Reverse Sensing

Some of you are already yawning, thinking to yourselves, With GPS and moving maps, who needs VHF nav anyway? To an extent, thats a valid argument, especially regarding VORs. But, there are still a lot of localizer and localizer back course approaches out there, and you may have to fly one. You shouldnt entirely dismiss VHF navigation just yet.

Frank Bowlin

Tuesday, May 10, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

VHF navigation, especially localizer approaches, remains crucial for pilots despite GPS, though it often causes confusion due to its unique interpretation requirements.
VORs utilize an Omni-Bearing Selector (OBS) and provide "to/from" indications, where the Course Deviation Indicator (CDI) offers corrections relative to the selected course, independent of the aircraft's actual heading.
Localizers differ significantly, lacking OBS or "to/from" indications; the CDI simply shows deviation from a fixed beam. Pilots must correctly interpret this deviation based on whether they are flying inbound/outbound on the front/back course to determine if they should "chase" or "correct away" from the needle.

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Some of you are already yawning, thinking to yourselves, “With GPS and moving maps, who needs VHF nav anyway?” To an extent, that’s a valid argument, especially regarding VORs. But, there are still a lot of localizer and localizer back course approaches out there, and you may have to fly one. You shouldn’t entirely dismiss VHF navigation just yet.

Look at the Grand Forks LOC BC Runway 17R approach. If you know right away how to set up your navigation, what OBS settings to use and how to read your instruments (HSI or VOR/LOC indicator) on the approach with procedure turn and missed, you can stop here and even skip next month’s clinic.