Track Line

[downscc 1,327]

44 minutes ago, berts said:

Dan, although I agree with Simon, I suppose it all depends on which side of the pond you live on!

Apparently there's an historical significance to driving on the left-hand side of the road which goes way back in time; long before Henry Ford or Mr Rolls and Mr Royce.  Most people are right handed and in medieval times ye old bold Knights would pass each other on horseback and keep to the left,  This would ensure their sword hand was free - just in case they needed to use it!  

HDG UP is probably a more logical way to use the MAP display too, because the nose of the aircraft will be pointing in exactly the same direction as the HDG indication.  The TRK line will then show you the direction the aircraft is tracking relative to the nose of the aircraft and this is really helpful when assessing drift on the approach as well as knowing exactly where to look for the runway prior to going visual during a limiting approach.  Like driving on the right, TRK UP does have some merits, although it probably has more to do with what you are used to.

Bertie Goddard 

I totally agree, it depends on what one is accustomed to. I was lucky to have almost a dozen week or several week visits to England during my four year tour in Germany and the only time the wrong side of the road got me was on my return to Germany when I got into my car (then it was a 1962 Mercedes 190SL.... loved that car!) and pulled out of the Ramstein AB pax terminal parking lot onto the road and went a block before I realized I was on the wrong side.  Haha... it got me when I least expected it.  There is a lesson there.

[ahsmatt7 1,199]

On 1/31/2018 at 11:24 AM, downscc said:

BAW likes to fly like this, figures since they also drive on the wrong side of the road ;)

We have it on our Crjs too. It's kind of nice because you get a pictorial idea of what the airplane is doing in relation to the route. 

[berts 97]

26 minutes ago, downscc said:

I totally agree, it depends on what one is accustomed to. I was lucky to have almost a dozen week or several week visits to England during my four year tour in Germany and the only time the wrong side of the road got me was on my return to Germany when I got into my car (then it was a 1962 Mercedes 190SL.... loved that car!) and pulled out of the Ramstein AB pax terminal parking lot onto the road and went a block before I realized I was on the wrong side.  Haha... it got me when I least expected it.  There is a lesson there.

Now you're talking - a 1962 Merc 190SL.  Think yourself lucky there wasn't a roundabout as well; but was it a right hand drive stick-shift car with you driving it on the wrong side of the road? 

BTW: have you ever wondered about two-seater cockpits and why the helicopter Captain usually sits on the right and fixed wing Captains usually sit on the left?

Bertie

[MarkJHarris 128]

I fly a mixed fleet of 737NG and getting into a TRK up aircraft is a pain. In the Preflight checklist, the call of Instruments means I just flip the EFIS knob from plan to VOR- so it goes from TRK up to HDG up and I can read the numbers out! Simple things....

 

Otherwise, I just forget about it after a while.