Tim Capps
Senior Member
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Remind me to send a thank-you note to Mr. Boeing.
Posts: 641
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Hi Mark, no need to feel dumb.
In a SID, you will usually be told to do something at a particular point, e.g. turn, be at a certain altitude. These points are "created by" the intersection of two radials. This will be shown quite clearly on the chart. To give a simple example, if you are flying on the 90 degree radial of ABC, in order to know when you have reached that point along your flight plan designated FLYME, you have to be able to tell when you are crossing the 180 degree radial of XYZ, because the intersection of ABC 90 and XYZ 180 is the "address" where FLYME lives. You do this by tuning the second nav radio to XYZ and dialing in the bearing 180. As you are flying along, you watch for the second arrow to indicate the 180 degree radial for XYZ, which it will do only for a moment before it moves on.
That's how you know you are at an intersection. It will be at a certain bearing from a second VOR perpendicular to your flight plan. Otherwise how do you know exactly where you are except when you pass over a VOR? With a modern glass cockpit it is easy: it is all right in front of you on the HSI. But in older airplanes like the 727 you just have needles pointing at numbers to go on. Nonetheless, between the intersections described above and the DME info, you can be very precise.
The pilot can do this by looking at his RMI. When the double needle reaches 180 (in our example; it could be 165 or some other number), he knows he is at the point in question. That's why there are two needles, not one, or three. The single needle remains on your course.
It is one of those things that a simple picture would make clear, but the written explanation makes it sound more complicated than it is.
As the 727 is now, you can only dial in one nav frequency. This is okay for flying from one VOR to the next VOR, but what if you are supposed to fly a certain radial until you intercept another radial from a different VOR? This is very common in SIDs. What if you want to check if you are drifting to one side of your planned route? (In that case, you check your distance from the second VOR at the intersection. If you are closer or farther away than you should be you know how many miles off you are, and which direction to go to get back on course.) As you can see, you absolutely MUST have that second VOR tuned in.
Flight planning with bearings to second VORs can be done right in FSX's planner. You just add the second VOR as a waypoint after the intersection defined by reference to it, note the bearing and distance, then delete it! It makes things more challenging and more fun. There is quite a sense of accomplishment when you nail your intersections based solely on looking at needles and numbers.
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