Learning to Fly the NDB

Like driving a stick shift on a car, the non-directional beacon (NDB) approach is a handy skill for pilots.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, December 04, 2024 at 08:51 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

The fact is that NDB approaches, while increasingly rare, are still out there. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Non-directional beacon (NDB) approaches, despite being older technology, remain relevant for instrument pilots, are covered in FAA documentation, and can be assessed during check rides, making ADF proficiency a valuable skill.
The NDB is a ground-based transmitter, and the aircraft's automatic direction finder (ADF) uses a needle to indicate the relative bearing to the station, from which pilots calculate their magnetic bearing for navigation.
Pilots flying NDB approaches must continually monitor the ADF needle, apply manual wind corrections, and carefully time segments to accurately track to or from the station.
The NDB/ADF system has limitations, including signal interference from terrain, weather (precipitation static), and shorelines, which can cause erroneous readings and require pilot awareness.

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Do you know how to fly a non-directional beacon (NDB) approach using an automatic direction finder (ADF)? Could you teach someone how to do it?

Before you go off on the “new and better technology” available to instrument pilots, no one is disputing that. But the fact is that NDB approaches, while increasingly rare, are still out there. And there are still airplanes equipped with ADFs that enable the pilot to fly these NDB approaches—if only someone taught them how.