Practice Mission 1


Back to Practice Missions How to Navigate Operation Chastise Home Page Operation Chastise Rules Tangmere Wing Home Page	Practice Mission 1 A Simple Navigation Exercise (Offline) This was a mission to bomb the port of Rotterdam. Starting at F1 in the ETO, with a ground launch in a Mosquito Bomber. The mission was flown without using the external views.
	The following route was flown:
		Sat on the runway at the start of the mission, and the world looks like it's a very big place. The first thought is 'I can't do this!', but relax - your plan will see you through.
	Before you start the mission, have a quick check of your instruments. There's the normal pre-flight checks of aircraft type (duh!) fuel and loadout. You're also interested in the heading. Here it shows just off North. My flight plan calls for a heading of 120 degrees, so I plan now to turn left and come in over the airfield and on to heading 120.
		OK, I'm up and have turned left, and am now completing my turn over the airfield to start my run on 120 degrees.
	Starting the first leg now, climbing and heading out on 120 degrees. Everything looks good - wheels up, flaps up, doors closed, aircraft climbing, wings level. No slacking though - time to look out for the first landmark already.
Hop to the nose for a look out for the first landmark. there's the radar, just visible on the horizon, about a third of the way in from the left side of the screen. there's also a river visible about a third of the way in from the right (both circled for easier identification). A quick check of the map shows that the radar I see must be the one I'm after, so I turn towards it and continue on my way to the East.
		A final position check as I reach the UK coastline. Everything looks good, with the expected port and oil storage on my left. All set for the nerve-wracking flight over the North Sea.
		Sea. Plenty of it. It goes on for ever. If I'm heading in the wrong direction I may never reach land again. Frantic checks on my heading, and of course it's all OK. Even so, I get twitchy and it's all I can do to not check the in-flight map!
		My first sight of the enemy coastline. Looking at the map this could be almost anywhere, but even so I heave a sigh of relief as I realise I'm not going to have to ditch. I'm going to need a little more info before I decide whether any course change is needed to reach the target.
	This is my last chance to have a status-check before my bomb-run. Everything looks good - heading on the nose.
		After scanning the instruments, I go to check that the Norden is set up. Incidentally, the Norden can often be helpful when navigating to look at the terrain. It gives a slightly different view than the nose position, and it can be zoomed-in.
		Finally, I can see that I am where I expect to be. Unless I'm wildly of course, that coastline can only be the coastline near Rotterdam, and no changes are needed.
		All looks good. I'm lined up along the river, and the port of Rotterdam is on my left. I couldn't have asked for a more perfect line-up if I'd used the sat-nav map!
	Bombs away, and time to check instruments to see what that's done to my course. I've drifted a little to the North of East, so I correct and head East.
		There is my next landmark - the two bridges where I have decided to reverse.
		OK, I've reversed and am now heading West. It all looks different from here, and I take a little while to get my bearings.
		And there's my target ahead again. It's a simple matter to bomb it on the way home.
		Time to go home - this is my last sight of the enemy coastline, and I now have to face the nerve-wracking sea crossing again.
	Yet another instrument check before loosing sight of the land. Oops! It seems that I've drifted a little on that final bomb-run. Good job I spotted it now, otherwise I could have ended up a long way off when I got back to the UK. Well, I suppose that's what those other airfields are for! I correct my heading, slightly embarrassed at having made such a basic mistake, but glad that my frequent chacks had caught it in time.
		My first sight of the UK coast, on the right of the screen. It feels good to be back, but concentration is still needed to make sure I get home OK.
		Hmmmm. Now I'm worried. The coast here bears little resemblance to that on the map. Am I off course? Looking at the map, it doesn't really match anywhere on the East coast of the UK. I begin to suspect that the map is a little inaccurate, and look for more landmarks.
		OK, I spot the port and oil storage that's marked on the map. This must be the right place, and the map must be a little wrong. I make a late turn to the right to pass over the port, as per my flight plan.
		After passing over the port and reaching the end of the estuary (a little guesswork was required here) I turn left on to 270. I'm not too worried about an exact turn, as the home base is easy to spot.
	Home in sight now, and I fight to keep the concentration needed for a good landing.
	On finals. It would be a pity to prang it now.
		And just to prove it can be done, a nice short landing in the Mosquito. Who says the brakes are too weak!? Time to relax, and congratulate myself on a successful mission.