In an era of satellite-based precision approaches, a pilot’s understanding of how to find the destination airport using a nondirectional beacon might seem a waste of time. But in the United States, hundreds of NDBs remain in service, according to the FAA. Alaska alone has 70.
Chart Wise: Training and Technique
Key Takeaways:
- Nondirectional Beacons (NDBs), though an older and rudimentary navigation technology prone to signal fluctuations, remain widely in use as a cost-effective IFR approach option, especially where GPS overlays are not yet available.
- NDB approaches demand significantly high pilot attention due to the NDB's basic functionality (pointing only to the station, no distance or reliability warnings) and often require additional equipment, such as DME, for critical approach segments.
- These approaches present unique complexities and strict operational restrictions, including specific time-of-day limits, non-standard final approach fix (FAF) definitions, unusual missed-approach-point calculations, and high visibility minimums.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
