8 VHF Omni-directional Range (VOR)

VOR Summary
Characteristics: Magnetic bearings, valid day and night
Frequency: 108 to 117.95 MHz; 160 channels
Uses: Airways; Airfield let-downs; Holding points; En route navigation
Principle of Op: Phase comparison of two 30 Hz signals
Identification: 3 letter aural Morse or Voice every 10 s, continuous tone for VOT
(also ATIS using AM on voice)
Monitoring: Automatic site monitor +/- 1°
Ident suppressed when standby transmitter initially switched on
Types: CVOR - reference signal is FM; variphase signal is AM
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- Limacon polar diagram rotating clockwise

DVOR - more accurate than CVOR due to less site error
VHF Omni-directional Range (VOR)

- reference signal is AM; variphase signal is FM

- simulated anticlockwise rotation of aerial
TVOR - low power Tx at airfields
VOT - Test VOR giving 180 radial
- aircraft should have < +/- 4° error
Operational range: Transmitter power
Line of sight
DOC valid day and night
Accuracy affected by: Site error (less with DVOR)
Propagation error
Scalloping (bending due to reflections from terrain)
Airborne equipment error (+/- 3°)
Cone of confusion: OFF flag may appear; TO/FROM display and bearings fluctuate
Airborne equip: Aerial, Receiver, Display (CDI/RMI)
CDI: 2° per dot; max 10°; relationship between indication and
aircraft position
RMI:  arrowhead gives QDM; tail gives QDR; Use magnetic
variation at station
In-flight procedures: Radial interceptions; Track-keeping; Station passage

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Questions
1. Assuming the maximum likely error in VOR to be 5.5°, what is the maximum distance
apart that beacons can be situated on the centre line of a UK airway in order that an
aircraft can guarantee remaining within the airway boundary?

a. 54.5 NM
b. 109 NM
c. 66 NM
d. 132 NM

2. The Designated Operational Coverage quoted for VOR beacons in the COMM section
of the AIP:

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a. is only applicable by day
b. guarantees a protection ratio of at least 3 to 1 by day and night

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c. defines the airspace within which an aircraft is assured of protection from
interference from other VORs on the same channel
d. is determined by the type of surface over which the signal will have to travel

3. An aircraft is tracking away from a VOR on the 050 radial with 10° starboard drift.
An NDB lies to the east of the VOR. Which of the RMIs illustrated below shows the
aircraft when it is obtaining a relative bearing of 100° from the NDB?

a b

c d

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4. What is the theoretical maximum range that an aircraft at flight level 360 will obtain
from a VOR beacon situated at 900 ft above mean sea level?

a. 274 NM
b. 255 NM
c. 112 NM
d. 224 NM

5. A conventional VOR:

a. has an FM reference signal and an AM variable signal

b. has a 150 Hz reference signal and a 90 Hz variable signal
c. has an AM reference signal and a 150 Hz variable signal
d. has an AM reference signal and an FM variable signal
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6. The OBS on a deviation indicator is set to 330° and gives a 3 dots fly right demand
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with FROM indicated. What is the QDM of the aircraft to the station?

a. 144
b. 324
c. 336
d. 156

7. An aircraft is homing towards a VOR which marks the centre line of an airway. The
beacon is 100 NM distant. If the pilot had the airway QDM set on the OBS what
deflection of the deviation indicator would be given if the aircraft was on the
boundary of the airway? Assume that one dot equals 2 degrees.

a. 3 dots
b. 2 dots
c. 2.5 dots
d. 1.5 dots

8. What is the theoretical maximum range that an aircraft at flight level 420 will obtain
from a VOR beacon situated at 400 ft above mean sea level?

a. 225 NM
b. 256 NM
c. 281 NM
d. 257 NM

9. Concerning conventional and Doppler VORs (DVOR), which of the following is

correct?

a. There is no way of knowing from the instrumentation display which type is

being used
b. The DVOR will always have a “D” in the ident
c. The DVOR has a higher pitch ident than the standard VOR
d. The conventional VOR has less site error

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10. An aircraft is attempting to home to a VOR on the 064 radial. The CDI shows 4 dots
fly right with a TO indication. At the same time the co-located DME shows a range of
45 NM. Where is the aircraft in relation to the required track?

a. 6 NM right of track
b. 3 NM right of track
c. 6 NM left of track
d. 3 NM left of track

11. A VOR beacon ceases to transmit its normal identification which is substituted by
‘TST’. This means that:

a. the beacon may be used providing that extreme caution is used

b. the beacon is undergoing maintenance or calibration and should not be used
c. this is a temporary short range transmission and will have approximately half its

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normal range

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d. the beacon is under test and pilots using it should report its accuracy to air
traffic control

12. What is the approximate maximum range that an aircraft flying at 25 000 ft would
expect to obtain from a VOR beacon situated 900 ft above mean sea level?

a. 220 NM
b. 100 NM
c. 235 NM
d. 198 NM

13. An aircraft is on the airway boundary range 100 NM from a VOR marking the airway
centre line. Assuming that each dot equates to 2° how many dots deviation will be
shown on the deviation indicator?

a. 3.0 dots
b. 2.5 dots
c. 2.0 dots
d. 1.5 dots

14. An aircraft is required to intercept and home to a VOR along the 064 radial. The OBS
should be set to:

a. 064 to get correct needle sense and a TO indication

b. 244 to get correct needle sense and a TO indication
c. 064 to get correct needle sense and a FROM indication
d. 244 to get correct needle sense and a FROM indication

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15. An aircraft is tracking away from a VOR on the 150 radial with 10° starboard drift. An
NDB lies to the south of the VOR. Which of the RMIs illustrated below shows the
aircraft when it is obtaining a relative bearing of 100° from the NDB?

