Navigation
Pilotage, dead reckoning, VOR, GPS, and RNAV. Reading a sectional and cross-checking the moving map against the world outside.
VOR Navigation Basics
How a ground-based VHF omni-range station tells an aircraft its bearing, and how to use the CDI without lying to yourself.
- VORVHF Omnidirectional Range
A ground-based VHF navigation aid that broadcasts 360 discrete radials.
- RadialBearing from a VOR
A magnetic bearing measured outward from a VOR station.
- CDICourse Deviation Indicator
The needle that shows displacement from a selected VOR radial or ILS localizer course.
- CrabWind-correction heading
A heading offset into the wind that keeps the aircraft tracking a desired ground course.
- PilotageNavigation by landmarks
Navigation by direct visual reference to identifiable features on the ground — rivers, roads, towns, lakes — cross-checked against the sectional chart.
- Dead ReckoningHeading + time + wind
Navigation computed from a known starting point using heading, airspeed, wind, and elapsed time.