User Guide

Why “initial” heading? Because, except in the rare case

when the wind is right on our nose (or the even rarer one when

it’s right on our tail), if we simply hold our 060 heading, sooner or

later we’ll be blown off course to the left or right. In either case,

the needle will deflect in the opposite direction, as seen here. The

rule for VOR tracking is simple: when the needle deflects, make a

small heading correction in that direction (“fly to the needle”);

once it re-centers, take out about half the correction, hold the new

heading, and watch the situation for a while.

Don’t “chase the

needle;” make a small heading correction, hold the new heading,

and wait for the needle to respond.

Flight Instruction

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127

If you merely want to determine your exact position, there

are a couple of ways to go about it. If you have DME, just make

sure it’s set to the nav receiver you’re using and read off the dis-

tance to the station.

Alternately, you could take a cross-bearing from another

VOR station. Let’s say that Centerville VOR is somewhere south-

west of Podunk. Tune your nav receiver to the Centerville fre-

quency and, once again, center the needle with a FROM flag in

view. In this illustration, you’re on the 030 radial from Centerville;

where it crosses the Podunk 315 radial is your exact position.

The more common use of VOR, however, is tracking, using

it to fly directly toward or away from a station. Let’s stick with

good old Podunk once again. We’re somewhere to the west of the

station, and want to fly right toward it.

Once again, turn the OBS until the needle centers, but this

time make sure the TO flag is in view. In this example, we’re on

the 240-degree radial. Since each radial is associated with a bear-

ing exactly 180 degrees away, flying on an initial heading of 060

degrees will take us right to the station.