Operational Navigation
Flying The Route
UNCERTAIN LANDMARKS
Uncertain landmarks are features that the pilot suspects he can correlate with the chart, but they
may not be fully reliable. Generally, navigate from the chart to the landmarks; not the other way
around. All landmarks are not always shown and charts are not always current. Always check a
chart's edition revision date. Uncertain landmarks such as oil wells and windmills may be repeti-
tious. You can not navigate from oil well to oil well in the Permian Basin of west Texas, nor, from oil
field to oil field. Uncertain landmarks may be objects that look much alike; if you see the oval symbol
for a racetrack on your chart and you see a racetrack on the ground, is it a horse track, a dog track
or a high school athletic track?
Check the surroundings. A high
school athletic track will
certainly have a high school
nearby, and will probably be in
C
town, while a horse or dog track
is usually more removed. An
automobile race track will have
identifiable mechanical facilities
Smokestack
D
and a horse track will have
stables.
A
B
DATE ON THE CHART
How much time has there been
for structures to be built; and
how much likelihood is there
E
that something new was
erected? If you have a 1980
chart of an oil producing area,
you may expect radical changes
owing to the boom of the 1980's.
On the other hand, if your chart
is dated within the last year or
two, minimal change probably
F
has occurred. In any case, get
the latest edition of the chart!
Don't use old charts!
A Road "T" intersection with town (Positive)
B Refinery (Positive)
C Buildings (Uncertain)
D Smokestack (Positive)
E Oil field (Uncertain)
F Dry creek bed with intermittent water (Linear and Uncertain)
Figure 2: POSITIVE/LINEAR/UNCERTAIN LANDMARKS
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