Canuck
David Megginson
- Joined
- Mar 31, 2016
- Messages
- 7,077
- Reaction score
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I just flew a simulated full-procedure VOR approach on my computer yesterday and blew it—forgot to change the radial from outbound to inbound during the procedure turn, and while fixating on the CDI and wondering why the wind had just changed so much, took too long to notice that the TO/FROM flag wasn't right. 
It's been 5+ years since I flew a full-procedure VOR approach in earnest—even before I got my new GTN, they just didn't come up much (NDB approaches are much-more common up here when there's no ILS/LOC available).
For me, it's a good reminder that if I'm flying along fat, dumb and happy, assuming that my nav radio and NDB will get me down safely in IMC in a GPS outage, I'd better make damned sure those skills don't atrophy. I'd assumed I was practising the "harder" approach and covering both by doing NDB approaches, but the radial-switch step doesn't come up for NDB. Gotta practice 'em all (even LOC(BC), as long as there are still some in commission).
It's been 5+ years since I flew a full-procedure VOR approach in earnest—even before I got my new GTN, they just didn't come up much (NDB approaches are much-more common up here when there's no ILS/LOC available).
For me, it's a good reminder that if I'm flying along fat, dumb and happy, assuming that my nav radio and NDB will get me down safely in IMC in a GPS outage, I'd better make damned sure those skills don't atrophy. I'd assumed I was practising the "harder" approach and covering both by doing NDB approaches, but the radial-switch step doesn't come up for NDB. Gotta practice 'em all (even LOC(BC), as long as there are still some in commission).
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