Tracking a VOR

[awash2002]

I could use some help right now I have a lot of trouble tracking a VOR and a NDB for that matter I try to chase the needle a lot can you guys help me break this habit?

[Bruce Hamilton]

Isn't that pretty much what tracking a VOR is, chasing the needle? Needle always points towards the beacon, you still have to navigate to the next beacon.

[Wasabi65]

Isn't that pretty much what tracking a VOR is, chasing the needle? Needle always points towards the beacon, you still have to navigate to the next beacon.

True, but I think that the op is referring to constantly adjusting direction to keep the needle centred (I could be wrong).
I used to do this but was given an alternative method.
Use the OBS knob to centre the needle and then fly in that direction. Glance at it every couple of minutes to make sure that it is not drifting too far. When it does, re-centre it and change course accordingly.
Obviously, the frequency of re-centring and changing course is going to depend on wind conditions.
This could be hopelessly wrong but I do find myself less obsessed with chasing the needle and this frees me up to attend to other matters.

[Bruce Hamilton]

What I do is get it centered and hit heading hold, and click the bug once or twice as I drift. Doesn't have to be perfect, as long as the arrow points in the general direction as your nose.

[William Hughes]

I'll presume you are interested in tracking down the center of a given airway on a given radial and you already know how to intercept that radial. I'll also presume that we are flying away from the VOR.

When you intercept the radial turn to the course required. Log the time (Turn, Twist, Time, Talk or TTTT). Fly the given heading by the directional gyro - don't look at the VOR. If you had an idea of the winds aloft you'd already have a correction angle in mind but if you don't then fly the radial course.

After a few minutes look at the needle and log the time and the deviation. Decide on a correction angle (5 degrees is a decent place to start) and then fly the course plus correction, looking at the directional gyro.

After a few minutes (log the time and deviation) look a the VOR needle again. If the deviation has gotten less then you are on course to intercept the radial. Do some quick math on how many minutes you've been flying the wind-corrected course and estimate when you'll intercept the radial. When you do intercept the radial (log time and deviation), half your correction angle and fly that course for a while.

If the deviation has gotten larger (log time and deviation), double your correction angle, and repeat the step above.

If the deviation has remained the same then your chosen correction is more or less close to the required wind corrected angle and you could intercept the radial again, and then once you do take up the required course plus wind correction angle.

Note that if you are close to the beacon the indicator will rapidly change as it measures angles, and as you get further away the angle will decrease rapidly. Just take up the correct heading and fly that till you are several knots away and the needle stops jumping around.

In the real world the needle can also jump around (scalloping) depending on buildings, hills, coast lines, and so forth. Note the range of motion of the needle and use the center of the wobbling back and forth to choose the course.

The main thing to do to stop "chasing" the needles is to choose a correction angle, and then fly the course plus correction using the directional gyro. Then look at the VOR, decide what the indicator is telling you about whether or not you've corrected for wind, and choose a new correction angle. Do this every few minutes until you know what correction angle stops the needle moving around so much. Then intercept the radial again and take up the new course plus correction angle.

Don't try to fly the aircraft looking at the VOR. It's not for that. You fly the course using the directional gyro.

Make sure you update the gyro to the compass over so often while doing this. You are dealing with corrections of a handful of degrees and the VOR will have a few degrees of error, the radio signal could be a few degrees wrong, and the compass can be jumping around all over the place too.

[DC3]

The method described by the original poster is 'homing'. It might be useful to read about NDB tracking which is similar but not the same as VOR tracking. The main goal in both is to track a straight route from point A to point B where point B is the station (NDB or VOR) and point A is the plane that is presumably on course at that point in time. The only way to track straight to the station is to fly a course that corrects for the wind. A headwind or tailwind component is not what needs correction, it is the crosswind component that needs the correction. This web site has both NDB and VOR navigation tutorials geared towards sim pilots that reflect real world navigation techniques. I recommend starting with the NDB lesson on this page <http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/ndb-nav-adf-2.htm> and then going to the VOR tutorial. I believe it will be easier to understand VOR navigation following this progression.

[Wasabi65]

Although I am not the originator of this thread, this has been really helpful.
Thanks!