If you were anything like me during your childhood at school, you probably said at least one time if not more, “Why do I have to learn (insert school subject here) ? I’m never going to use this in real life!” For me it was usually math related—word problems, algebra, trigonometry, geometry, etc. Well, to my high school math teacher (also known as “Mom”), I am here to say that I was wrong and am sorry for complaining so much!
As it turns out, I use most of these math subjects every day. I use some basic algebra every time I calculate how much fuel I need for the next flight. I use geometry with navigation, angles for intercepting my course between airports, flying a nice rectangular pattern in the airport traffic pattern, and visualizing my angle of descent to the runway. I’m guessing there is some trigonometry mixed in there somewhere, but apparently that wasn’t one of my stronger subjects. :-)
The best of all were word problems. Did anybody in school actually think that word problems would one day be useful in real life? Not me! But here’s a type of word problem that I work through about 10 times a day:
Problem: MAF’s Cessna Caravan will leave Bunia this morning at 8:00am with enough fuel to travel the following route: Bunia-Dungu-Dingila-Doruma-Bunia. The pilot plans to take an extra 1.5 hours of fuel in addition to the fuel required to fly the route.
Using the information below, calculate the following:
-How many liters of fuel will the pilot need for the flight?
-After fueling the plane, how many kilograms are available for the passengers and their baggage?
Bunia to Dungu = 156 nautical miles
Dungu to Dingila = 150 nautical miles
Dingila to Doruma = 116 nautical miles
Doruma to Bunia = 242 nautical miles
Average speed = 145 nautical miles per hour
Fuel used per hour = 340 pounds
1 liter of jet fuel = 1.78 pounds
Weight available for fuel, baggage, and passengers = 3400 pounds
1 pound = 2.2 kilograms
So as it turns out, my Mom was right after all. It really was important to learn all of that stuff and I really do use it in real life. Mom was right. Imagine that! :-) Now if I can just figure out a practical use for my very least favorite thing that I ever studied in high school geometry—proofs.
