Flight Training - July 2022 - 15

HOW IT WORKS
BY JULIE SUMMERS WALKER
VOR SYSTEM
THE TAIL KNOWS
THE ANTENNA ON THE TAIL OF YOUR AIRcraft
knows something. And it is pretty
important. It receives signals from nearby
VOR (very high frequency omnidirectional
range) ground stations. The VOR system
consists of a ground component and an
aircraft receiver component. Ground stations
transmit radio signals on a designated
frequency. On your aircraft, there's a VOR
antenna, a VOR frequency selector, and
an in-cockpit instrument. The instrument
can be an course deviation indicator (CDI),
horizontal situation indicator (HSI), or
radio magnetic indicator (RMI). At VOR/
DMEs, distance measuring equipment
(DME) collocates with a VOR to give distance
from the VOR station.
The ground station is referenced to
magnetic north and emits two signals.
These are a 360-degree sweeping signal
and an omni-directional reference signal.
The signals are compared at the aircraft's
receiver and the difference between them
is displayed in the cockpit. The instrument
in the cockpit looks like a compass.
Centering the needle shows the radial the
airplane is on, giving the direction from
the station.
There are three classes of VORs:
terminal, low-altitude, and high-altitude.
Terminal VOR signals reach up to about
12,000 feet high and a radius of 25 nautical
miles. Low-altitude VORs are usable
up to about 18,000 feet high and 40 nm.
High-altitude VORs may be usable up to
60,000 feet high and 130 nm.
The FAA is phasing out some VORs
(in favor of GPS), but there are still hundreds
of VOR stations around the country.
If you get lost, they can quickly help identify
your position. They might be 1940s
technology, but it's nice to know you can
always find your way home.
julie.walker@aopa.org
40 nm
60,000 ft
45,000 ft
DID YOU KNOW?
The farther away you
are from a VOR, the
higher you need to fly
to get signal reception.
130 nm
18,000 ft
14,500 ft
1,000 ft
HIGH ALTITUDE
25 nm
12,000 ft
1,000 ft
TO
TERMINAL
FR
OBS
TO
TO
FR
FR
OBS
OBS
OBS
Omnibearing
selector knob
FR
Approximately
2 degrees per
dot deflection
1,000 ft
LOW ALTITUDE
TO
To/From
indicator
CDI needle
18,000 ft
Course Deviation Indicator
Course index
Unreliable
signal flag
TO
FR
TO
OBS
FR
OBS
FLIGHT TRAINING JULY 2022
15
33
33
33
33
33
33
30
30
30
30
30
30
24
24
24
24
24
24
21
21
21
21
21
21
15
15
15
15
15
15
6
6
6
6
6
6
N
S
N
N
N
S
S
S
N
N
S
S
W
W
W
W
W
W
E
E
E
E
E
E
3
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
12
172°
352°
STEVE KARP

Flight Training - July 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - July 2022

Contents
Flight Training - July 2022 - Intro
Flight Training - July 2022 - Cover1
Flight Training - July 2022 - Cover2
Flight Training - July 2022 - Contents
Flight Training - July 2022 - 2
Flight Training - July 2022 - 3
Flight Training - July 2022 - 4
Flight Training - July 2022 - 5
Flight Training - July 2022 - 6
Flight Training - July 2022 - 7
Flight Training - July 2022 - 8
Flight Training - July 2022 - 9
Flight Training - July 2022 - 10
Flight Training - July 2022 - 11
Flight Training - July 2022 - 12
Flight Training - July 2022 - 13
Flight Training - July 2022 - 14
Flight Training - July 2022 - 15
Flight Training - July 2022 - 16
Flight Training - July 2022 - 17
Flight Training - July 2022 - 18
Flight Training - July 2022 - 19
Flight Training - July 2022 - 20
Flight Training - July 2022 - 21
Flight Training - July 2022 - 22
Flight Training - July 2022 - 23
Flight Training - July 2022 - 24
Flight Training - July 2022 - 25
Flight Training - July 2022 - 26
Flight Training - July 2022 - 27
Flight Training - July 2022 - 28
Flight Training - July 2022 - 29
Flight Training - July 2022 - 30
Flight Training - July 2022 - 31
Flight Training - July 2022 - 32
Flight Training - July 2022 - 33
Flight Training - July 2022 - 34
Flight Training - July 2022 - 35
Flight Training - July 2022 - 36
Flight Training - July 2022 - 37
Flight Training - July 2022 - 38
Flight Training - July 2022 - 39
Flight Training - July 2022 - 40
Flight Training - July 2022 - 41
Flight Training - July 2022 - 42
Flight Training - July 2022 - 43
Flight Training - July 2022 - 44
Flight Training - July 2022 - 45
Flight Training - July 2022 - 46
Flight Training - July 2022 - 47
Flight Training - July 2022 - 48
Flight Training - July 2022 - 49
Flight Training - July 2022 - 50
Flight Training - July 2022 - 51
Flight Training - July 2022 - 52
Flight Training - July 2022 - 53
Flight Training - July 2022 - 54
Flight Training - July 2022 - 55
Flight Training - July 2022 - 56
Flight Training - July 2022 - Cover3
Flight Training - July 2022 - Cover4
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