Navigation
Navigation skills help pilots maintain position awareness by relating aircraft movement to heading, wind, time, distance, ground references, and the intended route.
Modern electronic navigation can provide extensive information, but fundamental navigation skills remain useful for understanding actual aircraft movement and cross-checking position.
This section currently focuses on pilotage and dead reckoning. Additional navigation topics should only be added when they represent distinct, validated search intent and can support useful standalone content.
Navigation skills
- Pilotage and Dead Reckoning — Using visual checkpoints together with heading, time, distance, groundspeed, and wind correction.
What pilots practice
Depending on the aircraft, training objective, conditions, applicable standards, and instructor guidance, this area may involve:
- visual checkpoint selection
- heading and ground track
- wind correction
- time, distance, and groundspeed
- continuous position awareness
- recognizing and resolving navigation uncertainty
Practice and proficiency
Individual flying skills can become less familiar when they are not practiced regularly. The appropriate practice interval is personal and depends on experience, aircraft, operating environment, training, and the type of flying a pilot does.
Last Practiced lets pilots record when they practiced individual skills and set personal Practice Targets for skills they want to revisit.
Practice Targets are personal reminders. They do not establish regulatory currency, proficiency, or legal eligibility to fly.
Browse all pilot skills
Return to the Pilot Skills library to browse takeoffs and landings, airwork, stalls, emergency procedures, navigation, instrument flying, and glider skills.