The only way to learn VOR/DME is to use a real plate! What aircraft are you using? Try this airport. I will send you a few more challenging ones. Start from a nearby airport. Set your VOR to 115.1 and. Track the VOR stright in and when passing over it set VOR to 334 degrees upto SLOAF 14miles out. At SLOAF set VOR to 159degrees and turn right very briskly to stay within 15miles out at worst. Keep aircraft at 14miles using the heading… When your VOR lines up you will be at CUMBE on radial21. All this time we are flying 2400ft agl. At this point begin your descent (about 500ft/m) and reset your VOR to 133 degrees(DO NOT GO BELOW MDA 800ft otherwise you may be dead). Remain 14miles out and when your VOR needle lines up you should be at 1260 feet abg, 14.7 miles out. The Airport will be right ahead!!! Transition into visual approach (or go around if you are unable to see the landing lights), reduce speed, set landing flaps, enrich the mixture and aim for the landing strips. Good luck! Ill take a Video of an approach then we can compare notes. Doing it exactly as the professionals do is almost impossible because the workload requires two pilots…
Istrument approaches can be very difficult for a single pilot from the little i have learnt in FSX.
acknowledged minimum decision altitude but seems too high for the kind of aircraft that am using, shouldnt it be a little lower…plus can you assist me with a navgraph with a longer runway…like TNCM i believe it has the vor,dme approach and very scenic approach. all the visual approaches ive done have resulted in bursting a few tyres or sleeping with the fishes at times trying to localize with the the G.S…
You must be able to read the airport plate properly, looking at the above, the first block you will see
Rwy ldg 6997 - this is RW length in feet
TDZE - The landing point elevation (cant recall the meaning too accurately)
Apt Elev 22 - This airport is 22feet above seal level
Go down to the bottom, see that part category? Those are categories of aircraft based on speed. See all are 900? DO NOT GO BELOW 900 FEET. You will be dead!!! Then again each airport has a MDA depending on obstacles, not aircraft. The decision to land depends on the pilot and how early you see the landing zone and/or landing lights, at MDA you MUST be at full landing configuration, gear down, full flaps and final approach speed.
You must be used to that call “minimums” on boeings at 200feet. That is usually minimums for a ILS approach with altimeter set to radio, not altitude. NEVER GO BELOW MDA, you will be dead!!:D:D
You probably will not make this approach in a 747!!! It is too big, too fast and too clumsy to make brisk correction when you attain visual. And since you are only one pilot, forget it. This aircraft has two seats for a reason. A very good reason, incapacitastion of one pilot is usually a serious issue…willful VOR approach into KBWI in a 747 would be pure suicide.
Try it in a propeller aircraft if you wish to have any chance of success. I will send you a plate suitable for a 747. If you cant even make a visual approach you will utterly fail with a VOR!!!
Anyway, we also learnt the hard way. Give KBWI a try, I am getting you TNCM
ARE YOU FLYING WITH A YOKE, STICK OR KEYBOARD. Please dont say keyboard!!!
7miles out, too close for comfort, I would make the turn at 10miles in a 747 to be able to approach more comfortable and without breaking my passengers glasses and spilling their tea lining up with the VOR on radial 276. Please tell me you know how to differentiate radial and bearing…it is the secret to proper VOR interpretation.
Category A and B aircraft, thise are aircrafts able to do below 100knots if I recall well. You dont need DME for this. You can used time based measurements. STOP watch my brother.
one more thing,is there a way to calculate descent rate,it would me much helpful when using an Ap in a visual approach runway…i always find myself below glide scope …
My rule of thumb - Jets, 800ft/min and props, 400ft per min. You altimeter is the only instrument you need. You are going below MDA because of workload. Practise practise practise. Scan in this order - Speed, altitude, descend rate then look at where you are going, make corrections then circle through that process again.