HP 15CE Aviation Pac

[Maximilian Hohmann]

Hello!

(08-25-2024 08:22 AM)Thomas Klemm Wrote:  Just out of curiosity: Is this an American convention or common practice in aviation?

In western aviation everything follows American conventions (this is why, for example, we still measure altitude in feet even in places where this unit has been abolished 200 years ago) so it is rather a general convention. When doing calculations, there is an aide-memoire: "East is least" which means that east is associated with the negative sign.

But: Wherever coordinates can be entered into onboard navigation devices there are no signs. One always uses the letters "E" "W" "N" and "S" which can either be entered through an alphanumeric keyboard (e.g. on an FMS) or by fiddling with rotary knobs. This is the only safe way.

And but but: In commercial aviation (private flyers can do what they want as long as they don't violate any airspaces) we are not supposed to enter coordinates ourselves. Since decades, navigation equipment comes with databases that contain all the required waypoints. These databases are extensively quality controlled and are updated in regular intervals through approved and documented procedures. If a waypoint is not in the database you don't fly there. That simple.

Regards
Max