Learning to Fly the NDB

Like driving a stick shift on a car, the non-directional beacon (NDB) approach is a handy skill for pilots.

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, December 04, 2024 at 08:51 AM ET

Verified

Edited By: tccjeremy

The fact is that NDB approaches, while increasingly rare, are still out there. [Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Despite being older technology, NDB approaches are still included in FAA documentation and instrument check rides, making it a valuable backup navigation skill for pilots.
The NDB is a ground-based transmitter operating in the low-frequency range, while the aircraft's ADF receiver uses a needle to point towards the station.
Pilots determine their magnetic bearing to the station by adding their magnetic heading to the relative bearing shown on the ADF, or by using a practical "finger" method.
NDB navigation has limitations, including signal fluctuations at night, terrain interference, and precipitation static, which pilots must consider and correct for when flying an approach.

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Do you know how to fly a non-directional beacon (NDB) approach using an automatic direction finder (ADF)? Could you teach someone how to do it?

Before you go off on the “new and better technology” available to instrument pilots, no one is disputing that. But the fact is that NDB approaches, while increasingly rare, are still out there. And there are still airplanes equipped with ADFs that enable the pilot to fly these NDB approaches—if only someone taught them how.