Meet the flight operations console - more commonly referred to as “the helm”. It’s a multipurpose workstation that will allow a Quartermaster to fly the ship across three navigation modes. The current focus is on the most commonly used mode – impulse navigation.
A held bearing is where a set bearing is automatically executed every maneuvering cycle until stopped. This makes the vessel follow a circular course. This is useful for when a traversal maneuver is required, or when a large heading change needs to be broken down into smaller maneuvers.
The radius of the circular course is determined by the vessel’s speed and the chosen bearing. The Held Bearing Calculator (HBC) on the Impulse Maneuvering panel calculates the required bearing based on the desired course radius and vessel speed.
Impulse navigation occurs at subluminal speeds up to a maximum of 0.2C (one-fifth the speed of light). This navigation mode is where encounters with other vessels are most likely and where most tactical operations will occur.
