Sheffield City NDB (SMF)

[Christopher Low 5,324]

Is the Sheffield City NDB (SMF) in the UK still operational? I checked on Google, and it is included on the active NDB list, but there is no sign of it in my PMDG navigational database. I am not using the latest data (only the one that is included in the PMDG 747 package), but there are plenty of other NDBs in there.....

[SAS443 1,703]

Only way is to check your country's AIP (Part 2, Enroute 4: Radio Navaids and systems) .

Keep in mind many enroute NDB's and VOR's are being decomissioned. So it's not outlandish to assume that SMF NDB is no longer there.

[iwebber 207]

https://www.aurora.nats.co.uk/htmlAIP/Publications/2020-05-21-AIRAC/html/index-en-GB.html

Not in the above list which suggests it's no longer with us...

To be fair, it was based at the old Sheffield City Heliport which was closed in 2008 (other than for emergency use) so it was never going to last long.

[Christopher Low 5,324]

There do not seem to be very many NDBs at all in that list, unless I am looking in the wrong place.

[emko 15]

This list

https://www.aurora.nats.co.uk/htmlAIP/Publications/2020-05-21-AIRAC/html/eAIP/EG-ENR-4.1-en-GB.html#ENR-4.1

contains only 4 NDBs.

E.g. it contains Woodley (352 kHz, WOD) which is a part of 4 ATS routes and a couple of EGLL procedures but not Chiltern (211 kHz, CHT) which is only used on some approaches. Both are charted on both Navigraph charts and on real world ICAO 2171CD (Southern England and Wales) Ed. 46 (for year 2020). Unfortunately, SMF NDB is charted on neither of them. May be it really is a history.

Since the European VORs, NDBs and even ATS routes (in some FIRS) are being decommissioned at a crazy pace, this wouldn't surprise me. (You can actually see that some VORs were decommissioned but their collocated DMEs remained in service - e.g. Dean Cross - DCS 115.20 MHz.

Edited May 24, 2020 by emko

[Christopher Low 5,324]

I like to use VORs and NDBs as waypoints for my VFR flights around the UK, so someone had better be informed that they need to be recommissioned!!

[jon b 2,041]

I’ve just  had a look on my up to date, real world jeppessen flight deck pro, no sign of the Sheffield NDB.