MON Airports vs. MON VORs and More

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Editorial Staff

Monday, April 11, 2016 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The Minimum Operational Network (MON) will gradually phase out most Victor airways, repurposing remaining VORs and airways to guide aircraft to designated MON airports, not necessarily VORs on those airports.
Aircraft equipped with ADS-B Out should generally keep their transponder on when powered, but pilots must comply if Air Traffic Control requests them to "squawk standby."
Pilots encountering problematic ATC procedures can advocate for changes by contacting air traffic facility management and gathering local pilot support, always remembering to use "unable" for safety.
While modern GPS significantly enhances situational awareness, pilots must remain actively engaged in flight operations to avoid complacency and over-reliance on automation.

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MON Airports vs. MON VORs

Reading the sidebar to Fred Simonds’ February article “GPS Backup Strategies” about the MON, I wonder if Victor airways will disappear when the FAA decides that GPS is the primary means of navigation in the NAS. I get that when satellite navigation goes dark the priority is to get all airborne IFR flights on the ground somewhere—anywhere—so wouldn’t pilot action be to tune the nearest MON airport and fly direct (if above 5000 feet AGL) and fly a published ILS or VOR approach from an IAF with no need to follow an airway to get there?

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