Very basic VOR question

[Antonio30 0]

For whatever reason I just don't get the VOR approaches with the MD-11.( I have no problems with ILS approaches )Is it possible to set up a VOR in such a way that the autopilot flies towards andover the VOR without any input from the captain ? Basically like a LOC approach.Thank you againAntonio Vernas

[JoeMNY 0]

That is not what a VOR approach is. A VOR approach gets you to the airport and heads you toward the runway but it is a visual "style" approach. What I mean is that once you turn toward the runway on the inbound leg you must fly it visually. It is not an ILS.

[WR269 367]

For whatever reason I just don't get the VOR approaches with the MD-11.( I have no problems with ILS approaches )Is it possible to set up a VOR in such a way that the autopilot flies towards andover the VOR without any input from the captain ? Basically like a LOC approach.Thank you againAntonio Vernas

Yes it is, in the nav radios page you set up the frequency and the course, ensure you are flying an intercept course and press vor arm.

[Antonio30 0]

Yes it is, in the nav radios page you set up the frequency and the course, ensure you are flying an intercept course and press vor arm.

Thank you.Can you help me with a specific example.Assume I fly and then decide to fly over a VOR which is about270 degrees from my aircraft location.According to you enter the course but the question is which one and how do I determine it ?The course to the VOR changes constantly as the aircraft moves.And how about the intercept course ?I know it must be easy once you know it but on the other hand I notice different opinions.Can you provide a step by step instruction ? Would be very much appreciated.Antonio Vernas

[downscc 1,327]

Each VOR approach is a little different, basically you fly a radial towards the airport and that radial is not the same as the extended runway centerline. Once you have the runway visually you fly towards it and land. You usually go missed approach after a specified amount of time passes (if the VOR is not on the airport) or you pass the VOR if is on the airport. The course you fly, the missed approach criteria and the minimum altitudes are on the approach chart. See also:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VOR_approach

[BlueStar 323]

Antonio,Give me a real VOR approach (US preferred), give me a location and altitude to start, and I will tell you how I would manually put the approach in the FMC and how I would fly the approach manually. To clarify an earlier statement in this thread, VOR/ADF approaches are non-precision approaches. An ILS is a precision approach. Bill Bridges

[Check_Airman 3]

That is not what a VOR approach is. A VOR approach gets you to the airport and heads you toward the runway but it is a visual "style" approach. What I mean is that once you turn toward the runway on the inbound leg you must fly it visually.

That's not what a VOR approach is either. There's nothing visual about a VOR approach. You fly the approach down to mins, and then go missed when you get to the missed approach point.If you pick a particular apporach, we can help you a bit more. It's flown a lot like a LOC approach.Paul

[WR269 367]

Hi Antonio....ok, VOR approaches have their own plates....just like ILS approaches, there is a procedure to follow.A VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Radio) used to be the second best form of radio approach after the ILS...nowadays we have RNP as well!A VOR approach will have an entry point, a radial to follow, distance to monitor and altitude restrictions to adhere to.To give you a famous example....Kathmandu's Tribhuvan airport..and its SIERRA vor/dme approach...an Aiburs from Pakistan Airways crashed many years ago for not respecting the restrictions in the plate. (many reason contributed, but you get the idea).If you want to perform a VOR/DME approach in the MD-11, you have to be approaching the VOR from a prescribed course....if it is a "straight-in" approach like Kathmandu's, then it will have an inbound course to the VOR, an altitude and distance restriction to begin with.You ensure you are at the correct altitude and distance (program your descent)...in the NAV Radios page of the MD-11, you can enter the frequency of the VOR and the course to follow as per the approach plate...for example... 123.45/010 (or the 3 letter name of the VOR followed by /010) on the LSK1L the firsrt button on the top left. You are telling the aircraft that when you arm the VOR function, you want it to intercept and follow this course to this VOR.Then the fun really begins....the aircraft will follow the VOR radial, but that's about it...everything else must be done by you reading the VOR/DME approach procedure...descend when the correct distance comes, and either perform a go around if you are not visual when you reach the minimum altitude for this VOR approach or land if you are visual.

[Antonio30 0]

Hi Antonio....ok, VOR approaches have their own plates....just like ILS approaches, there is a procedure to follow.A VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Radio) used to be the second best form of radio approach after the ILS...nowadays we have RNP as well!A VOR approach will have an entry point, a radial to follow, distance to monitor and altitude restrictions to adhere to.To give you a famous example....Kathmandu's Tribhuvan airport..and its SIERRA vor/dme approach...an Aiburs from Pakistan Airways crashed many years ago for not respecting the restrictions in the plate. (many reason contributed, but you get the idea).If you want to perform a VOR/DME approach in the MD-11, you have to be approaching the VOR from a prescribed course....if it is a "straight-in" approach like Kathmandu's, then it will have an inbound course to the VOR, an altitude and distance restriction to begin with.You ensure you are at the correct altitude and distance (program your descent)...in the NAV Radios page of the MD-11, you can enter the frequency of the VOR and the course to follow as per the approach plate...for example... 123.45/010 (or the 3 letter name of the VOR followed by /010) on the LSK1L the firsrt button on the top left. You are telling the aircraft that when you arm the VOR function, you want it to intercept and follow this course to this VOR.Then the fun really begins....the aircraft will follow the VOR radial, but that's about it...everything else must be done by you reading the VOR/DME approach procedure...descend when the correct distance comes, and either perform a go around if you are not visual when you reach the minimum altitude for this VOR approach or land if you are visual.

I finally figured it out by trial and error.Many thanks to all of your for the great help.Antonio Vernas

[downscc 1,327]

You are right Paul, it is an instrument approach, maybe I was too loose with words in describing what happens when you see the airport environment after breaking out VMC.