ACS Alignment

FAA-S-ACS-16 — Commercial Pilot, Rotorcraft–Helicopter · Area of Operation VII. Navigation · Task: A–D — Pilotage/Dead Reckoning, Navigation Systems, Diversion & Lost Procedures

CH.VII.A.S1 — navigate by pilotage & dead reckoning CH.VII.B.K1 — navigation systems & radar services CH.VII.C.S1 — plan & fly a diversion CH.VII.D.R1 — lost procedures & the 5 C’s

⚑ FLAG (Walter): combines Tasks A–D of Area VII (Navigation) — confirm codes.

Navigation, Diversion & Lost Procedures

Find your way by chart, clock, and box — and recover gracefully when the plan falls apart.

By the end of this lesson you can:

Navigate by pilotage and dead reckoning using chart, heading, time, and groundspeed.
Use navigation systems (VOR/GPS) and available radar/flight-following services.
Plan and fly a diversion to an alternate, estimating heading, time, and fuel.
Apply lost procedures (the 5 C’s) to re-establish position and get help.

1 · Pilotage, DR & systems

Pilotage uses visual checkpoints; dead reckoning uses known heading, airspeed, wind, and time. Cross-check both against your GPS and any VOR/radar services — but do not let the magenta line switch off your eyes. Helicopters often fly low where checkpoints look different; keep the chart oriented and your position updated.

2 · Diversion

When you need to divert, estimate the new heading to the alternate (a quick eyeball off the chart), the time and fuel required, and any airspace or terrain in the way. Turn toward the alternate promptly, then refine the calculation — flying roughly the right way immediately beats computing the perfect course while heading off-track.

3 · Lost procedures — the 5 C’s

Step	Action
Climb	For better visibility, radio/nav reception, and terrain clearance.
Communicate	Call ATC/Flight Service for help (121.5 if needed).
Confess	Tell them you are unsure of position.
Comply	Follow ATC instructions/vectors.
Conserve	Manage fuel; plan a precautionary landing while you still have options.

4 · Watch

Curated reference clip — “Pilotage and Dead Reckoning” · SkyEagle Aviation Academy (YouTube), verified via oEmbed. Embedded with the creator’s player; we don’t host or alter it.

5 · Reference sources

Use the authoritative references

📄 Pilot’s Handbook (FAA-H-8083-25) — Navigation 📄 AIM — Services Available to Pilots (radar/flight following)

Your aircraft: navigation equipment fit (VOR/GPS) is installation-specific — note your R44’s installed nav equipment and how to use it.

✍️ Fill in for the aircraft you fly your R44’s installed navigation equipment (GPS/VOR) and your fuel reserve/endurance for diversion planning — look these up in the POH/avionics supplement and confirm with your CFI.

⚑ FLAG (Walter): the R44 is a VFR-certificated piston helicopter; confirm the aircraft/figures the student actually flies and that all numbers come from the current R44 POH.

Risk management (the “Consider”): the navigation trap is fixating on the GPS until it fails or misleads, then being truly lost with low fuel. Cross-check chart/clock against the box, use flight following, divert early with a rough-but-prompt turn, and if disoriented, run the 5 C’s and land precautionarily while you still have fuel and daylight.