USCG Exam PracticeVisual piloting — three-bearing fixes, danger bearings
A fix obtained by crossing two or more LOPs is considered more accurate than a running fix because:
- A. The bearing angles are always greater than 90 degrees apart in a standard fix
- ✓ The LOPs used in a standard fix are taken simultaneously, eliminating advancement errorCorrect
- C. A running fix uses three bearings while a standard fix uses only two
- D. Radar ranges are always used in a standard fix, reducing compass error
Why B is correct
Bowditch Ch. 7 §701 states a fix is the intersection of two or more LOPs taken simultaneously. Bowditch Ch. 7 §702 notes that a running fix is less accurate than a fix from simultaneous LOPs because the first LOP must be advanced along the DR track, introducing DR error.