For pilots, constant awareness of position can be critical, especially during long flights over the vast sea. Before the days of modern navigation technologies, pilots depended on precise calculations and teamwork to determine the correct position in the skies. They used the likes of celestial navigation, pilotage, dead reckoning, and drift sight to estimate their current position in the skies.
An Air France flight 447 en route to Paris from Rio de Janeiro, abruptly vanished off the radar in the course of a storm over the Atlantic on June 1, 2009. A French inquiry report claimed that the pitot tubes, or speed sensors of the aviator, iced up, leading to faulty readings, plus the autopilot also switched off. The BEA highlighted that the pilots could've saved the aircraft. But they acted contrary to what was required, towing the aviator up to the point where it stalled.
Read more: Aircraft Stalls: Why They Happen & How They Can Be Prevented
Logbooks are more than just for keeping track of training records and flight times. Essentially, it's a representation of your skill sets, history, personality, and achievements as a pilot.
Read more: How To Keep Your Pilot Logbook Professional and Pristine
Aircraft cockpits lacked electronic display systems and instrumentation in the mid-1900s. Pilots often struggled with numerous instruments throughout the flight. These instruments were displayed as gauges in the cockpit, making poor visibility a significant problem for pilots, especially when flying at night.
Read more: Aircraft Electronic Flight Information Systems: A Brief Guide
An aircraft typically creates lift within a particular speed range. For this reason, pilots must fly between maximum and minimum speeds to maintain flight. Merely reading off the Airspeed Indicator does not give pilots the complete picture. Since the Airspeed Indicator is calibrated at standard conditions, changes in temperature and pressure can render the reading inaccurate.