Practice test
3D Labs

VOR navigation in 3D

Place the airplane anywhere, turn the OBS knob and learn to read the needle and the TO/FROM flag.

Try it: click the ground to put the airplane somewhere, then turn the OBS until the needle centers. If the flag says FROM, you're on that radial. Remember: the VOR doesn't care which way you're heading.
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Variation treated as 0° for clarity

Needle full scale = 10° off course. Magenta dashed line on the map = the course you selected.

VOR challenge

  1. Center the needle with a FROM flag. What radial are you on?
  2. Center the needle with a TO flag. What course flies you to the station?
  3. Put the airplane on the 090 radial (east of the station).
  4. Fly within 2 NM of the station and watch the flag go OFF (cone of confusion).

How to read a VOR

  • A VOR sends out 360 radials, magnetic courses from the station. The 090 radial runs east from the station.
  • Turn the OBS to select a course. The needle shows where that course line is: needle left means the course is to your left.
  • The TO/FROM flag tells you whether flying the selected course would take you to or away from the station.
  • The VOR shows your position, not your heading. Set the OBS close to your heading, or the needle will seem backward (reverse sensing).
  • To find your radial: turn the OBS until the needle centers with a FROM flag. That number is the radial you're on.
Always identify the VOR by its Morse code before using it, and check the VOR receiver for IFR use (within 30 days). This lab treats variation as 0° so the compass rose matches the radials.

Sources: PHAK Chapter 16 (Navigation); Instrument Flying Handbook Chapter 10; AIM 1-1-3.

Check yourself

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