ADF or RMI?

[Tom S.]

When I quit flying some years back, RMI's were expensive and found generally
only found in the "heavy metal".

Now they seems quite common? What particular advantages do they offer? I
can't find any good articles (other than marketing) on them.

I was wondering if I should add one to a bird I plan to buy?

Thanks

[Kobra]

> Now they seems quite common? What particular advantages do they offer?

I think they make flying a DME arc easier. I've never used one but I recall
the King take-off CD's claiming that using an RMI made a DME arc a piece of
cake. Probably it's in the realm of the 8-tracks now.

Kobra

[John R. Copeland]

Sandel has a useful RMI description incorporated in their eHSI write-up.
http://www.sandel.com/ehsi_operating_1.htm
Read the 5-part series describing an entire flight.
---JRC---

"Tom S." > wrote in message =
...
> When I quit flying some years back, RMI's were expensive and found =
generally
> only found in the "heavy metal".
>=20
> Now they seems quite common? What particular advantages do they offer? =
I
> can't find any good articles (other than marketing) on them.
>=20
> I was wondering if I should add one to a bird I plan to buy?
>=20
> Thanks
>=20
>

[EDR]

In article >, Tom S.
> wrote:

> When I quit flying some years back, RMI's were expensive and found generally
> only found in the "heavy metal".
> Now they seems quite common? What particular advantages do they offer? I
> can't find any good articles (other than marketing) on them.

They are great for identifying airway and approach intersections! You
only have to look at one instrument.

> I was wondering if I should add one to a bird I plan to buy?

If you have the money and the panel space, yes.

[Tom S.]

"EDR" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Tom S.
> > wrote:
>
> > When I quit flying some years back, RMI's were expensive and found
generally
> > only found in the "heavy metal".
> > Now they seems quite common? What particular advantages do they offer? I
> > can't find any good articles (other than marketing) on them.
>
> They are great for identifying airway and approach intersections! You
> only have to look at one instrument.
>
> > I was wondering if I should add one to a bird I plan to buy?
>
> If you have the money and the panel space, yes.

Any good references on "Flying the RMI"?

[McGregor]

I put an RMI into our panel (a plug-in module for the Argus actually -
thanks Ebay) just for flying DME Arcs.

What else are RMI's good for? The RMI has two needles, each of which can
"point" to a navaid. As mentioned, this is good for identifying
intersections (although I confess I prefer DME and one nav source). Better
yet, you always know radial/bearing from/to a VOR/NDB. Good for locating
yourself on the map or flying a missed approach when you need to "find the
VOR" while climbing and turning. Just follow the needle.

Personally, I'd invest in an HSI before I invested in an RMI. I'd invest in
an Argus 7000 before I invested in an RMI (these things are amazing, and
amazingly cheap these days - $700 on EBay right now).

"Tom S." > wrote in message
...
> When I quit flying some years back, RMI's were expensive and found
generally
> only found in the "heavy metal".
>
> Now they seems quite common? What particular advantages do they offer? I
> can't find any good articles (other than marketing) on them.
>
> I was wondering if I should add one to a bird I plan to buy?
>
> Thanks
>
>

[EDR]

In article >, Tom S.
> wrote:

> Any good references on "Flying the RMI"?

Back in the late 1980's one of the aviation magazines had a series of
articles on flying with different navaid indicators. I will have to see
if I still have them.

[Tom S.]

"McGregor" > wrote in message
ink.net...
> I put an RMI into our panel (a plug-in module for the Argus actually -
> thanks Ebay) just for flying DME Arcs.
>
> What else are RMI's good for? The RMI has two needles, each of which can
> "point" to a navaid. As mentioned, this is good for identifying
> intersections (although I confess I prefer DME and one nav source). Better
> yet, you always know radial/bearing from/to a VOR/NDB. Good for locating
> yourself on the map or flying a missed approach when you need to "find the
> VOR" while climbing and turning. Just follow the needle.
>
> Personally, I'd invest in an HSI before I invested in an RMI. I'd invest
in
> an Argus 7000 before I invested in an RMI (these things are amazing, and
> amazingly cheap these days - $700 on EBay right now).
>
All the aircraft I'm looking at have an HSI. The plane I fly with my boss
has an RMI on his EFIS, but no on the co-pilot station. So far, we've never
used it.


> > I was wondering if I should add one to a bird I plan to buy?
> >
> > Thanks
> >
> >
>
>

[Stan Gosnell]

"Tom S." > wrote in
:

> All the aircraft I'm looking at have an HSI. The plane I
> fly with my boss has an RMI on his EFIS, but no on the
> co-pilot station. So far, we've never used it.

If you have an HSI, you certainly don't want to downgrade to an
RMI. The HSI gives you much more information and is easier to
interpret.

