tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post114434308099485439..comments2024-03-02T15:23:18.091-05:00Comments on D-Ed Reckoning: Dead ReckoningKDeRosahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1146557179501536502006-05-02T04:06:00.000-04:002006-05-02T04:06:00.000-04:00Not-a-shoe-clerk, thanks for the comment.I think i...Not-a-shoe-clerk, thanks for the comment.<BR/><BR/>I think it's time for you to update your dictionary. <A HREF="http://www.answers.com/topic/dead-reckoning" REL="nofollow">Mine</A> has two common meanings for the term dead-reckoning:<BR/><BR/>Meaning #1: an estimate based on little or no information<BR/><BR/>Meaning #2: navigation without the aid of celestial observations.<BR/><BR/>Since this blog isn't about vehicular navigation, I went with the more general meaning.<BR/><BR/>And, for the most part I do link to research that I cite and I am well aware of the bias issues you raise. All researchers, not just the ones you don't agree with, have potential biases. Merely saying a source is potentially biased adds nothing to the discussion. Better you should point out the actual flaws in the research.<BR/><BR/>Generally speaking, about 90% of educational research is scientifically invalid. I try to avoid these sources.<BR/><BR/>Sometimes I cite the research so regularly, like Project Follow Through, that I sometimes don't always cite it. If you're ever looking for a specfic cite and I haven't provided a link, just drop me a comment or email.KDeRosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1146553546752593392006-05-02T03:05:00.000-04:002006-05-02T03:05:00.000-04:00From your tagline "The primary problem with K-12 e...From your tagline "The primary problem with K-12 education today is the problem of dead reckoning--an estimate based on little or no information...."<BR/><BR/>Perhaps you should change your "dead reckoning" tagline as what you say is cute but absolutely incorrect. <BR/><BR/>In the USAF, it is often said that there are only two kinds of people in the world--"pilots" and everyone else AKA "shoeclerks." You appear to be a shoeclerk. <BR/><BR/>As a professional pilot with FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificates for Multi-engine airplanes and helicopters and a FAA flight instructor certificate with four category/class endorsements, I can tell you that dead reckoning is the process of navigating an aircraft (or other vehicle) from a known point to another location by traveling a predetermined compass course, for a certain amount of time, at a certain speed. Usually the known in the time-speed-distance equation is distance (often airfield to airfield, turnpoint, or an air traffic control fix).<BR/><BR/>The "compass course" is calculated by taking the "true course" (from a heading protractor and pencil line on an aeronautical chart)+/-a "wind correction angle" (from winds aloft forecasts or reports) which gives you the "true heading." The true heading is adjusted by +/- a certain number of degrees of "magnetic variation" (an adjustment necessitated by the fact that the true North pole and the magnetic North pole differ in location). This calculation gives you the "magnetic heading." The magnetic heading is then corrected +/- the magnetic deviation (systematic bia in the magnetic compass on certain headings caused by magnetic or electromagnetic fields from the equipment in the aircraft-individual for each aircraft). The number of degrees correction for deviation is displayed on a card on the magnetic compass. After applying the correction for deviation, you now have the "compass heading" that you will fly.<BR/><BR/>Similar calculations/adjustments are made for the effects of temperature, altitude, airspeed compressibility effects, etc., to calculate the "true airspeed." Wind information is used to estimate the cross wind or head or tail wind component. Wind information is used to correct for drift (wind correction angle) and to adjust the true airspeed to an estimated "ground speed."<BR/><BR/>Prior to GPS, we calculated all this information with a circular slide rule calculator called an E6-B computer. Often we might not always receive reliable navigation information from ground based navigational aids, such as VORs and NDBs. So, we would do this for about any flight over unfamiliar terrain--we never knew when we might lose reception of the ground navaids. <BR/><BR/>As for your contention that dead reckoning is an estimate based on little or no information...." My IPs (instructor pilots)routinely required that when dead reckoning, I must arrive no more than 1 minute off of my estimated time of arrival. On flights of several hundred miles I often arrived within 30 seconds of my estimate.<BR/><BR/>Younger pilots I know think that dead reckoning is primitive compared to GPS (it is), but when you lose the signal, at least I have an idea of where I am with a relatively small positional error. Most of the younger pilots I conduct checks on are not near as proficient in pilotage, dead reckoning or other non-GPS forms of navigation. That is, they have grown overdependent on GPS because it is so easy and so accurate.<BR/><BR/>This rather long-winded post is to say that your statement that ...dead reckoning--an estimate based on little or no information...." is dead wrong. Does the process I described sound like one based on little or no information?<BR/><BR/>Enjoy the discussions on education reform, but some of you need more knowledge on what constitutes plausible evidence. "Research indicates..." or "research clearly shows..." just doesn't cut it. Try properly citing the actual studies so that interested parties might read the original article to evaluate it's credibility and veracity. Advocacy groups like the Cato Institute and Heritage Foundation are not at all neutral and routinely spin things toward their preferred policy solution. Haven't seen anything from their policy shops that comes close to meeting academic social science standards.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25541994.post-1144862365946822092006-04-12T13:19:00.000-04:002006-04-12T13:19:00.000-04:00In the blogger control panel, go to EDIT POSTS and...In the blogger control panel, go to EDIT POSTS and delete the test posts. or replace them with non-test posts just like I did.KDeRosahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06853211164976890091noreply@blogger.com