Question About VOR Navigation

[BTilson]

I've figured out a bit (I think) about navigating with VOR stations. I successfully tuned one in, chose my bearing and used the swinging needle thingie to home in on the bearing and I actually SAW the VOR station. Looked like a little house with a bowling pin on top of it.

However, is VOR navigation good for anything other than just aligning yourself with a known point if you get lost? I imagine I am missing something about it, but from what I've figured out so far, VOR navigation doesn't seem to have many uses other than that.

Hopefully someone can clarify a bit for me.

Thanks!

[Isak922]

In terms of VOR, as far as I've figured out, You put the frequency in your Nav1/2 receiver, fly towards it, then once your nearby, input the next frequency for your trip. No idea if that's actually how it's done, but it works  ;)

[TSC.]

Isak has got it pretty well in a nutshell there, what you would do is plot your course before the flight, working out the bearing from one VOR to the next, when you reach your first VOR, you follow your previously worked out heading to the next one, most of the time you won't be receiving any sgnals until you are near the VOR station, but they will guide you back on track once you get near them. Remember that the wind will most likely be blowing you off course slightly aswell.

This site is has excellent tutorials for all sorts of instrument navigation & is well worth a look: http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/vor-nav.htm

Cheers,

TSC.

[garymbuska]

When flying IFR you will use VOR's (VECTOR OMNI RANGE) allot if you notice the SPOKES that are around a vor these are called RADIALS and have specific degrees and you would use say radial 120 to fly to your next way point , If you take the IFR lessons you will be introduced to what I am talking about. If your aircraft has a working FMC you can use the RADIALS to describe your flight path to the FMC rather than using the DIRECT TO method
Sorry if this is a little technical but I do not know of any other way to state it. 8-)

[kliest]

Plus with the readings from any two stations you can plot your position on a map.

Kliest