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:

NDB approaches, though an older technology, are still relevant for FAA instrument pilot check rides and serve as a valuable backup navigation skill.
The NDB is a ground-based transmitter, and the aircraft's Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) uses a needle to indicate the relative bearing to the station, from which pilots calculate their magnetic bearing.
Key limitations of NDB/ADF navigation include susceptibility to atmospheric conditions (like night effect and precipitation static), terrain interference, and signal refraction near shorelines.
Flying an NDB approach involves tracking the station, identifying station passage when the ADF needle points downward, and making precise wind corrections for timed approaches.

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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.