I'm barely starting with sim. Thanks for this! This is a huge help! Thank you for the (left) diagram/animation and the (right) movement of the VOR (OBS knob). I'll look at this a few more times, though I think I'm getting it.
Absolute newbie on Flight Sim 2020. Never used a sim before. T1 diabetic diagnosed at age 17 so not allowed to fly in real life even though it was always my dream as a kid. Now 35 years later, I'm finding the basic instructional videos with FS2020 far beyond the scope of a true absolute novice. I have a degree in electrical engineering so I'm no idiot, but goodness you'd think the designers of FS2020 would truly include an absolute beginner tutorial in their software.
Relying only on GPS is real risk in Northern Europe, close to Russian airspace as Russians do jam GPS signals occasionally ( not on a monthly bases but it can happen once a year ) especially during the military exercises. So be prepared to find yourself in Germany (according to GPS) while flying close to Helsinki.
With the needle (CDI) centered, the OBS will always give you position information (what radial you are on). With a FROM flag, and needle centered, read your position (radial that you are on) at the OBS top index arrow. With a TO flag, and needle centered, read your position (radial that you are on) at the OBS bottom index (reciprocal). With the CDI centered, flying the course indicated at the OBS top index,from that position, will take you TO or FROM the station as indicated by the TO or FROM flag. If you understand this at first glance, I would say buy a lottery ticket today !!!
Jon.. Looked for this VOR software on your site. Under the "Private Pilot Tab" which is actually a drop down menu list, there are various courses. BUT -- None show this VOR software as you indicated in reply below. Please provide the link or clarify where to go on your site. thanks
Depending on the heading that you select on your VOR you are either flying FROM the station ( which is away from it ) or TO the station ( which is towards it ). This video is similar maybe you will understand it better ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-ZewYS4VlwNQ.html
Good review. I may have missed where you mentioned it but do I recall correctly VOR stands for VHS Omni-directional Radio (beacon)? I have not added to my 150 VFR hours since 1990 but plan to get back in the air again soon. If you ever update this video, it would be great to see how someone in a pinch (getting lost after dark or cieling drops unexpectedly in an old plane without GPS) one could find his way home. Thanks!
Hey Brett! Check out the "tracking courses" video on our channel using a VOR. That can help ya practice for that very scenario of how to find your way home! Be Safe! -Jon
Thank you for this great VOR refresher. Am prepping for my flight review now and this removed a few cobwebs on VOR usage since I primarily use GPS since getting my ppl. Well done!
Great video and visuals, subscribed and watching a few of your videos every day as I prepare for my PPL exam. Maybe add how to tell when you are left or right of a coarse with the swinging needle. Maybe you are saving this for another video though. Thanks again!
Yes thank you. I'd like to see how to use VOR to get from point A to point B to point C. FYI. Great, great job on your videos; thanks so much for taking the time and effort to put these up.
General rule of thumb for GA pilots flying lower altitudes, 40nm for most, and 25nm for terminal class VORs. Check out VOR Service Volumes on the fly8ma.com site for a full explanation
A single VOR receiver can only tune and track one VOR (or radial you could say) at a time. You would need two VOR receivers to track two VORs (or two radials) at once.
FLY8MA.com Flight Training thought so! That was a question my DPE asked on my CFII ride. He said something like "if I'm 20 miles away from a VOR can I in between two radials?" I had the dear in headlights look... ha
Never tried this, but here's my guess: If you have two receivers, tune them both to the same VOR and set them to the two radials you want to fly in-between.Now have one of your CDIs be left of the center and the other right. There you go - you are between the radials. If you only have one, I guess you have to switch back and forth between the two radials to check. If you are 20 miles out, the distance between each radial is about a third of a mile, I think, so there should be plenty of space to be in the middle.
I'm going to suggest that your DPI was trying to get you to show knowledge about the fact that radials spread out like a fan as they get further from a VOR. If you are 20 miles from a VOR you can be "between radials" (assuming that this means that you can be located on neither of the radials).. Can your OBS show this? No. The resolution of the OBS presentation is insufficiently defined. Then too, the accuracy is your VOR receiver is probably NEVER exactly. Remember the VOR receiver check required to fly IFR? The accuracy of that check is +/- 4 degrees for a ground check and +/-6 degrees for an airborne check. Therefore, you cannot expect that the VOR presentation in any airplane will be more accurate than that.
