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 the prevalence of newer technology, NDB/ADF approaches are still featured in FAA documentation, can appear on instrument check rides, and represent a valuable, though declining, navigational skill for pilots.
The NDB/ADF system comprises ground transmitters and an aircraft receiver with a needle that indicates the relative bearing to the station, which pilots use to determine their magnetic bearing to or from the NDB.
Flying an NDB approach involves tracking the station, recognizing station passage (needle pointing down), and making methodical wind corrections, while being aware of signal limitations due to environmental factors like terrain, weather, and time of day.

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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.