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GOT DME?

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Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article highlights the necessity of relearning and utilizing traditional ground-based navigation (VOR, DME, LOC) and detailed chart interpretation when transitioning from modern glass-panel aircraft to older "six-pack" setups.
  • It details the complexities of flying a Localizer (LOC) approach, including correctly interpreting equipment requirements (e.g., "ADF or DME required"), executing DME arcs, and understanding lead radials and approach timing.
  • A critical lesson involves carefully distinguishing between VOR-derived and Localizer-derived DME information and efficiently managing limited navigation receivers throughout the approach and missed approach phases.
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With full RNAV equipment, the occasional ILS might seem quaint, but it’s still a useful procedure. It even requires RNAV in some updated versions. Meanwhile, there are still plenty of ground-based navaids to accommodate the full spectrum of aircraft capabilities, all the way down to “legacy” avionics, of which, yes, there really are lots. Some are newly acquired, waiting for avionics makeovers. Until such time, new owners might need refreshers on VOR, DME and LOC.

Back to Six-Pack

A few weeks back, you found a cherry Piper Cherokee 140 for sale. Efficient and user-friendly, it’s perfect for your two-hour commutes to visit friends and relatives from your home in the Twin Cities. This beauty came with a new interior and paint, and even new replacement vacuum-driven AI and DG, but only one VOR/LOC receiver with CDI (no glideslope). It also has DME, however that works.

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