Stick diagrams

APPENDIX D

LOW-LEVEL AND TACTICAL FORMATION

Trim the chart to no less than 10 NM from all course lines.

Write the name of the route on the front of the chart in a conspicuous place. Also, write the

ESA in red on the front of the chart.

On the back of the chart, record your name, chart construction date, date of the latest

CHUM, and chart number(s) and chart edition. Each time the CHUM is updated, the current

CHUM date will be added. As a technique, tape the chart legend on the back of the chart.

Stick diagrams. The stick diagram is a one-page information sheet that displays all pertinent

data needed to fly the LL without reference to the low-level chart. It is used by the pilot flying

the plane to back up the pilot navigating the route. Incomplete stick diagrams are located in the

TAC Flimsy. The stick diagrams must be completed prior to brief time.

On the day of the flight, get 500 foot altitude winds from the weather forecaster (1500 foot

winds for night flight). Get wind information at NGP and from at least one other airfield along

the route of flight.

Using the CR-2, or "whiz wheel", calculate the leg time based on 180 knots groundspeed,

the preflight winds, and the distance for each leg of the route. Determine drift corrections

necessary for each leg of the route and calculate the Magnetic Heading (MH). Write this

information beside the printed route information on each leg of the stick diagram.

For your continuation fuels, start at NGP and work backwards through the entire route. We

need to land with 530 lbs plus 200 lbs for an alternate. Estimating 125 lbs for the approach from

Shamrock, we must have 855 lbs over Shamrock (530+200+125). Now calculate the leg time

from Shamrock to the point immediately before Shamrock. For T-44s, multiply this time by 10

(burn rate is10 lbs per minute). For TC-12s, multiply this time by 12 (burn rate is 12 lbs per

minute). Keep up this entire process until you get to the entry point for the first route. These

fuel calculations are placed next to each point in the route timing box on the lower left side of

the flimsy. Extra spaces are available to account for transition between the routes and for the

recovery to NAS CC.

To calculate times at each point, start with your takeoff time. In the sample flimsy, the

takeoff time is assumed to be 1200. It takes about 8 minutes to get to the entry point (point B),

so the time over that point would be 1208.00. You must now use your CR-2 to get each leg time

based on 180 knots groundspeed. Take this total and add it to 1208.0. This no wind example

has us arriving at the DZ at 1300.1 (1208.0+52.1=1300.1). Now subtract this ".1" from the entry

point and takeoff time. This has us taking off at 1159.9 and getting to the entry point at 1207.9.

Now go to the route timing block and locate the time it takes to get from B to I (7.0). Add this to

the B time of 1207.9 to get 1214.9. Put this in the block next to point I. Continue this process

for the entire route. We now have to calculate the entry point of the next route. In the recovery

block of the stick diagram, calculate the times to arrive at each point after the DZ/LZ (note that

the third point is the entry point into the LOU ONE route). Once you calculate your time at

point L, transfer this to the LOU ONE stick diagram and do the same process for that route.

D-6 FLIGHT PREPARATION