Position error, East Anglia - 21st March 2009 at 00:00

Paul Coidan

Private Farm Strip

Sandy Microlight Airfield Bedfordshire

4000ft

Approach

VMC

Aid to VFR flight

Handheld (Moving map)

Garmin Pilot III

Quantum 582 Flexwing Microlight

Flew at 4000 feet to get above the bad vis at the time of the flight, however still had a reasonable visual of the ground. Flew using GPS but kept an eye on the ground to make sure I was heading in the right direction. Dropped down at the end of the flight expecting to see the air field and could not find it. Roads etc all tied up with air map, or so I thought. Eventually found the airfield by back tracking, using visual referance points and roads. Apon landing I checked the airfield co-ordinates I had used and all seemed correct. However put in go to Sandy only to find that Sandy was 26 miles away. I was at Sandy!!!! Have since re checked input co ordinates and x refed with google earth and all seems okay. Have taken a bearing from my home using the GPS and x ref with air map and it still puts me out. Have checked all my other saved destinations the same way and they are spot on. Put the flight trace on a GPS plotting programme and it had Sandy plotted 26 miles to the east of where it should of been. Lucky it was not 26 miles south as I would of been into Stansted Airspace.

Analysis - 30th March 2009 at 10:26

Final Analysis

Identified by pilot as incorrect destination waypoint entry.

Comments

Paul Coidan - 29th March 2009 at 11:03:

Yes thanks for that. I was talking to a friend about it when the penny dropped. Yep checked again and found I had East instead of West. What a muppet!!!. Hopefully I will not make the same mistake again.

Anonymous - 28th March 2009 at 17:02:

suggest you check your coordinates again. Sandy is at N52 07.44 W0 18.35. If you have East instead of West, that would account for the 26miles... It's easily done- have done myself...

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