Chart Wise: St. Charles, Missouri, VOR Rwy 18

Filing IFR and flying the VOR approach can prove useful to reach this busy GA airspace.

Jason Blair

Tuesday, July 29, 2025 at 08:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

St. Charles boasts many picturesque views. [Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

The St. Charles County Smartt Airport (KSET) VOR approach is commonly used for navigating busy Class B airspace, with ATC frequently providing vectors onto the final approach path.
Pilots should be aware that the Runway 18 approach is slightly offset from the runway, requiring a minor left turn for final alignment upon visual contact.
Key waypoints, including those on the non-straight-ahead missed approach, can be identified using traditional VOR cross-radials or DME.
Notably, the entire approach can be executed using only VOR navigation, providing a valuable skill for pilots without GPS or DME, or in the event of signal loss.

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Situated on the northwest of the St. Louis metropolitan area, the St. Charles County Smartt Airport (KSET) in Missouri is a busy general aviation facility that many pilots use to get into the area. Filing IFR and lying the VOR approach can be useful when the weather isn’t great, and it is also a good way to have approach control services to help navigate the busy Class B airspace that overlays nearby St. Louis Lambert International Airport (KSTL).

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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