In an era of GPS, FMS, and satellite navigation, dead reckoning can seem like an antiquated skill. Yet it remains a core part of the DGCA Air Navigation syllabus - and more importantly, it is a skill that separates pilots who understand where they are from those who only know what their instruments tell them.
Dead reckoning (DR) is the process of calculating your current position based on a known past position, your heading, airspeed, elapsed time, and the effect of wind. It requires no external navigation aid - just knowledge, a chart, and calculation.
Why it matters in practice: GPS systems fail. Instrument navigation aids go offline. And in many regions of India, VOR and NDB coverage is patchy. A pilot who cannot navigate without electronic aids is a liability. Airlines know this - and examiners test for it.
The DR calculation sequence:
1. Start from a known fix (your last confirmed position).
2. Apply your true airspeed (TAS) and true heading (TH) to determine your track made good, accounting for wind drift.
3. Calculate ground speed from the wind triangle (either graphically on a flight computer or algebraically).
4. Apply time to determine estimated position.
5. Compute your ETA for the next waypoint.
DGCA exam questions on DR typically involve the wind triangle, flight computer calculations, and chart reading. You must be able to solve these in 2–3 minutes under exam conditions.
Practice tool: The E6B flight computer (manual or digital) is your essential study companion for Air Navigation. Spend 15 minutes per day solving DR problems - within a month, the calculations become second nature.
CIPTA's Air Navigation sessions dedicate specific practise time to DR problems drawn from past DGCA papers. Join a batch to accelerate your preparation.