VOR Survival Tricks

Well state right up front that flying IFR these days without even a portable GPS is just foolish. No matter how good your VOR skills might be, if you get that kind of situational awareness and backup in a used GPS for the cost of two tanks of avgas in a Cessna 172, why wouldnt you fly with one?That said, neither our GPS-and-WAAS satellite constellation, nor a $16,000 IFR-GPS navigator, is bulletproof. And even when you happily supplement your /U or /A status with a portable GPS, batteries die, screens fail and sometimes its easier to employ a few knob-twisting tricks rather than struggle to input the name of an unanticipated fix while trying to keep it all upright in turbulence. So (maybe for the last time in the run of this magazine) here are some of those VOR tips and techniques you may have forgotten. You never know when they might come in handy.

Key Takeaways:

• While GPS is crucial for IFR flight, VOR navigation skills remain essential as a reliable backup for situations like GPS failures, battery issues, or complex inputs in turbulence.
• Pilots can mentally simulate an HSI by superimposing their aircraft's heading onto the VOR OBS, providing improved situational awareness for intercepting radials and confirming position.
• The article details techniques to fly "direct" to an intersection defined by two VOR radials without GPS, using CDI deflections from both VORs to determine the correct heading.
• Maintaining proficiency in VOR techniques is worthwhile for pilots, offering a valuable alternative and deeper navigation understanding until the VOR system is eventually phased out.

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