VOR navigation

A VOR (VHF omnidirectional range) is a ground station that transmits 360 radials, one for each degree. A radial is always a magnetic bearing FROM the station. VORs operate between 108.0 and 117.95 MHz.

Tune and identify

Tune the frequency from the chart and listen to the Morse code identifier to make sure it's the right station and that it's working. If you hear "TEST" or nothing, don't use it.

The VOR indicator

• OBS (omni bearing selector): the knob you turn to choose a course.
• CDI (course deviation indicator): the needle. Full deflection is 10° off course; each dot is 2°. The needle points toward the selected course, so fly toward the needle.
• TO/FROM flag: tells you whether the selected course would take you to or from the station.

The VOR indicator doesn't know your heading. It only knows where you are relative to the station. That's why the needle works as expected only when your heading roughly agrees with the selected course.

Finding where you are

Turn the OBS until the needle centers with a FROM flag. The number at the top is the radial you're on. Center it with a TO flag instead, and that number is the course to fly direct to the station.

Tracking

To go to the station, center the needle with a TO flag and fly that heading, correcting toward the needle and adjusting for wind. When you pass over the station, the flag flips from TO to FROM. The area just above the station where the signal is unreliable is the cone of confusion.