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Hill

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Hi everyone,

Today I flew my first VFR flight using the Plan G flight planner and it is excellent! The software enabled me to use a very complicated flight plan which meant I would be triangulating my position three times in the space of 30 mins during a little sightseeing trip over Stone Hedge. It also meant I knew when I would be over particular roads etc....very detailed and so satisfying when you see that road pop up on the horizon and your VFR skills worked! (screenshots of flight in screenshot forum)

That brings me onto something else. I did try to plan a triangulation from different VOR's but when I got in the sim, the VORs bought about the barber pole in the OBS display meaning they weren't working. Do all the VORs in Plan G work in FSX? Also I am looking for a nice payware VFR aircraft (possibly from Carenado) that would enable me to triangulate, that is to say contain two Nav radios and two OBS dials. And possibly with DME equipment also. Could anyone make a suggestion?

How does a VFR aircraft with no DME and only one Nav radio triangulate??

Thanks in advance!

Rich

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That brings me onto something else. I did try to plan a triangulation from different VOR's but when I got in the sim, the VORs bought about the barber pole in the OBS display meaning they weren't working. Do all the VORs in Plan G work in FSX?

The database of FSX is getting a bit outdated, so there might be some new stations or changed frequencies. But it should be rare nevertheless. I don't know if FSX takes into acount the propagation effects of radio signals (i.e. if you're low it will be difficult to capture VOR signals from afar). Suggest you compare freqs and stations on Plan-G to those displayed on the map mode of FSX.

Also I am looking for a nice payware VFR aircraft (possibly from Carenado) that would enable me to triangulate, that is to say contain two Nav radios and two OBS dials. And possibly with DME equipment also. Could anyone make a suggestion?

Carenado is a fine provider of light aircraft. I would suggest any single engine prop. Apart from teh older models they have C152, C172, Pipers, etc. I would check out the new Commander 114.

It's a nice plane, good vor VFR flying with decent speed and a good choice of instruments.

The Bonanza would also be an excellent choice, but harder to fly, on my opinion.

The commander has all you need: dual NAVs, ADF, and even DME.

How does a VFR aircraft with no DME and only one Nav radio triangulate??

The beauty of the DME is that with it you don't need to triangulate with 2 stations!

Since you know your radial and exact distance to the station, you'll be able to know exactly where you stand.

So instead of defining a point at Radial1 of station X and radial 2 of station Y, you just aim for the distance Z on the radial 1 of station X.

Did I make any sense?

Good flights!

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Did I make any sense?

Good flights!

Perfect sense, Thank you!

I can see how DME is much easier to know your position and I will look into the Commander as it sounds like I will have the luxury of choice!

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How does a VFR aircraft with no DME and only one Nav radio triangulate??

Hi Rich,

The trick with this one is to plot a the radial from the VOR that is closest to the track of your aircraft on your chart first. That way the radial shouldn't change much as you fly towards or away from that station. Then retune and identify the second VOR and plot that on your chart. It won't be exact but at typical GA speeds it will be close enough.

Many GA aircraft only have the one Nav radio so it's something that happens.

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  • Aerosoft

Of course VFR means Visual Flight Rules and actually excludes radio navigation! But you are doing something that most flight sim pilots done at some stage. Learning to deal with basic VOR navigation is really great fun as it involves actual some thinking and logic. I remember it fondly.

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Of course VFR means Visual Flight Rules and actually excludes radio navigation! But you are doing something that most flight sim pilots done at some stage. Learning to deal with basic VOR navigation is really great fun as it involves actual some thinking and logic. I remember it fondly.

Not 100% accurate. Many pilots will use Radio nav even whilst flying VFR. It's taught in the PPL syllabus, infact one of the test items in the skills test is fixing your position using 'any onboard equipment'. What this means in reality is the student will need to perform either a VOR/DME or VOR/VOR fix. It usually takes place whilst on the diversion leg of the Nav section.

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Not 100% accurate. Many pilots will use Radio nav even whilst flying VFR. It's taught in the PPL syllabus, infact one of the test items in the skills test is fixing your position using 'any onboard equipment'. What this means in reality is the student will need to perform either a VOR/DME or VOR/VOR fix. It usually takes place whilst on the diversion leg of the Nav section.

I remember that fondly, along with the 180 deg rate one turn on instruments simulating inadvertently entering IFR conditions.

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  • Aerosoft

Not 100% accurate. Many pilots will use Radio nav even whilst flying VFR. It's taught in the PPL syllabus, infact one of the test items in the skills test is fixing your position using 'any onboard equipment'. What this means in reality is the student will need to perform either a VOR/DME or VOR/VOR fix. It usually takes place whilst on the diversion leg of the Nav section.

Ahh perhaps things are more relaxed these days. When I took my PPL even looking at the VOR receiver was seen as a very bad thing.

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Ahh perhaps things are more relaxed these days. When I took my PPL even looking at the VOR receiver was seen as a very bad thing.

LOL The Nav section of the Skills test involve the student planning 3 legs. These are flown using heading/timings in a traditional way. Usually on the last leg the student will be diverted requiring them to plot a course and give an ETA to the revised waypoint. It's on this Nav leg that they need to perform the position fix. Post PPL I'd expect people to use all the systems at their disposal. I personally think it's about time that GPS became part of the syllabus as well but that's a whole different topic.

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  • Aerosoft

LOL The Nav section of the Skills test involve the student planning 3 legs. These are flown using heading/timings in a traditional way. Usually on the last leg the student will be diverted requiring them to plot a course and give an ETA to the revised waypoint. It's on this Nav leg that they need to perform the position fix. Post PPL I'd expect people to use all the systems at their disposal. I personally think it's about time that GPS became part of the syllabus as well but that's a whole different topic.

Fully agreed. I don't hold a PPL anymore but hitch a lot of rides with VFR rated people and they all seem to use some high end GPS system even though they got zero official traning using it. As far as I can see this does not cause any problems but it is strange. I would have given my right pinky to be able to see when I was getting close to the military zone just centimeters from the uncontrolled zone I used for landing. Twice I was shouted at (after landing for going wide on the circuit) and once a bunch of F104's went out of their way to show me they were bigger, faster and louder then my cub. Had a first time passenger on board that day. He told me the smallest thing be would fly in afterwards was an 747.

If you know the layout, I was flying Hilversum and the F104's were from Soesterberg. Who ever designed those control zones.....

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Fully agreed. I don't hold a PPL anymore but hitch a lot of rides with VFR rated people and they all seem to use some high end GPS system even though they got zero official traning using it. As far as I can see this does not cause any problems but it is strange. I would have given my right pinky to be able to see when I was getting close to the military zone just centimeters from the uncontrolled zone I used for landing. Twice I was shouted at (after landing for going wide on the circuit) and once a bunch of F104's went out of their way to show me they were bigger, faster and louder then my cub. Had a first time passenger on board that day. He told me the smallest thing be would fly in afterwards was an 747.

If you know the layout, I was flying Hilversum and the F104's were from Soesterberg. Who ever designed those control zones.....

Should have made a tight turn at low level... there was a reason those `104's were called `Widowmakers`. :blush:

More died flying them than were ever killed by those flying them. Not Kelly Johnsons' finest moment. :ph34r:

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