VOR checkin'

One of the requirements for IFR flight (flying in the clouds) is a current VOR check. This only applies if you actually plan to use a VOR from up in the clouds, but even if you're all setup with fancy GPSs and non-so-fancy ADF receivers you still want to be able to rely on your VORs as a backup.

So the FAA requires that you check you VOR receiver within the last 30 days. They provide a variety of different legal ways to perform this check. They are:
  • VOT - these are test signals that you can tune in (usually only when on the ground) and put your OBS (omni-range bearing selector) to 360. If you see a FROM indication and the needle is within 4 degrees of perfectly centered - you're all good (don't forget to test with the 180 radial too though)
  • Ground checkpoint - special locations at certain airports are listed where you can taxi over and make sure you're VOR indicator shows you on a particular radial. Again, you can have a max of 4 degrees of error.
  • Airborne checkpoint - this one is similar to the ground based ones, except for 2 differences - you fly to them instead of taxi to them and you are allowed a 6 degree error in either direction (plus/minus)
  • Versus - if you have two VOR receivers that are independent (shared antennae is ok) then you can just dial them in to the same VOR and radial and confirm they are within 4 degrees of each other. This test isn't perfect because both receivers could be off by about the same amount from the real value and you wouldn't know
  • Make your own - for this one you find a landmark using the sectional that also falls under a published airway. Then you fly down the airway and verify that your VOR is giving a good reading when you finally fly over the landmark you picked. Ideally the landmark should be about 20+ miles away from the VOR station so that your needle is fairly stable
So guess which one I did today? Yeah, I had to do the one that takes the most effort, the last one. We have no test signals at JGG and no ground or airborne checkpoints nearby. We also have just one lonely VOR receiver so the "versus" check wasn't possible.

We flew down to Wakefield and used the road/railway just south of the WAIKS intersection as our test point. We found the receiver only 1 degree off which I was plenty happy with. We recorded it in the log as is required and - BAMM - another 30 days is covered.

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