Being a competent pilot-navigator is the very essence of piloting. The foundation upon which sound pilot-navigation skills are built is meticulous flight planning.

One of the primary aims of this book is to teach students mental dead-reckoning visual navigation techniques which will enable them to become competent pilot navigators and, thus, help prepare them for the practical navigation skills test of the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA)/ European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) PPL and the United Kingdom National PPL. A further main objective of this book is that students should learn all the theory they need to prepare for the JAA/EASA PPL and UK NPPL theoretical knowledge examinations in Navigation. In order to be fully prepared for the PPL theoretical knowledge examinations in Navigation, the student pilot will need to know how to use the Dalton-type analogue navigation computer. This instrument is the one that the student must use during the examination to calculate heading, groundspeed, track error, etc. There is a chapter in this book devoted to the use of the navigation computer, and also an accompanying CD-ROM which gives full instruction in all the functionalities of the instrument. Despite the emphasis on dead-reckoning visual navigation techniques for the PPL navigation skills test, the use of certain radio-navigation aids is permitted during the test, as a supplement to visual navigation techniques. The subject of Radio Aids is also examined at an elementary level in the PPL theoretical knowledge examinations, the full title of the examination paper being Navigation & Radio Aids. Consequently, the second section of this book is devoted to the theory and practice of radio navigation aids, as well as radar services.