GENERAL NAVIGATION 003-004

LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

BGS Chapter 1

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

 LATITUDE AND LONGITUDE
• Latitude
• Change of Latitude
• Mean Latitude
• Special Parallels of Latitude

• Longitude
• Change of Longitude

• Introduction to Position
• Great Circle Vertices.

2 AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

 LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson you will be able to:

• Define and explain latitude

• Define Geocentric Latitude

• Define Geographic (Geodetic) Latitude and state where

the maximum difference occurs

• Calculate Change of Latitude (Ch.Lat)

• Calculate mean latitude

• Define and explain longitude

• Describe the Greenwich Meridian and its anti-meridian

• Calculate Change of Longitude (Ch.Long)

• Define and explain Great Circle vertices.

3 AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

INTRODUCTION
• Position is defined by angular measurement, rather
than by X and Y axes

• This is the foundation of Latitude and Longitude

• The unit of angular measurement is the degree

• There are 360 degrees in a circle

• Each degree is sub-divided into 60 minutes of arc (‘)

• Each minute is sub-divided into 60 seconds of arc (“)

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
LATITUDE

The angular distance LATITUDE

of a point along any NORTH
meridian between the 90°

Equator and that point 45°

45°

15°
15°

EQUATOR 0° 0°

• Expressed in degrees, 15° 15°

minutes (and seconds)

45°
45°

• To a maximum of 90°
90°

• Annotated N or S (of the LATITUDE

Equator) SOUTH

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

GEOCENTRIC & GEODETIC LATITUDE
Geocentric Latitude is the angle measured
from the centre of the Earth

but…

The Earth is not a sphere in reality, so this line

will not necessarily be perpendicular to the
Earth’s surface
11.6’

• If we drew a line at right angles to the Earth’s Geocentric

surface, this would give us Geodetic (or Latitude

Geographic) Latitude
Geographic
Latitude
• The two are the same only at the Poles and
the Equator

• Greatest difference at 45° N and S

• Max difference is 11.6’

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

 LATITUDE
N Pole

Latitude 40°N

40°
15°30’ Equator

Latitude 15°30’S

S Pole
AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
CHANGE OF LATITUDE (CH. LAT)
SAME HEMISPHERE:

SUBTRACT
A 48°15’N
Ch. Lat A-B
48°15’ - 15°10’
B 15°10’N = 33°05’
EQUATOR

DIFFERENT HEMISPHERES:

C 39°20’S ADD

Ch. Lat B-C

15°10’ + 39°20’
= 54°30’
AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
MEAN LATITUDE
The algebraic middle value of two parallels of latitude

SAME HEMISPHERE:

Add the two latitudes and divide by 2

A 48°14’N

Mean Lat A-B

48°14’ + 15°10’ B 15°10’N
= 63°24’ EQUATOR

Divide by 2
= 31°42’N

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

MEAN LATITUDE
DIFFERENT HEMISPHERES:

Add the two latitudes,

divide by 2 and subtract from
the greater number

B 15°10’N
Mean Lat B-C EQUATOR
15°10’ + 39°20’
= 54°30’

Divide by 2
= 27°15’ C 39°20’S

39°20’ minus 27°15’

= 12°05’S

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

SPECIAL PARALLELS OF LATITUDE

Arctic Circle (66°30’N)

Tropic of Cancer (23°30’N)

Equator (00°N/S)

Tropic of Capricorn (23°30’S)

Antarctic Circle (66°30’S)

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

LONGITUDE
The shorter distance in the
arc along the Equator
between the Prime Meridian
and the meridian through a

Meridian
Prime
point
150° 180° 150°
120° 120°

Longitude 90° 90° Longitude

West East
60° 60°
30°
•
0° 30°
Expressed in degrees, minutes
(and seconds)
• To a maximum of 180°
• Annotated E or W
Prime
Meridian

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

 LONGITUDE
180°E/W

Longitude 140°E

LONGITUDE LONGITUDE
N Pole EAST
WEST
140°

Longitude 075°23’W 75°23’

Greenwich

0°
AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
 CHANGE OF LONGITUDE (CH. LONG)
180°E/W SAME HEMISPHERE:

SUBTRACT

Ch. Long A-B

105°20’ - 052°20’
A 105°20’E = 53°00’

DIFFERENT HEMISPHERES:
B 052°20’E
ADD
C 041°15’W
0°E/W Ch. Long B-C
052°20’ + 041°15’
= 93°35’
AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
 GREAT CIRCLE VERTICES
• The Northern vertex of a Great Circle is
its most northerly point
Crossing Point
170W • The Southern vertex of a Great Circle is
Northern Vertex its most southerly point
40N 100E
• Vertices are antipodal (lie on meridian
and anti-meridian)

Track direction 40° • At each vertex, track will be 090°/270°

090 - 40
= 050°
• The GC will cross the Equator at the
vertex longitude +90°
40S 080W
Southern Vertex • The GC will cross the Equator at an
angle equal to the latitudes of the
010E vertices.
Crossing Point
• The GC direction at the Equator will be
AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
090/270 + that angle
 LEARNING OUTCOMES REVIEW
Define and explain latitude

Define Geocentric Latitude

Define Geographic (Geodetic) Latitude and state where

the maximum difference occurs

Calculate Change of Latitude (Ch.Lat)

Calculate mean latitude

Define and explain longitude

Describe the Greenwich Meridian and its anti-meridian

Calculate Change of Longitude (Ch.Long)

Define and explain Great Circle vertices.

16 AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE
 Next Lesson:

Position on the Earth

17 AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

EASA LEARNING OBJECTIVES
061 01 02 03 Latitude, Difference of Latitude
• Define ‘geographic latitude’ as the angle between the plane of the equator and the
local plumb line on the ellipsoid.
• Describe a parallel of latitude as a small circle connecting all positions on the Earth
with the same latitude.
• Calculate the difference of latitude between two given positions lat/long.
• (Calculate the mean latitude between two positions.)

061 01 02 04 Longitude, Difference (Change) of Longitude

• Define ‘longitude’ as the angle measured at the polar axis between the plane of the
prime meridian and the local meridian.
• Explain that the Greenwich anti-meridian is the maximum longitude possible, namely
180° east– west.
• Calculate the difference of longitude between two given positions lat/long.

AIRWAYS AVIATION ATPL GN003-004 – LATITUDE & LONGITUDE

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