Sim Flight Training: PPL: Part 5 of 7

[Brett_Henderson]

SimV Private Pilot:

1-Plan a flight of 50nm or more, accounting for winds aloft and their affect on heading and ground-speed. Calculate the minimum fuel needed (including reserves) and the maximum payload at that fuel level.

2-Fly the planned flight holding heading (+/- 10 degrees) and altitude (+/- 100 feet); enter the traffic pattern safely; execute a touch-and-go and fly one complete lap around the pattern and then execute a full-stop, short-field landing.

3-Execute a short-field takeoff.

4-Execute a constant-airspeed, climbing turn.

5-Track a VOR radial and fly to an NDB.

6-Execute a 360 degree, steep turn (greater than 45 degrees bank) holding altitude +/- 100 feet and rolling out on heading +/- 10 degrees.

7-Execute a no-flap landing.

It's kind of hard to just say, "Track a VOR radial" without having a goal in mind. So this lesson will actually be an intro to VOR navigation... with an NDB thrown in by thread's end.

Again, some fundementals will be assumed. You'll know how to find a VOR fequency on a VFR sectional; an IFR low-altitude chart.. or

[beaky]

How do we go about finding Airport 2 ?

Follow the railroad tracks?







Wait, that's not the right answer,  is it...  


:-/

[Brett_Henderson]

[ThomasKaira]

[quote]

[Brett_Henderson]

My Strategy:

Take off, tune VORs, set VOR2 OBS to 155
Fly direct to VOR 1
Reset VOR1 OBS to 085
Fly until VOR2 shows crossover
Descend and land via IAP.

Yes.. that would work well, and would be the way you'd file it IFR. You can't just file IFR direct to an airport, and then hope ATC holds your hand. You have to file a plan that can be followed, IMC, with no ATC.

However.. on a VFR flight, you'd know the winds aloft ( because you're such a thorough flight planner

[beaky]

I agree with your blue lines: generally I try to fly direct by pilotage and DR, using the VORs as a backup, although in this scenario I might look for a decent visual landmark on the chart near the radial line, and plan to intercept there... it depends on other factors.

Another very good reason to avoid flying directly to VORs when VFR is that it vastly increases your chances of meeting another plane by accident. A lot of VFR pilots avoid it, but a IFR training flight with the PIC under the hood will not. Also, many IFR-rated pilots file IFR even when conditions are VMC, in order to practice using the system. they're supposed to be looking outside when it's VMC, but... they may not. Every pilot trying to nail a VOR station is going to soend more time looking at that needle than looking outside; this is obvious. ATC can help, and in fact they are the safety net when IFR flights converge on a VOR in IMC, but Flight Following may not cover everybody's butt in this VMC scenario.
It's much safer to fly an arc towards the outbound radial, avoiding the station itself, and cutting the corner saves you time and fuel. Just a few miles is enough, no need to do anything radical. I always make sure the needle is sensing that outbound radial and moving towards the center before I veer towards it, to be sure I won't wander away from it.

Of course, if I have two nav tuners available, I would have VOR2 tuned in just in case I reach my ETA for the airport and don't see it... the intersection of the two radials is a very useful tool. Even if I somehow miss even that and still don't have the field in sight, all I have to do is move one or both OBS to find out where I really am, then take it from there.

Having DME capability would obviously make this whole thing much easier, once you know the distance from VOR2 to the airport.

[Brett_Henderson]

VOR Tip 1 :

The VOR gauge and CDI

[Brett_Henderson]

I agree with your blue lines: generally I try to fly direct by pilotage and DR, using the VORs as a backup, although in this scenario I might look for a decent visual landmark on the chart near the radial line, and plan to intercept there... it depends on other factors.

Another very good reason to avoid flying directly to VORs when VFR is that it vastly increases your chances of meeting another plane by accident. A lot of VFR pilots avoid it, but a IFR training flight with the PIC under the hood will not. Also, many IFR-rated pilots file IFR even when conditions are VMC, in order to practice using the system. they're supposed to be looking outside when it's VMC, but... they may not. Every pilot trying to nail a VOR station is going to soend more time looking at that needle than looking outside; this is obvious. ATC can help, and in fact they are the safety net when IFR flights converge on a VOR in IMC, but Flight Following may not cover everybody's butt in this VMC scenario.
It's much safer to fly an arc towards the outbound radial, avoiding the station itself, and cutting the corner saves you time and fuel. Just a few miles is enough, no need to do anything radical. I always make sure the needle is sensing that outbound radial and moving towards the center before I veer towards it, to be sure I won't wander away from it.

Of course, if I have two nav tuners available, I would have VOR2 tuned in just in case I reach my ETA for the airport and don't see it... the intersection of the two radials is a very useful tool. Even if I somehow miss even that and still don't have the field in sight, all I have to do is move one or both OBS to find out where I really am, then take it from there.

Having DME capability would obviously make this whole thing much easier, once you know the distance from VOR2 to the airport.

I agree, and it's good to mention what you've mentioned... Keeps everything in perspective, and keeps the piloting state of mind going re: navigation in general.

All we're trying to do here, is learn about VOR radial interception and tracking.

[Brett_Henderson]

VOR Tip 2:

If you've read this far, and are still befuddled by VORs (and have studied that thread).. Stick with us here. I promise it will click eventually. I'm prepared to stay with Part 5 until it does... So feel free to post questions, no matter how simple (or complicated) you think they might be. I've seen veteran pilots who are still intimidated by VOR navigation. All it takes is repetition and exposure (and asking questions)..  

[SubZer0]

[quote][quote]

However.. on a VFR flight, you'd know the winds aloft ( because you're such a thorough flight planner

[Brett_Henderson]

You've lost me here. How do you dial two VORs to the intersecting radials? The intersecting radial in the picture is the airport correct? Which is where the two radials from each VOR meet. I don't understand how you can use two VORs to get to one point. How would you tune that with the radios?

Good question

[SubZer0]

That's what I was thinking, just wanted to be sure.

So that basically means that when both of the CDIs are centered, you're right over the airport, right?

I also understand that using two VORs, you don't have to fly directly from a VOR to the airport (as I have been doing), but you can just fly there directly using two VORs.  Didn't know that. Now I actually have a reason to use that VOR2 gauge  

Anything else I'm not catching here, Brett?

[Brett_Henderson]

You're catching on. VOR navigation in theory, is easy... it's just that the VORs themselves are kinda counter-intuitive. Once it clicks, it clicks. It's not always about flying all the way to a VOR, and then on to another VOR. Sometimes it's like what we've done here.

You'd still be using both VORs even if you followed the green course. Unless of course you wanted to keep switching frequencies and changing OBS settings to see if you were near, or at the intersection.

So that basically means that when both of the CDIs are centered, you're right over the airport, right?

Right... when a CDI is centered, you're  ON  that radial (regardless of your heading). If both CDIs are centered, you're on both radials.. and there's only one place where one plane can be on both of those radials..  :)

Also.. if you have a DME (like the MSFS C172 does).. you could just intersect one radial and then track it until you're at the known distance from that VOR.. i.e  Airport-2 is on the 085 radial at DME 16.5nm

[Brett_Henderson]

ALSO.. many instrument fixes, waypoints and holds are VOR radial intersections... So it's a good thing to get comfortable with plotting them, and flying to them.

OR.. picture this:

[SubZer0]

Great  :D

Now that we have that cleared up, how do I find the distance of an airport from a VOR? Can this be found at SkyVector?