Re:The Lost Art of Nomography (2009) [pdf]
by kqr on Monday January 02, 2023 @07:38AM
(#34217286)
I don't have the image at hand but the most impressive nomogram (?) I've seen was in a pilot's operating handbook for some version of the DC-3.
It allows you to calculate take-off ground run distance as a function of no less than four variables! Namely,
- gross weight,
- altitude,
- headwind, and
- softness of ground surface.
The same POH also had two more useful (but simpler) nomograms:
- density altitude as a function of temperature and altitude, and
- rate of climb as a function of density altitude and gross weight.
The reason I remember these two is not that they were particularly cool on their own, but because they were placed side-by-side in the POH so you could also think of them as a single nomogram that let you compute rate of climb as a function of temperature, altitude, and gross weight.
It allows you to calculate take-off ground run distance as a function of no less than four variables! Namely,
- gross weight,
- altitude,
- headwind, and
- softness of ground surface.
The same POH also had two more useful (but simpler) nomograms:
- density altitude as a function of temperature and altitude, and
- rate of climb as a function of density altitude and gross weight.
The reason I remember these two is not that they were particularly cool on their own, but because they were placed side-by-side in the POH so you could also think of them as a single nomogram that let you compute rate of climb as a function of temperature, altitude, and gross weight.