Mah Jongg Tile Set Description

Tile Set Name:	GENAV.TIL
Subject:  General Aviation
Created	by:  Nels Anderson

Description:

Even the most avid programmer can't spend all day, every day in front of a
monitor	and when I'm away from my computer one of the things you'll find me
doing is flying.  Like many people I've been interested in airplanes for
years but in 1991 I took the plunge and	got a private pilots certificate.
It's been a great hobby for me and this tile set is an effort to share some
of the things I	see as a pilot.	 The tiles are as follows:

LOGOS
-----
1) Piper (aircraft manufacturer)
2) Cessna (aircraft manufacturer)
3) Mooney (aircraft manufacturer)
4) AOPA--Airline Owners	and Pilots Association,	an organization	for private
   pilots that provides	a great	monthly	magazine ("AOPA Pilot")	and many
   other services.

NAVAIDS	(Navigational Aids)
---------------------------
5) NDB symbol.	An NDB (non-directional	beacon)	is a radio transmitter that
   can be used with an ADF (automatic direction	finder)	radio in a plane to
   help	maintain a course.  This tile is the symbol for	an NDB as shown	on
   the maps, known as sectional	charts,	that pilots use.  STOGE	is the name
   of a	specific NDB near my local airport.
6) VOR symbol.	A VOR (VHF omnidirectional range) is a more complex type of
   radio transmitter that's used for similar purposes as an NDB.  A VOR can
   tell	you what angle you are in relation to it, in 1 degree increments and
   since many are linked with DME (distance measuring equipment) also how far
   away.  This tile is the VOR symbol shown on sectional charts.
7) VOR station.	 This is what a	VOR transmitter	station	looks like.  It's a
   low,	round building with a tower sticking up	from the center.
8) Radio shack.	 Buildings like	this are often seen around airports and
   contain equipment, perhaps used for ILS (instrument landing system) radios
   or field lighting equipment.

INSTRUMENTS
-----------
9) Turn	and slip indicator.  Used by pilots to make turns at specific rates
   and to make sure that use of	ailerons and rudder is coordinated.
10) VSI	(vertical speed	indicator).  Used to indicate how fast the plane is
   climbing or descending.
11) Airspeed indicator.	 Indicates airspeed, usually in	knots (1 knot equals
   1.15	mph).  Not completely accurate and does	not take into accounts winds
   so it cannot	indicate actual	ground speed.

12) Gyro compass.  Most	planes have both gyro and magnetic compasses.  The
   gyro	compass	has to be reset	before each flight, and	often in flight	while
   the magnetic	compass	does not.  However, when making	turns the gyro compass
   will	provide	accurate readings whereas the magnetic compass either leads or
   lags	the actual heading.
13) Artificial horizon (attitude).  Shows the plane's relationship to the
   horizon even	when you can't see the real one.  Indicates angle of bank
   and climb/descent.

THINGS FOUND AT	AIRPORTS
------------------------
14) Wind sock.	Indicates wind direction, and to a certain extent, speed.
15) Control tower.  Many airports used in general aviation do not have towers
   but those that do generally look something like this.  At least the one at
   Norwood, MA airport,	which this tile	is modeled after, does.
16) Hanger.  It's hard to find an airport without hangers of some kind.  This
   one is Wiggins Aviation hanger #1, where repairs and	maintenance are	done
   at my home airport.	If you'll look inside you'll see a deHavilland Twin
   Otter, a plane often	seen near this hanger, being worked on.
17) Fuel truck.	 You can't fly without fuel.  This is the Exxon truck usually
   parked near the entrance to the ramp	at Norwood airport.
18) Airport sign.  To fly you have to get to the airport first,	and you'll
   often see signs similar to this along the road pointing the way.
19) Runway sign.  Airports can get quite confusing when	you have several
   runways and multiple	taxiways so the	runways	and taxiways are often marked
   with	signs similar to this one.  This sign marks runway 35, the main	one
   at Norwood.	Most people don't know this, but the runway number is simply
   an indication of its	heading--runway	35 has a magnetic heading of about
   350 degrees or almost directly north.
20) Airport beacon.  Civilian airports that are	open at	night usually have a
   beacon that alternately flashes white and green.

