Why The Hell... (random rant)

Are VOR's all MH based?

I was flightplanning the other day (I must be one of the few poor
souls left who flight-plans by hand... I guess I just haven't been
flying long enough to get sick of it yet, I consider my flight
planning to be 'part of the experience') And I got to thinking-

Why in gods name are VOR's Mag heading based?

I know, ideally, that means that you can sync your DG and your VOR
indicator to fly to a waypoint... except that most VOR's around here
have long since fallen behind Magnetic drift... so - now, not only do
you have to flightplan in True Heading, convert to Mag Heading to get
your vectors, THEN you have to get the corrective factor for each of
the VOR's your using for navigation and note that as well? huh?

I'm sorry... call me lazy, but if your not going to keep them all
updated with Magnetic north, then at least stick them on a standard
baseline... True North, for example?

/rantoff.

EridanMan writes:

I'm sorry... call me lazy, but if your not going to keep them all
updated with Magnetic north, then at least stick them on a standard
baseline... True North, for example?

I think aviation should have started moving towards true north for everything
long ago, but that's just me. The constant shifting of the magnetic poles
(which is accelerating) means perpetual updates for anything that depends on
magnetic north (and you can't use magnetic south, because it isn't even
exactly opposite magnetic north).

--
Transpose mxsmanic and gmail to reach me by e-mail.

In rec.aviation.piloting EridanMan wrote:
Are VOR's all MH based?

I was flightplanning the other day (I must be one of the few poor
souls left who flight-plans by hand... I guess I just haven't been
flying long enough to get sick of it yet, I consider my flight
planning to be 'part of the experience') And I got to thinking-

Why in gods name are VOR's Mag heading based?

You got a true north compass in your airplane?

I know, ideally, that means that you can sync your DG and your VOR
indicator to fly to a waypoint... except that most VOR's around here
have long since fallen behind Magnetic drift... so - now, not only do
you have to flightplan in True Heading, convert to Mag Heading to get
your vectors, THEN you have to get the corrective factor for each of
the VOR's your using for navigation and note that as well? huh?

Center the needle and keep it centered?

I'm sorry... call me lazy, but if your not going to keep them all
updated with Magnetic north, then at least stick them on a standard
baseline... True North, for example?

If the drift is sufficient ( 2 or 3 degrees, I forget the number; it's
in the AIM ) they are supposed to be recalibrated.

The uncertainty in the wind drift angle is usually a lot more than
that.

There are lots of free flight planners that do all that for you.

Golden Eagle for DUATS corrects for everything but your compass
error and is free.

--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

EridanMan wrote:
Are VOR's all MH based?

Because all of the pilot's navigational faculties are magnetic, too.

most VOR's around here
have long since fallen behind Magnetic drift...

By how much, and where is "here", if you don't mind my asking?

you have to flightplan in True Heading, convert to Mag Heading to get
your vectors, THEN you have to get the corrective factor for each of
the VOR's your using for navigation and note that as well? huh?

But why do that if the winds you get in a preflight are already in MH?
Wouldn't it be simpler to calc your MH's, and then use the corrective
factors you need to find the "real" radial you should follow?

TheSmokingGnu

PS: Don't worry, I still do things by hand, too.

wrote:
If the drift is sufficient ( 2 or 3 degrees, I forget the number; it's
in the AIM ) they are supposed to be recalibrated.

FAR 91.171, VOR Equipment checks.

4 degree variation if using a VOT or other ground-based testing
sites/equipment.

6 degrees if using a designated airborne test point, or using a dead
reckoning technique.

No more than 4 degrees variation between the radios of a dual VOR setup.

Nothing about the accuracy of the VOR station itself, though. If they're
really bad, I would file a report with the nearest FSDO.

TheSmokingGnu

In rec.aviation.piloting Mxsmanic wrote:
EridanMan writes:

I'm sorry... call me lazy, but if your not going to keep them all
updated with Magnetic north, then at least stick them on a standard
baseline... True North, for example?

I think aviation should have started moving towards true north for everything
long ago, but that's just me. The constant shifting of the magnetic poles
(which is accelerating) means perpetual updates for anything that depends on
magnetic north (and you can't use magnetic south, because it isn't even
exactly opposite magnetic north).

Where do you get a true north compass?

Your comment about magnetic south being unusable is just asinine.

--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

In rec.aviation.piloting TheSmokingGnu wrote:
EridanMan wrote:
Are VOR's all MH based?

Because all of the pilot's navigational faculties are magnetic, too.

most VOR's around here
have long since fallen behind Magnetic drift...

By how much, and where is "here", if you don't mind my asking?

you have to flightplan in True Heading, convert to Mag Heading to get
your vectors, THEN you have to get the corrective factor for each of
the VOR's your using for navigation and note that as well? huh?

But why do that if the winds you get in a preflight are already in MH?
Wouldn't it be simpler to calc your MH's, and then use the corrective
factors you need to find the "real" radial you should follow?

TheSmokingGnu

PS: Don't worry, I still do things by hand, too.

The radial to follow doesn't change with the wind, only your heading.

If you are following a VOR radial, you can ignore wind altogether
and just point the nose in whatever direction keeps the needle
centered.

--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

On Apr 3, 8:33 pm, "EridanMan" wrote:
Are VOR's all MH based?

I was flightplanning the other day (I must be one of the few poor
souls left who flight-plans by hand... I guess I just haven't been
flying long enough to get sick of it yet, I consider my flight
planning to be 'part of the experience') And I got to thinking-

Why in gods name are VOR's Mag heading based?

I know, ideally, that means that you can sync your DG and your VOR
indicator to fly to a waypoint... except that most VOR's around here
have long since fallen behind Magnetic drift... so - now, not only do
you have to flightplan in True Heading, convert to Mag Heading to get
your vectors, THEN you have to get the corrective factor for each of
the VOR's your using for navigation and note that as well? huh?

I'm sorry... call me lazy, but if your not going to keep them all
updated with Magnetic north, then at least stick them on a standard
baseline... True North, for example?

/rantoff.

My compass is MH.

-Robert

In rec.aviation.piloting TheSmokingGnu wrote:
wrote:
If the drift is sufficient ( 2 or 3 degrees, I forget the number; it's
in the AIM ) they are supposed to be recalibrated.

FAR 91.171, VOR Equipment checks.

4 degree variation if using a VOT or other ground-based testing
sites/equipment.

6 degrees if using a designated airborne test point, or using a dead
reckoning technique.

No more than 4 degrees variation between the radios of a dual VOR setup.

Nothing about the accuracy of the VOR station itself, though. If they're
really bad, I would file a report with the nearest FSDO.

TheSmokingGnu

I thought I saw somewhere in there a spec for the VOR station drift.

Maybe it was somewhere else; so many regs, circulars, advisory letters,
so little time...

I know there are limits somewhere.

--
Jim Pennino

Remove .spam.sux to reply.

wrote:
In rec.aviation.piloting TheSmokingGnu wrote:
But why do that if the winds you get in a preflight are already in MH?
Wouldn't it be simpler to calc your MH's, and then use the corrective
factors you need to find the "real" radial you should follow?
The radial to follow doesn't change with the wind, only your heading.

I know.

1. Find your MH (where you'll be pointing said nose initially)
2. Find the radials you want to use (charted, +/- the correction factor)
3. Tune radials, point nose.
4. Salt and pepper to taste.

TheSmokingGnu