Narrative:

I was flying with a captain that is based in a different part of the country, and he had only flown into eyw one other time as a first officer, a long time ago. I had not been into eyw very much recently, and the times that I had been there recently, I was flying a different model of the airplane, which allows you to display a moving map of the FMS on the ehsi. This FMS is GPS based. The plane that we had has a VOR based FMS that can be displayed only on the captain's conventional HSI with a moving map superimposed on the radar. We took off on runway 9 and we were given a 360 degree heading to join the duval 1 arrival into mia. I set the outbound radial from eyw on my HSI from memory, without consulting the STAR. I mistakenly set 068 degrees, which is the radial inbound to dhp from duval, instead of 037 degrees. The FMS was a little bit unreliable, which is not unusual departing eyw, until you climb high enough to receive a second VOR. The captain asked me if this was normal, and I told him that it was. I then told him that we were quite a bit off course, because I had a full- scale deflection to the right. He then selected the eyw 068 degree radial on his HSI and proceeded to intercept it. Navy key west approach then handed us off to ZMA. When I checked on with miami, I told the controller that we were deviating north of course due to a thunderstorm cell that was on the eyw 068 degree radial. The controller advised us that we were actually south of course, and that we were right in the middle of R-2906 where there is a WX balloon on a cable at 8000 ft. He suggested that we make an immediate left turn to 360 degrees. We made the turn and safely departed the restr area. The rest of the flight was uneventful. I feel that a combination of my complacency, due to the fact that I have flown into eyw dozens of times in the past yr and a half, the fact that I did not have the GPS FMS on my ehsi, the fact that neither one of us consulted a chart, even though I had mine out, the fact that the captain was relying on me too much since he was unfamiliar with the route, and the fact that the navy key west controller never said anything about our deviation south of course, all combined to cause this problem. To prevent a recurrence of this problem, I will always check the chart when I am not using the GPS FMS, before setting a radial from memory, regardless of how many times I have flown the route.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RPTR FO SET RADIAL FROM MEMORY DURING DEP AND FLC FLEW INTO RESTR AREA. ERROR ADMITTED.

Narrative: I WAS FLYING WITH A CAPT THAT IS BASED IN A DIFFERENT PART OF THE COUNTRY, AND HE HAD ONLY FLOWN INTO EYW ONE OTHER TIME AS A FO, A LONG TIME AGO. I HAD NOT BEEN INTO EYW VERY MUCH RECENTLY, AND THE TIMES THAT I HAD BEEN THERE RECENTLY, I WAS FLYING A DIFFERENT MODEL OF THE AIRPLANE, WHICH ALLOWS YOU TO DISPLAY A MOVING MAP OF THE FMS ON THE EHSI. THIS FMS IS GPS BASED. THE PLANE THAT WE HAD HAS A VOR BASED FMS THAT CAN BE DISPLAYED ONLY ON THE CAPT'S CONVENTIONAL HSI WITH A MOVING MAP SUPERIMPOSED ON THE RADAR. WE TOOK OFF ON RWY 9 AND WE WERE GIVEN A 360 DEG HDG TO JOIN THE DUVAL 1 ARR INTO MIA. I SET THE OUTBOUND RADIAL FROM EYW ON MY HSI FROM MEMORY, WITHOUT CONSULTING THE STAR. I MISTAKENLY SET 068 DEGS, WHICH IS THE RADIAL INBOUND TO DHP FROM DUVAL, INSTEAD OF 037 DEGS. THE FMS WAS A LITTLE BIT UNRELIABLE, WHICH IS NOT UNUSUAL DEPARTING EYW, UNTIL YOU CLB HIGH ENOUGH TO RECEIVE A SECOND VOR. THE CAPT ASKED ME IF THIS WAS NORMAL, AND I TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS. I THEN TOLD HIM THAT WE WERE QUITE A BIT OFF COURSE, BECAUSE I HAD A FULL- SCALE DEFLECTION TO THE R. HE THEN SELECTED THE EYW 068 DEG RADIAL ON HIS HSI AND PROCEEDED TO INTERCEPT IT. NAVY KEY WEST APCH THEN HANDED US OFF TO ZMA. WHEN I CHKED ON WITH MIAMI, I TOLD THE CTLR THAT WE WERE DEVIATING N OF COURSE DUE TO A TSTM CELL THAT WAS ON THE EYW 068 DEG RADIAL. THE CTLR ADVISED US THAT WE WERE ACTUALLY S OF COURSE, AND THAT WE WERE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF R-2906 WHERE THERE IS A WX BALLOON ON A CABLE AT 8000 FT. HE SUGGESTED THAT WE MAKE AN IMMEDIATE L TURN TO 360 DEGS. WE MADE THE TURN AND SAFELY DEPARTED THE RESTR AREA. THE REST OF THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL. I FEEL THAT A COMBINATION OF MY COMPLACENCY, DUE TO THE FACT THAT I HAVE FLOWN INTO EYW DOZENS OF TIMES IN THE PAST YR AND A HALF, THE FACT THAT I DID NOT HAVE THE GPS FMS ON MY EHSI, THE FACT THAT NEITHER ONE OF US CONSULTED A CHART, EVEN THOUGH I HAD MINE OUT, THE FACT THAT THE CAPT WAS RELYING ON ME TOO MUCH SINCE HE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH THE RTE, AND THE FACT THAT THE NAVY KEY WEST CTLR NEVER SAID ANYTHING ABOUT OUR DEV S OF COURSE, ALL COMBINED TO CAUSE THIS PROB. TO PREVENT A RECURRENCE OF THIS PROB, I WILL ALWAYS CHK THE CHART WHEN I AM NOT USING THE GPS FMS, BEFORE SETTING A RADIAL FROM MEMORY, REGARDLESS OF HOW MANY TIMES I HAVE FLOWN THE RTE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.