How do pilots navigate the plane in the air and reach point B from point A?

Answer 1

I'm no pro but since no one has responded yet, here's a start to answering your question. Pilots are trained, have compasses etc but I do know that Air Traffic Controllers are responsible for guiding the pilot from A to B. they monitor the aircraft on radars and instruct pilots on altitude, weather conditions, etc. They are Behind the Scenes helping make it all possible. Good Luck!

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I Dint want to edit the above answer, but the above statement is incorrect; I am a Trainee Pilot and understand flight navigation. ATC's are responsible to coordinate / guide landings and take off 's they also watch your craft on air and make sure you avoid a air collision, but they are in no way responsible to make sure you get from point A to Point B;

+ ATC's govern limited area (5 miles or so) and if you fly cross country or longer distances you may deal with a number of controllers.

1). Pilot manning aircraft's use instrument landing system to land and when they are close to a destination. The pilot is provided headings, called vectors, from air traffic control radar facilities when transitioning from en route airways to the ILS final approach course.

2). Pilots also Use GPS units to get exact coordinates and guide their trips

3). Airliners also use a gyroscopic system of navigation known as the inertial navigation system (INS). The pilot initializes this system by programming the latitude and longitude of the starting airport. The INS, which can detect the aircraft's motion and provide guidance to the destination. The cool thing about it is that it requires no External signals (unlike a GPS unit)

4). Pilot also frequently use a Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Radio Range, or VOR.

VOR is the the main devise used by airliners, military aircrafts also use a similar technology

---I have been using Microsoft Flight Simulator for about 4 years know, and I have talked to real-world pilots, and the above description is very good, but missing some key points.

Nearly all of the new jets, like Boeing 747's, use a glass cockpit. A glass cockpit is primarily composed of electronic instruments that guide pilots, usually FMS's (Flight Management Systems). Some of these instruments are:

-Primary Flight Display (PFD)

-Artificial Horizon (AH)

-Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI)

What most people do not know is that most times you fly, the pilot doesn't even land the plane. The plane can be landed using a ILS autopilot system. Airports using ILS runways allow the pilot to set the plane to land itself. This is the main reason that landings (or the whole flight for that matter) is so smooth. But don't get me wrong, all pilots are fully trained to land the plane completely themselves.

Hope this helps:)