The Fading Legacy of the NDB Approach

Are old-school navigation aids such as this still worth mastering?

Meg Godlewski

Wednesday, June 10, 2026 at 09:40 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Travis Tingle

A student in AATD that has an ADF [Credit: Meg Godlewski]

Key Takeaways:

There are currently 76 NDB (Non-Directional Beacon) approaches remaining in the U.S., a significant decrease from previous years.
Flying NDB approaches is no longer a requirement for the FAA Instrument Rating checkride or knowledge test, as they were removed from the Airman Certification Standards years ago.
Despite their rarity, some pilots, particularly CFIs, still learn these challenging "old school" approaches using simulators or scarce equipment to develop a broader skillset.

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Question: I am working on my instrument rating and a lot of the talk in the FBO is about the instrument approaches that the FAA has put out of service. The airport used to have an NDB [non-directional beacon] approach, but that was replaced by an RNAV a few years ago. Pilots tell horror stories about flying the NDB. Are there any NDB approaches still out there, are they difficult to fly, and do I need to know how to fly one?

Answer: According to the recently issued Instrument Flight Procedures Inventory Summary for the FAA, there are presently 76 NDB approaches in the U.S. The number breaks down to 72 NDB and four NDB/DME. That’s down from 149 a year ago.