VOR Survival Tricks

Well state right up front that flying IFR these days without even a portable GPS is just foolish. No matter how good your VOR skills might be, if you get that kind of situational awareness and backup in a used GPS for the cost of two tanks of avgas in a Cessna 172, why wouldnt you fly with one?That said, neither our GPS-and-WAAS satellite constellation, nor a $16,000 IFR-GPS navigator, is bulletproof. And even when you happily supplement your /U or /A status with a portable GPS, batteries die, screens fail and sometimes its easier to employ a few knob-twisting tricks rather than struggle to input the name of an unanticipated fix while trying to keep it all upright in turbulence. So (maybe for the last time in the run of this magazine) here are some of those VOR tips and techniques you may have forgotten. You never know when they might come in handy.

Key Takeaways:

• Despite the modern reliance on GPS for IFR flight, the article emphasizes that VOR navigation skills remain crucial as a backup for potential GPS failures or when specific functions are unavailable.
• Pilots can achieve HSI-like situational awareness without a physical HSI by mentally superimposing their aircraft's heading onto the VOR OBS, aiding in course interception and understanding relative position.
• A technique for flying "direct" to an intersection defined by two crossing radials is detailed, allowing navigation to specific fixes using two VOR receivers even without RNAV capabilities.
• The article advocates for maintaining VOR competency, underscoring its value for deeper navigational understanding and as a practical skill until the system's eventual phase-out.

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