As a pilot, it’s your duty to know exactly where you are at any given time. Without knowing where you’re located, you may soon find yourself flying into a Class B airspace without receiving clearance first. Every part of the country also contains military operations areas as well as restricted flight areas. Flying into these areas won’t just cost you a reprimand, they may cost you your license and the safety of yourself and the others using the area. If you ever are lost, the most important thing you can do is CONFESS the situation to someone who can help you. Air traffic controllers are usually able to locate you and help get you out of or stay clear of any areas you need to avoid.

Combining your sectional with a VOR will keep you out of trouble and on course through most situations. VOR stands “very high frequency omnidirectional range” system and comes in three different varieties. There is the VOR, the VOR/DME and then a VORTAC. Each of these is different, but work on the same technology. Radio signals transmitted out from the VOR in 360 degrees. These are also called “radials” and help to identify your location in relationship to the VOR station. We’ll explain more about that in a minute.

It’s very important to remember that VOR transmission can be clocked by mountains and lose their accuracy. If you have a direct line between your aircraft and the VOR station, you should be fine. If you’re looking at your sectional and can’t figure out why you can’t pick up the VOR signal, try gaining a little altitude. Your Airport and Facilities Directory will keep you updated on any known obstructions, so check that as well if you’re having trouble.

The type of VOR you’re accessing depends one your distance from the station and your altitude. The most common VOR is called a high altitude system or HVOR. This VOR will give you a strong accurate signal at various altitudes and up to 130 nm away. There are also LVOR which work best within 40 nm and between one thousand and eighteen thousand feet. Lastly, you’ll sometimes come across something called a TVOR or Terminal VOR. These are accurate at LESS THAN 1000′ AGL and within 25 nm of the station.

VOR stations are only half of the system used to navigate using this approach. The other have is in your aircraft and consists of a radio receiver with an antenna and some sort of VOR indicator to put these transmission in a format you can use. The VOR indicator is a round dial with a white needle that lines up vertically when you’ve put in the correct radial. Your instructor will teach more about how this works.

Even if you’ve learned how to fly and use your new GPS system, it’s important to always do some navigation with the old standby, VOR. I agree, GPS has really simplified things for pilots and helped us a lot with accuracy and safety. A VOR will not tell you where the nearest airport is and automatically tune in the tower, but it will provide you with a second source of information if you should ever need. Try planning and flying your next cross-country using nothing but your VOR. It’s a fun exercise and helps keep your skills sharp.