--
Regards,

Stan

[Tom S.]

"Stan Gosnell" <me@work> wrote in message
...
> "Tom S." > wrote in
> :
>
> > All the aircraft I'm looking at have an HSI. The plane I
> > fly with my boss has an RMI on his EFIS, but no on the
> > co-pilot station. So far, we've never used it.
>
> If you have an HSI, you certainly don't want to downgrade to an
> RMI. The HSI gives you much more information and is easier to
> interpret.
>

Thanks, Stan.

That's what I though, and I notice many of the more elaborate HSI's have RMI
indicators. I'm just wondering what the big deal is in having both, as many
aircraft do.

My original point is that RMI's seem more common nowadays, but were somewhat
rare when I began my hiatus from flying in 1989 (until this past summer). I
was under the (mistaken??) assumption that they made NDB approaches easier.

As I said, so far, I've not seen the boss use his.

I would like to know the whys and HOW's in any case.

Tom
--
"Transported to a surreal landscape, a young
girl kills the first woman she meets and then
teams up with three complete strangers to
kill again."
--Marin County newspaper's TV
listing for "The Wizard of Oz"

[Tom S.]

"EDR" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Tom S.
> > wrote:
>
> > Any good references on "Flying the RMI"?
>
> Back in the late 1980's one of the aviation magazines had a series of
> articles on flying with different navaid indicators. I will have to see
> if I still have them.

Thanks, it might he

[Tom S.]

"Peter" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Tom S." > wrote
>
> >When I quit flying some years back, RMI's were expensive and found
generally
> >only found in the "heavy metal".
> >
> >Now they seems quite common? What particular advantages do they offer? I
> >can't find any good articles (other than marketing) on them.
> >
> >I was wondering if I should add one to a bird I plan to buy?
> >
> >Thanks
> >
>
> A dual-needle (ADF+VOR) RMI is a brilliant instrument. For NDB
> approaches, DME arcs.
>
> But then nearly all people here are in the USA, and in the USA many
> people say a GPS replaces an ADF anyway so that's moot...
>
>
Indeed it does. In many ways, it replaces VOR's and especially RNAV's of
"yesterday". However, I'd like to dump the ADF indicator and replace it with
an RMI; that, to my thinking, would give me redundancy and even a better
cross-check.

(Update: the offer is in for the F33A I'm looking to buy. If it's accepted,
delivery should be just in time for Christmas...after some specific training
here locally.)

[Richard Kaplan]

"Tom S." > wrote in message >...


> was under the (mistaken??) assumption that they made NDB approaches easier.


Yes, an RMI does make an NDB approach easier because an RMI shows
easily and intuitively your bearing to an NDB. It works very similar
to an ADF with a slaved rotating compass card. This means that
applying wind correction on an NDB approach is much easier with an
RMI.

That said, I would not recommend investing money in an RMI right now.
Not only can you get TWO electronic RMIs in a Sandel EHSI, but you can
even set up a portable Garmin 195 or 295 or 196 GPS with a bearing
pointer that functions as an RMI. If you have an IFR-legal ADF in
your airplane, it is perfectly legal to fly an NDB approach while you
supplement your ADF navigation with RMI information from your portable
GPS -- just be sure your ADF remains your primary navigational source.

--
Richard Kaplan, CFII

www.flyimc.com

[Tom S.]

"Richard Kaplan" > wrote in message
m...
> "Tom S." > wrote in message
>...
>
>
> > was under the (mistaken??) assumption that they made NDB approaches
easier.
>
>
> Yes, an RMI does make an NDB approach easier because an RMI shows
> easily and intuitively your bearing to an NDB. It works very similar
> to an ADF with a slaved rotating compass card. This means that
> applying wind correction on an NDB approach is much easier with an
> RMI.
>
> That said, I would not recommend investing money in an RMI right now.
> Not only can you get TWO electronic RMIs in a Sandel EHSI, but you can
> even set up a portable Garmin 195 or 295 or 196 GPS with a bearing
> pointer that functions as an RMI.

Plane I look to buy has an HSI already (King 150 AP/FD), but I was thinking
of replacing the ADF indicator with a dual-needle RMI. Also, it's going to
get a Garmin 530 ro replace the King Loran (not much use out here in the
west).

> If you have an IFR-legal ADF in
> your airplane, it is perfectly legal to fly an NDB approach while you
> supplement your ADF navigation with RMI information from your portable
> GPS -- just be sure your ADF remains your primary navigational source.

What does the ADF have to be the primary?

Thanks!!

Tom
--
DeBeers ad's through the years:
"A Diamond is forever!"
then: Diamonds - Take her breath away!!
Then again: Diamonds - Render her speechless!
Why don't they just say it: Diamonds - That'll shut her up!