ENROUTE AVIATION

CHAPTER 6: 1:60 PRABHAKAR T P

CONTENT
• 1:60 Introduction
• Limitation of 1:60
• Important Terminologies in 1:60
• Basic Problems of 1:60
• Navigation using 1:60
• Returning to Track (TE+CA)
• Double Track angle Method
1:60 Rule

1 NM
1°
60NM

 ”If a pilot has travelled sixty miles then an error in track of one mile is approximately 1° ”

 Mathematics behind 1:60
• TO PROVE: The angle subtended at 60 Nm by a 1 Nm arc is 1°. i.e. we have to prove
Z = 1°.
Tan z = opposite side/ adjacent side
1 NM
Tan Z = 1/60 Z
60NM
60 X Tan Z = 1 ____(A)
TRIAL AND ERROR

Z 1 2 5 10 15 20
From this table we can say that upto
TANZ 0.017 0.035 0.087 0.176 0.268 0.364 20°, 60 x tan z= z ____ (B)
60 X TANZ 1.02 2.1 5.22 10.56 16.08 21.84
FROM (A) and (B) we can prove that
Z = 1°.
APPLICATION OF 1:60 RULE
• Consider an aircraft desire to fly along a track designated by the blue line ( say track of
090).
• After flying for an hr the pilot find himself above a building 4 Nm to the left of the desired
track. The track the aircraft is flying actually is called TMG designated by a red line.
• The distance off track is marked in yellow, found to be 4 NM.
• Say the aircraft was flying for 1 hour at 80kts when the flight reached overhead the fix.
• We have to find the track error Z.
• We know that 60 X Tan Z = Z
Which implies Z= 60 X Opposite side/ Adjacent side
I.e. = Z = 60 X [Distance Off/ Distance Gone]
• Angle Z is called TRACK ERROR. 4NM

Z 80NM
Geometry behind 1:60
Consider a circle with R = 1m. R=1
Circumference = 2 X 3.142 X 1(R) = 6.284 m which corresponds to 360°.
Lets find, The angle subtended by a 1 m arc when radius is 1 m.
Arc = 1m, R = 1m;
so,
Using ratio of proportionality. Arc=1m

If 6.284m corresponds to 360° ѳ R=1m

then, 1m corresponds to ѳ°.
So,

6.284/ 1 = 360/ѳ
ѳ=57.3m
• When Arc =2m and R = 2m, ratio remains same
hence ѳ remains same as 57.3°.
• When Arc = 57.3m R=57.3m then the angle will still
be 57.3°.
1m
57.3°
• Here,
R=1m
2 X 3.142 X 57.3 => 360°
360m Arc= 360°
which means 1m arc = 1° when R =57.3

since 57.3 is difficult to calculate we use 60 which

only adds a 5% error, which is not significant for
our purposes.
IMPORTANT TERMINOLOGIES
• Z is called Track Error and it can be Left /Port or
Right/Starboard.
• The blue line is called Required Track or Flight
Planned Track (FPT) and the distance travelled
along it is usually called Distance Gone.
• The red Track is called Track made good and is
the actual path of the aircraft , it is usually 4NM
denoted as TMG. Z 80NM
• The yellow line is the distance off track.
• NOTE: TE is not drift , both are different
ONE NOTE FOR PRACTICE QUESTIONS…..
NAVIGATION USING 1:60
• TRACK ERROR : The difference between the Planned track(FPT) and the Track Made
Good (TMG).
• EXPECTED DRIFT: The difference between the Heading and the Planned track(FPT) is
the Expected drift.
• ACTUAL DRIFT: The difference between the Heading and the TMG.

G
TM

Z
FPT
EXAMPLE QUESTIONS
• An aircraft is flying from A to B , Planned track 078°, Distance is 80 NM, Heading 055 °.
Having flown 35 Nm, Pilot pinpoints the aircraft position overhead C, 5 NM left of the
planned track.
1. Find the TE overhead C.

2. What is the TMG from A?

3. What was the expected drift?

4. What is the actual drift?

ANSWERS:
1 A) 8.57 °
2 A) 69.4 °
3 A) 23 ° R
4 A) 14.43 °R
One more….
• An aircraft is flying from A to B , Planned track 057°, Distance is 80 NM, Heading 065 °.
Having flown 30 Nm, Pilot pinpoints the aircraft position overhead C, 3 NM Right of the
planned track.
1. Find the TE overhead C.

2. What is the TMG from A?

3. What was the expected drift?

4. What is the actual drift?

ANSWERS
1A) 6° R
2A) 63°
3A)8 °L
4A)2 ° L
RETURNING TO TRACK
METHODS:
1) Track Error Angle and Closing Angle.
2) Double Track Angle Error method.
3) Combined Track Error Angle and Closing Angle single calculation.
TRACK ERROR ANGLE AND CLOSING ANGLE
• Consider FPT = 090° from A to B 45NM
away.
C TE=10 °
• You find yourself 5 NM OFF track to the
CA=20°
left at 30 NM from A. Which will give you
a track error of 10°L and 80
TMG = 080. G = 0
TM 10 ° 20 °
• The track C-B is the track to follow to A FPT=090 15 NM
B
reach to the destination. 45 NM
• If we add TE to TMG then we will parallel
HOW TO FIND CA?
the FPT.
• CA can be found similar to TE.
• To find the track to destination we need
turn the track by an angle which is called CA = 60 X (DOFF/ DTG)
the Closing angle (CA). Here CA= 20°
TOTAL A/H = TE° + CA°
DOUBLE TRACK ANGLE METHOD
• Similar to the first method but here we
make an alteration to heading equal to 2
X TE.
• OR CA=TE
C TE
• Takes the same distance to regain the
track, I.e. AD=DE. TE
• Disadvantage?
• This method can only be used if the DG is G TE CA=TE
less than the DTG. TM
A FPT D E B

A/H = CA+TE = 2XTE

NEW TRACK REFERENCE
STEPS:
C
1) Estimate as fractions, the proportion of
A
the total leg distance covered
2) Invert this fraction
3) Multiply the Fraction by the closing
angle. Which will be the A/H.

EXAMPLE FRACTION TRAVELLED: ¼

A-B FPT INVERTED : 4
After travelling for ¼ distance we found CA say is 5°
ourself off track. Multiply 4X5=20° B
Which will be the A/H required.
QUESTIONS FROM ONE NOTE
END OF CHAPTER 6