a b
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c d
16. Assuming the maximum likely error in VOR to be 5°, what is the maximum distance
apart that beacons can be situated on the centre line of a UK airway in order that an
aircraft can guarantee remaining within the airway boundary?

a. 60 NM
b. 100 NM
c. 120 NM
d. 150 NM

17. AN aircraft, heading 150°, is 100 NM north of a VOR, the pilot intends to home to the
VOR on the 030 radial. The pilot should set ….. on the OBS and on reaching the 030
radial should turn ….. onto a heading of ….., assuming zero wind.

a. 210 left 030

b. 030 right 210
c. 210 right 210
d. 150 left 210

18. The type of emission radiated by a VOR beacon is:

a. a double channel VHF carrier with one channel being amplitude modulated and
the second channel being frequency modulated
b. a single channel VHF carrier wave amplitude modulated at 30 Hz with a sub
carrier being frequency modulated at 30 Hz
c. a VHF carrier wave with a 90 Hz frequency modulation and a 150 Hz amplitude
modulation
d. a VHF pulse modulated emission with a pulse repetition frequency of 30 pps

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19. An aircraft wishes to track towards a VOR along the 274 radial. If variation is 10°W
what should be set on the OBS?

a. 274
b. 264
c. 094
d. 084

20. An aircraft is tracking away from a VOR on a heading of 287°(M) with 14° starboard
drift. If the variation is 6°W what is the phase difference between the reference and
variable phase components of the VOR transmission?

a. 121°
b. 295°
c. 301°

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d. 315°

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21. What is the theoretical maximum range that a pilot would obtain from a VOR
situated 900 ft above mean sea level in an aircraft flying at 18 000 ft?

a. 168 NM
b. 188 NM
c. 205 NM
d. 250 NM

22. An aircraft is attempting to home to a VOR beacon. The pilot has set 329 on the
OBS of the deviation indicator. If the aircraft is situated on the 152 radial then the
deviation indicator will show:

a. one and a half dots fly right

b. one and a half dots fly left
c. three dots fly right
d. three dots fly left

23. A VOR receiver in an aircraft measures the phase difference from a DVOR as 220°.
Which radial is the aircraft on?

a. 140
b. 040
c. 320
d. 220

24. The RMI indicates the aircraft magnetic heading. To convert the RMI bearings of
NDBs and VORs to true bearings, the correct combination for the application of
magnetic variation is:

NDB VOR
a. beacon position aircraft position
b. beacon position beacon position
c. aircraft position beacon position
d. aircraft position aircraft position

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25. Both the VOR and the ADF in an aircraft are correctly tuned and identified. The
indications from both are shown on the RMI illustrated. Use the information to
answer the following: The information given on the RMI indicates:

a. that the aircraft is heading 033°(M), is on

the 310° radial from the VOR, and bears
050°(M) from the NDB
b. that the aircraft is heading 330°(M), is on
the 310° radial from the VOR, and bears
050° from the NDB
c. that the aircraft is heading 330°(M), is on
the 130° radial from the VOR, and bears
050°(M) from the NDB
d. that the aircraft is heading 330°(M), is on
the 130° radial from the VOR, and bears
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230°(M) from the NDB

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26. The VOR in an aircraft is correctly tuned and set

to define the centre line of an airway within UK 24 27
airspace which you intend to fly. The indication 21
received on the VOR/ILS deviation indicator is

30
shown to the right. At the same time the DME TO
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gave a range of 90 NM from the facility. At the

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time of the observation, the aircraft’s radial and
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distance from the airway centre line were:

0
a. 062 radial 9 NM
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3
b. 074 radial 6 NM
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c. 242 radial 6 NM OBS 6
d. 254 radial 9 NM

27. The normal maximum error which might be expected with a VOR bearing obtained
within the DOC is:

a. plus or minus 1°
b. plus or minus 2°
c. plus or minus 5°
d. plus or minus 10°

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28. An aircraft is tracking away from VOR “A” on the 310° radial with 8° starboard drift;
NDB “X” is north of “A”. Which diagram below illustrates the RMI when the aircraft
is on its present track with a QDR from “X” of 270°?

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a

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b

c d

29. The VOR indications on an RMI whose deviation is not zero:

a. are magnetic
b. are compass
c. are relative
d. must have deviation applied before being used

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30. An aircraft bears 175°(M) from a VOR. If the aircraft OBS is set to 002 and its heading
is 359°(M) which diagram below represents the aircraft VOR/ILS deviation indicator?
(assume 1 dot = 2°)

0 0
33 3 33 3

30
30

6
6
TO

27
27

9
9
FR

24
24

12
12
15 15
21 21
OBS 18 OBS 18
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a b
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0 0
33 3 33 3

30
30

6
6

TO

27
27

9
9

FR
24
24

12
12

15 15
21 21
OBS 18 OBS 18

c d

31. Using Annex A.

An aircraft is flying on the 170 radial with a heading of 315°(M).
The course on the HSI is set to 180°.
Which HSI shows the correct indications?

a: A
b: B
c: C
d: D

32. Using Annex B.

An aircraft is flying on the 050 radial with a heading of 250°(M).
The course on the HSI is set to 060°.
Which HSI shows the correct indications?

a: A
b: B
c: C
d: D

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33. Using Annex C.
An aircraft is flying on the 245 radial with a heading of 250°(M).
The course on the HSI is set to 060°.
Which HSI shows the correct indications?

a: A
b: B
c: C
d: D

Annex A

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Annex B
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Annex C

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Answers
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b c d a a a d c a c b c

13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
d b a c c b c c c a d c

25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33
d a c a a a c b a
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Answers to Page 128

Answers

1 2 3 4
071° 159° 345° 063°

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