Navigation
General Navigation
Cover chart reading, pilotage, dead reckoning, and the wind triangle. Know how to calculate true course, magnetic heading, and ground speed. Understand variation and deviation. Use the E6B or similar for calculations.
Radio Navigation
Understand VOR, NDB, GPS, and their uses. Know how to intercept and track radials, and the meaning of TO/FROM indications. For Bolivia, VOR and NDB are common; GPS is increasingly used.
Traps
Questions often test the conversion between true and magnetic: "Variation is 10°E. True course 090°. What is magnetic course?" Answer: 080°. Also, be careful with wind correction: heading is into the wind.
Worked Example
True course 090°, wind from 360° at 20 kt, TAS 100 kt. Wind correction angle = arcsin(20/100 * sin(90°)) = arcsin(0.2) = 11.5°. Heading = 090° - 11.5° = 078.5° (true). Ground speed = 100 * cos(11.5°) + 20*cos(90°) ≈ 98 kt.
Rule of Thumb
"East is least, West is best" for variation: subtract easterly variation from true to get magnetic. For wind correction: if wind is from the right, crab into the wind (heading less than course).