You'll learn that a good map study with charts and/or satellite imagery is always helpful in unfamiliar areas, even if they are not from the same altitude perspective.I'm not sure how much Google Earth would help anyway since it's going to be a much different view from the cockpit.
You'll learn that a good map study with charts and/or satellite imagery is always helpful in unfamiliar areas, even if they are not from the same altitude perspective.
The problem I had with course rules for Corpus and Google Earth were the shorelines. They don't look like the google earth images, at least the ones I tried to use when I was in primary. The mud flats never looked right.
It's good for a basic reference, and while it seems foreign, you'll get the hang of it soon.
Just draw it out a few times on a map and you'll be OK after a few flights, like others said, the radio calls are the toughest part, just about everything else is shorelines and a few reference points (Baffin Bay, Malachite Beach, Bob Hall Pier, Port A, 9 Mile Point and A-Lib). Throw in the camel humps, shrimp ponds and shamrock and you're good to go.
You can also grab a poster size satellite shot of the area at one of the local bait and tackle shops. It provides decent detail and you can draw in the working areas, course rules, etc...
The problem I had with course rules for Corpus and Google Earth were the shorelines. They don't look like the google earth images, at least the ones I tried to use when I was in primary. The mud flats never looked right.
Altitude and the viewpoint within Google Earth can be changed, providing a better view of what it looks like from the aircraft. I ain't gonna lie, I used Google Earth for trying to figure out the Corpus Christi course rules. And in regards to Whiting being more difficult, I disagree. There are definitely more turns and altitudes, and ground references at North Whiting, but the communication and coordination is more complex at Corpus Christi. They each have challenges.