Arctic Flights
« on: July 23, 2022, 03:18:53 PM »
Hello. Are there flights over the exact North Pole? I mean is the area of center magnetic North Pole accessible for public?

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Offline stack

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Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #1 on: July 23, 2022, 04:03:44 PM »

SteelyBob

Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #2 on: July 23, 2022, 05:03:09 PM »
Hello. Are there flights over the exact North Pole? I mean is the area of center magnetic North Pole accessible for public?

For most people the ‘exact’ North Pole is at true north (ie the axis of rotation), which is pretty much fixed, and not magnetic north, which moved around a fair bit.

Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #3 on: July 23, 2022, 05:59:43 PM »
Is it accessible to the public?  Of course it is, just the same as the centre of the Atlantic is accessible; you've just got to address the logistical issues of getting there. 

Its just a patch of (frozen) ocean outside of any country's territorial waters, so nobody has jurisdiction over it.  You will,of course, have to comply with the entry regulations of whichever country you decide to embark from. 

Don't forget your bear repellent. 

BillO

Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #4 on: July 23, 2022, 06:07:37 PM »
Hello. Are there flights over the exact North Pole? I mean is the area of center magnetic North Pole accessible for public?
Yes it is, but it ain't easy to get too.  Not to mention the fact that it moves about 135m a day, so it's little hard to pinpoint.

Flight Training
« Reply #5 on: January 30, 2023, 06:51:36 PM »

Hello  ...Have seen posts here on this forum about the relevance of aircraft in relation to the apparent convexity of the earths' shape. In other words, it seems that certain posts in this forum have been quick to appeal to the C.A.A. and F.A.A. flight training and flight headings which aircraft follow and, unless I am interpreting the posts wrong, it seems the suggestion is that the earth must be round because pilots know that from their flight training.

As a person who used to be a pilot I can say that the training in particular the theoretical part of the work is broad and intense. And I recall here that I did not encounter neither in theory or during a flight ever having to summon knowledge on the earths' apparent roundness and encountered little, if any, talk about its relevance among other pilots.

There is something called 'magnetic variation' which all pilots recognise. This is a difference in the readings' of true north and magnetic north on the compass which all pilots acknowledge and adjust. But as far as recognising  'the ground' and ' the sea' as convex...and making some kind of allowance in the flight plan.... I can honestly say that is something I had never heard mentioned even once.           

Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #6 on: January 30, 2023, 08:10:07 PM »
Interesting sub-thread Swanlinnet; don't know if the mods will be happy with it here, but, hey-ho. 

As a "person who used to be a pilot", you will know that the FAA, CAA and other National Aviation Authorities (under the auspices of the ICAO and Chicago Convention) don't actually teach anyone to fly, although they do regulate such activities.  Its difficult to address your submission about the relevance of the Earth's roundness without knowing more about your knowledge base.  Yes, the training is broad and intense but, if I remember correctly (1970's for goodness sake!), its not something I remember being taught, or needing, when studying for a PPL, but I think it would certainly have been important if I was to consider long-range navigation, or a commercial licence. 

What category of licence did you hold, commercial or private, local or long-haul?  Have you ever flown a sector more than a couple of hundred miles?  I'd be surprised if you had not learnt, for instance, the need for Great Circle navigation over long distances. 

Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #7 on: January 31, 2023, 06:23:20 AM »
Hello ...well .... whilst the C.A.A. do not 'teach' people to fly aircraft at least in its theoretical examinations it is also true they do not 'teach' people to think for themselves either.  Sorry if my contribution was a tad ambiguous ....but my point I think was explained in the post .   

Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #8 on: January 31, 2023, 10:22:02 AM »
Have to disagree.  The most important thing a flying school teaches is thinking for yourself.  Why do you think they ever sent you solo if they didn't believe you can think independently? 

I sorry, I still don't see your point.  You've said you used to be a pilot, but you still haven't told us anything about your personal navigational experience. 

Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2023, 02:47:48 PM »
Well, I would say disagreement is not altogether a bad thing had it not have been on the topic of flying aircraft. My experience is I have found  it is sometimes unwise even fatal to count on singularity of a subjective judgement in the cockpit since there are so many latent distortions in perception which make affirming or denying an action with a second party (tower, co-pilot) wise. Yes people fly aircraft solo and dual. Yet, I will only add that there are old pilots and bold pilots ...but no old/bold pilots ! I can assure you I have got my feet on the ground today thanks to understanding this incontrovertable principle of human fallibility.   By the way, I wrote the post merely to share my empirical perception and knowledge that arises out of quite a few thousand hours f/t and will only say too I shall not be giving away any personal details. Thank you.

Offline Gonzo

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Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #10 on: February 02, 2023, 01:42:44 PM »
Not sure I've seen any posts that...

Quote
have been quick to appeal to the C.A.A. and F.A.A. flight training and flight headings which aircraft follow and, unless I am interpreting the posts wrong, it seems the suggestion is that the earth must be round because pilots know that from their flight training.

Navigation and meteorology training will touch on variables due to the nature of the globe, certainly this occurred during my ATC training, which would be at a similar level to commercial pilot training. I don't think earth shape would be of any particular relevance to aircraft handling training.

Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #11 on: February 02, 2023, 04:42:05 PM »

Navigation and meteorology training will touch on variables due to the nature of the globe, certainly this occurred during my ATC training, which would be at a similar level to commercial pilot training. I don't think earth shape would be of any particular relevance to aircraft handling training.

There are times when pilots choose between line-of-sight radio frequencies (signal blocked by curvature) or low-frequency transmission that “rides” the curvature.

Offline Gonzo

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Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #12 on: February 03, 2023, 09:12:04 AM »
Yes, although the days of routine HF radio contact between ATC/other ground stations and aircraft are disappearing as CPDLC and other forms of datalink take over.

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Offline Vongeo

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Re: Arctic Flights
« Reply #13 on: December 11, 2023, 03:02:56 AM »
Is it accessible to the public?
  You will,of course, have to comply with the entry regulations of whichever country you decide to embark from.
What's your definition of not accessible by the public?
Maple syrup was a kind of candy, made from the blood of trees.