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FLIGHT INSTRUCTION MANUAL 165

contour. So do not surprised if the small lake shown on your chart turns out to be just a little "duck pond" or has dried up entirely.  

There is an old saying that "All roads lead to Rome."  When lost, there is a good thing to remember.  Every large city is the focal point of the many roads and railroads that radiate from it.  Consequently, a city has the appearance of a large axial point that is very distinc-tive.  This distinctive area may be found as much as much as 40 to 50 miles in diameter.  Upon nearing a city it will be found that the general direction of all principal railroads and highways point toward, or converge upon, the city.  This is particularly useful when approach-ing one of our large manufacturing centers, where the visibility over the city is often very low due to factory smoke. 

There are many other landmarks shown on sectional charts that stand out where seen from the air.  Some of these that can generally be used to advantage are:  Water tanks, power and pipe lines, race tracks, dams and powerhouses, tank farms oil wells, lumber mills, tall chimneys, factories, "railroad under," grain elevators, etc.  Of considered the most dependable.  Water tanks, like oil wells, are sometimes too numerous to offer to certain check.  If you elect to follow a pipe line, be careful that you are not led astray by some branch connecting line.  Check its direction by your compass.

While keeping an airplane flying on a given heading by compass it is possible to be either harmfully meticulous or unduly careless.  Either fault leads to erratic steering and tends to weaken a pilot's confidence in compass steering.  When a pilot is not familiar with its operating characteristics, the compass will often be accused of "going wrong" when in reality it is not being given a proper chance to operate.

The following suggestions may be found helpful in learning to use a compass without undue fatigue or error:
(1) Refrain from "chasing the compass"-do not try to check every apparent swing.
(2) Follow the average reading, taken as the mean of readings at approximate 30-second intervals. 
(3) Neglect interpolations when they are distracting-steering to the nearest 5 degrees mark is usually quite accurate enough.
(4) Use turn indicator occasionally to check against skidding, creeping turns, and unbalance of vertical stabilizer. 
(5) To Steer a course after plane has been accurately set on desired heading look directly ahead and pick out some object and then check heading by compass frequently.
(6) In case of doubt remember that 999 times out of 1,000 the compass is right.  Compasses do not suddenly go wrong.

Being "lost" or " located" is a matter of relative degree.  No pilot knows exactly where he is while no recognizable landmark is in sight.  But a good cross-country pilot will rarely miscalculate his position by a distance greater than 10 percent of the journey remaining.  The following suggestions, tabulated for brevity and emphasis, are in-cluded among the practical points often overlooked by the student: 
1. Write down the time of passing each unmistakable landmark on a convenient scratch pad (having a pencil tied to it).  Failure to keep accurate time log is commonest cause of getting lost.
2. Calculate the ground speed at occasional intervals.