BOOKS AND CHARTS
----------------
21) Airport/Facility Directory.	 This little green paperback is	required on
   any flight.	It provides all	information on airports	within a certain
   region (Northeast U.S. in this case,	since that's where I fly).  It's
   updated every 54 days and pilots are	expected to have a current copy	and
   refer to it for information on any airports they plan on using.
22) FAR-AIM.  Actually,	two books in one, this is the Federal Aviation
   Regulations and Airmans Information Manual.	The first section is the
   actual rules	put out	by the FAA that	pilots must follow.  The second	part
   is additional information that isn't actual rules, but helps pilots
   understand the national air system and how to use it	properly.
23) Sectional chart.  This is a	tiny section of	a sectional chart, the type
   of map used for visual flying.  It shows an area near my home centered on
   Hanscom Field in Bedford, MA.
24) Sectional chart.  A	closer look at part of a sectional chart.  This	shows
   one of the symbols used for airports, in this case my local airport in
   Norwood, MA.
25) Airport layout.  Instrument	pilots carry a book called U.S.	Terminal
   Procedures which include detailed charts on how to make instrument
   approaches to airports and also in many cases ground	layouts	of airports.
   There are also non-government publications that have	this information.
   This	tile shows a typical airport layout, in	this case OWD, the FAA
   designation for Norwood, MA.

THINGS FOUND IN	AIRPLANES
-------------------------
26) Radio stack.  Even small planes often have extensive radio equipment and
   this	is a typical stack of radios.  On top is a switching panel for
   connecting the microphone to	the proper transmitter and to select which
   radio(s) to listen to.  Below are two Bendix/King navcom (navigation	and
   communication) radios--these	have a dual function in	providing
   communications between the pilot and	controllers and	also are used to
   receive VOR navaids.	 On the	bottom is a Northstar M1 loran,	a more modern
   method of navigation	but one	that the FAA doesn't approve for use in
   actual instrument weather conditions.
27) Throttle.  This is a typical Piper throttle	control.  The throttle is on
   the left (black knob) and the mixture on the	right (red knob).  In the
   positions shown, the	plane is probably parked since the mixture is fully
   leaned out (minimum fuel flow).  On the front a hand	microphone can be
   held.
28) Headset.  Inside a small plane is noisier than a typical pressurized
   jetliner, but it's important that the pilot be able to hear the tower and
   other ground	controllers clearly and	for this a noise reducing headset is
   a great help.  The example shown is a typical David Clark model like	the
   one I and many other	pilots use.

VIEWS WHILE FLYING
------------------
29) Final approach.  This would	be a typical view just short of	a runway on
   final approach, in this case	runway 35 at Norwood.  Note the	runway
   lighting, green on the near end and red at the far end.  On the left	side
   is the VASI (visual approach	slope indicator) lights, a simple but very
   nice	aid to ensure that you're approaching the runway at the proper rate
   of descent.
30) Radio towers.  These are a great aid to visual navigation since they can
   often be seen from far away and are included	on sectional charts for	this
   reason (and to warn not to fly too low and hit them too!).  This tile shows
   some	of the monster towers along Route 128 in Needham, MA just north	of my
   local airport.  Since these are over	1000 feet high they make great
   landmarks!
31) Downwind.  This is the view	you should see on the downwind portion of a
   landing approach in a low wing aircraft.  The runway	can be seen just at
   the tip of the wing.
32) Panel and runway.  This view is from the pilot's (left) seat, showing the
   instrument panel and	a runway outside.  You might see a view	like this just
   at liftoff.
33) Taxiway.  At night taxiways	are marked with	blue lights (runways generally
   with	white lights).	A big airport at night can be quite colorful!

AIRCRAFT
--------
34) A typical high wing	aircraft, like most models made	by Cessna.
35) A typical low wing aircraft, like recent Piper models and those of
   other companies.
39) My favorite	airplane.  This	is a 1982 Piper	model PA28-181 (Archer II)
   with	tail number N8439T (all	U.S. registered	aircraft civilian have a
   tail	number beginning with "N" on them somewhere).

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  GENAV.TIL, GENAV.TXT copyright 1993 by Nels Anderson.	All rights reserved.
