![]() ![]() With VOR beacons dotted around all over the world, it’s long been possible for pilots to plot courses between them just by noting down the frequencies and the directions to fly towards and from each beacon. The UK’s Pole Hill (POL) D-VOR/DME installation Better still, aircraft fitted with autopilots can set a desired course or radial, and the autopilot will fly the aircraft onto that line, and then towards or away from the VOR beacon along that bearing. An aircraft with the proper receiving equipment can tune to a given VOR and use the signals to find out what direction it is away from the transmitter. It’s essentially a large radio transmitter which, by means of very precise timing between two radio signals, creates paths – called ‘radials’ – for each possible heading on the standard 360° compass. ![]() VOR, if perhaps you haven’t encountered the term before, means “VHF Omnidirectional Range”, and it’s a very clever, albeit ageing, piece of navigation technology. Motorists’ hobby groups lovingly restore vintage cars and maintain them in beautiful condition because for them these modern vehicles, for all their smooth curves and on-board computers – and safety features – just don’t have the character or the charm of the old.Īnd doubtless among aviation enthusiasts there are plenty of people who find themselves more moved by images of Concorde, or the Grumman Goose, or a Spitfire, than by the shiniest, newest Airbus, or the latest high-tech warbird.īut of course aviation is more than just the aircraft. Many a railway enthusiast will tell you that nothing’s been quite the same since steam locomotives were replaced – even though diesels are faster and more powerful, and electric locos are quieter and more environmentally friendly. Sometimes, though… Sometimes there’s a technology that you feel like you’ll miss when it’s gone – even if what’s replaced it is objectively better at managing the task. Technology gets more and more sophisticated, more and more effective, and, especially in transportation, has improved efficiency and safety immeasurably in recent years. Things generally seem to improve over time – usually. Most of the time, you probably don’t want to. Will you miss them when they’re gone? More importantly, should you? Article By Kate Coldwind Newer technologies mean that VOR systems are, gradually, going away. ![]()
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