VOR Navigation

AST 241
Chapter 2
History
VORs derived from the old 4-course radio
range from the late 1920s and 1930s
Gained widespread use for navigation in the
1950s
Made instrument navigation commonplace
Remain the basis for most of the worlds air
navigation systems- and will be for 5-10
yrs.
Principles of operation
VORs are commonly described as
broadcasting 360 separate radials emanating
from the station in all directions.
How do they really work?
VORs broadcast 2 signals- the reference
(or 360-N) signal and the rotating signal.

Principles of Operation
If the two signals are in phase the aircraft is
on the 360 radial, if the receiver detects
these signals are out of phase by then the
aircraft is located on the 90 radial from
the station and so on.
Principles of operation
Remember the VOR Omni head in the
aircraft only tells the pilot one thing which
is?
Where the aircraft is located with respect to
the selected radial- IF interpreted correctly.
No aircraft heading information (unless HIS)
No distance information
Principles of operation
What is the most important initial action
when using a VOR for air navigation?
Tune and IDENTIFY the Station
VOR information
How is a VOR used to Determine which
radial an aircraft is located on?
How is a VOR used to determine a heading
to get to a particular station?
How Can the VOR receiver(s) be used to
locate your relative position if lost?
VOR information
Most pilots are taught to use the VOR as a
command instrument- Which way do I
fly?
The VOR receiver was originally designed
as a SHI- Station Heading Indicator.
SHI Steps:
Tune and identify the station
Put the desired radial at the top of the indicator
and interpret where you are in relation to that
selected course.
Use the CDI (course deviation indicator) and the
TO/FROM flag to divide the VOR into quadrants.
The midpoint of the quadrant containing the CDI
and the TO/FROM flag will give a 45 degree
INBOUND intercept for the selected course.
SHI steps ctn.
The midpoint of the quadrant with the CDI but
opposite the TO/FROM flag will give a 45 degree
OUTBOUND intercept
REMEMBER- if after that you plan to track TO
the station to orient the OMNI Head so that your
aircraft heading and VOR indication are the same
to avoid reverse sensing- Have a TO indication if
going TO the station.
Tracking
All previous principles work well in a no-wind
situation
Wind complicates the process in 3 ways:
The greater the distance from the station the
slower the needle reacts (Fig. 2-11)
The stronger the cross-wind the greater the
correction should be
The faster the aircraft the less the correction
should be- less relative effect on the aircraft
Tracking
2 Basic means of establishing track:
Bracketing and Estimating
Bracketing- logical trial & Error
The speed of needle drift is an indirect
indication of the crosswind strength
Tracking
The 30 degree rule for tracking:
Make a 30 degree initial turn toward the needle
(assuming correct orientation)
When the needle centers- remove of the
correction- 7-8 degrees.
Watch needle
If it drifts back in the direction of the original
drift- add the 7-8 removed degrees back in and go
7-8 in the other direction
Tracking
If the needle drifts the other way take 8
degrees out.
Go through this iteration again using 3-4
degrees and then again with 1-2 degrees
until a workable heading is found
*Then the wind will change!
Estimating
Estimating is essentially the same as
tracking except you start with a pre-
calculated value based on known wind
information.
When using this method begin with 5
degree changes instead of the 15 degrees
used when winds are not known.- this is
generally a quicker method.
VOR testing
How often do VOR receivers have to be
tested for tolerance for VFR flight?
How about for IFR flight?
Every 30 days- with a logbook entry give
date, time/place, name & bearing error.
Many airports have VOT facilties
What are they and how do you know if they
have one?
Testing
What is the allowable error if using a VOT?
+/- 4 degrees
What are the acceptable VOR indications
when using a VOT?
180-TO and 360- From
Some airports have certified VOR
checkpoints on the field- refer the the AFD.
Testing
When using checkpoints what are the allowable
tolerances?
Ground +/- 4 degrees
Flight +/- 6 degrees
You are allowed to make your own checkpoints
If tested against each other 2 receivers must be
within ______ degrees?
4 degrees
Testing
It is recommended that VORs be
periodically calibrated as they may indicate
correctly close to the station yet be out of
tolerance when at a greater distance.
VOR range
The VOR transmission is limited to line of
sight and can be disrupted by terrain- to
avoid this stay on published airways or refer
to the AFD
Remember the VOR accuracy is limited to 1
degree which may add up to a 28 mile
discrepancy at 200 miles if the VOR is at
the 4 degree max. tolerance.
VOR range
Terminal VOR (T)- from 1,000 ft. to 12,000
ft. out to 25 NM
Low Alt. (L)- from 1,000 ft. to 18,000 ft out
to 40 NM
High Alt.(H)- from 1,000 ft. 14,500 out to
40 NM, from 14,500ft. 60,000 ft. out to
100 NM and from 18,000 ft. - 45,000 ft. out
to 130 NM.

The End