Aim off in navigation & map reading

I was looking for some videos about using a compass, but now I've watched enough of your videos that I can recognise I'm becoming addicted to your videos. Ignore the person that said you're waffling, as I like the extra bit of knowledge that you keep throwing in. It also shows how much you find the subject entertaining and adds another depth to your videos. Thanks for the knowledge.

This is the most important lesson I learnt as a new 2/Lt on exercise in Malaya in the early 1970's. A crusty old S/Sgt came up to me while I was looking intently at my map and my Pl was scattered around behind me and said "Do you know where you are Sir?". I was honest and said "no". "Whatcha goin a do then Sir?" I said "I'm going for a reccie". And with that I took off with my Batman to scout around. Over the ridge, I found a stream which was the one I had been "aiming" for. I went back, got the Pl and hiked over the ridge and carried on my traverse of the peninsula. The old S/Sgt came to me and explained how I "got lost", telling me that I had "aimed" for a creek junction but missed it [not by much, but you don't need to miss by much in the jungle]. I had turned the wrong way and carried on until I thought I had found the junction but I was too far North and although the "new" junction looked exactly like what I was aiming for, after half a click tributaries, ridges and the like didn't match my map! That lesson stood with me for my entire service [25 years] and never let me down!

Waffle on! I love history and hiking. Combining them is euphoric.

Often wondered what aiming off is. Now I know - ! Wayne explains things in simple terms.

Mathematically, the "aiming off" strategy gives you an expected walking distance that is shorter than almost(*) any alternative. But the difference between aiming off (and then going one way along the feature), and aiming directly for the feature (and then having to walk forwards and backwards along it) is very small. So I guess the more important difference is psychological, in that you don't have to make a decision when to head back (and that you would have to pace or time your leg forwards along the linear feature to allow for this decision). Let's say you know that when you arrive at a feature you have a 100m window of uncertainty. With aiming off, you'd intentionally put the window just to the west of your target, and then you know that you need to walk east between 0 and 100 meters (50 meters of distance to walk on average). With aiming straight for it, you place the window so that 50m of the window are west of the target and 50m are east of the target, with a 50:50 chance for either. Let's say you start walking east first (doesn't matter because both are equally likely to be correct). If your target was east of where you arrived, then you walk between 0m and 50m (with an average distance walked of 25m). If your target was west of where you arrived, then you need to pace out 50m to the east, double back westward on that and then walk another 0 to 50m west, for a total of 100 to 150m walking distance (125m average). Since each of the two is equally likely, you can expect to walk (25+125)/2=75m on average. The difference is 1/4 of the size of your window of uncertainty. (*) Yes, you could aim so that 25m of the window to search are west of where you arrive and 75m are east of where you arrive, and go east first. But that will only be even with "properly" aiming off if the probability that the target is in the center 50m is above 75% (and 12.5% probability each that the target is in the western and eastern most 25m).

Love your style Wayne, and the history insertions. Never heard of aiming off, absolutely ace skill to have. I am enjoying all your videos in order, brilliant. Thank you Phil

I think to be very good with map and compass navigation, but these solution aim off was unknown to me and i never came up this idee. Even if this is a very logic method. I am writing a manual for map, compass and GPS navigation. Especially the different coordinates systems, map reference frames, the map projections, the different circumferences 360°, 400 gon, the Mils, etc. Thanks for this valuable hint. In other of your video's i found more than once interesting tips. I like your videos, wel explained and correct. Unfortunately i see about these items so many junk, here on YT or on the internet, sometimes they are even really dangerous.

You are a superb instructor sir.

Thank you for the good information! Your videos are always helpful, very cool! Also, thank you for the lack of "click here, buy there", it's refreshing and super-nice to watch. I think i can see that you do all the filming alone, respect man! I appreciate the extra work you put in, after all you have to walk twice. You put the camera in place, then walk back, then walk forth again, also the hassle with the tripod every time, i can see the effort and i thank you for this. It also adds a special charm to your videos, what else can i say rather than thank you for your efforts! Greetings from a rural place without GPS in Austria!;-) Joachim

Keep on waffling! It brings your videos even more alive

I love land-navigation. it is one of my favorite things to teach. I really enjoy your videos. You are a great teacher with a great attitude and disposition.

This just makes such sense, thanks for sharing yet another potentially life saving tip - and literring your video with useful facts!

Another great video thank you

Brilliant videos, really informative. Thank you

I love your videos.

Excellent video and so very well presented thank you

In the US Army ROTC land nav course, this is called hand railing, and it is Forboten. However, I think it is an effective tactic. Thank You again.

Great videos, it's good to learn new stuff

Thanks for yet another good video. A question I have after watching the video. You mention aiming off 5 degrees before starting towards the wall and after reaching the wall you say that yoy aimed off 10 degrees. Is there any rule of thumbs about how many degrees or meters to aim off? Best wishes Nazanin

Waffling is good. A little history never hurts