VOR Nav between station and intersection on victor airway

obelix

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obelix
Question about VOR navigation. Lets say I have only two NAV radio CDI's in the airplane and a radio DME.

Say I want to plan a flight on a V311 from the ELT VOR to the NELLO intersection.

Flying from ELT to the first intersection, CORCE I can assure I'm on track because the VOR is only 38nm away and I can track it at least that far. After that point there is no lateral guidance because the low VOR might only go to about 40 miles. Using the HRS VOR, I can verify what radial I am on from HRS and that will tell me approximately where NELLO and AWSON are but I wouldn't be able to verify laterally exactly where I am if I drifted north or south slightly until I get to those intersections and can verify DME to HRS. I'm thinking that calculating WCA, and course should get close enough to stay within 4 miles of center without plotting distances on multiple radials of HRS along the route.

Does this make sense to plan a flight this way, or am I way off base here?
 
You mean ELW?


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VOR navigation

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You are ON the airway. As long as you are above MEA and any relevant MRA, you are guaranteed lateral guidance for the primary navaid. That's 80 miles in this case. Leave the airway, and service volumes apply.
 
After that point there is no lateral guidance because the low VOR might only go to about 40 miles.

See Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) section 1-1-8 (a):
"Most air navigation radio aids which provide positive course guidance have a designated standard service volume (SSV). The SSV defines the reception limits of unrestricted NAVAIDs which are usable for random/unpublished route navigation."

and (c):
"Standard Service Volume limitations do not apply to published IFR routes or procedures."
 
Question about VOR navigation. Lets say I have only two NAV radio CDI's in the airplane and a radio DME.

Say I want to plan a flight on a V311 from the ELT VOR to the NELLO intersection.

Flying from ELT to the first intersection, CORCE I can assure I'm on track because the VOR is only 38nm away and I can track it at least that far. After that point there is no lateral guidance because the low VOR might only go to about 40 miles. Using the HRS VOR, I can verify what radial I am on from HRS and that will tell me approximately where NELLO and AWSON are but I wouldn't be able to verify laterally exactly where I am if I drifted north or south slightly until I get to those intersections and can verify DME to HRS. I'm thinking that calculating WCA, and course should get close enough to stay within 4 miles of center without plotting distances on multiple radials of HRS along the route.

Does this make sense to plan a flight this way, or am I way off base here?

You're off base here. It's a published route so an Expanded Service Volume had to be established. The Electric City VORTAC datasheet shows the R-274 is good out to 82 miles.

The lateral limits of Victor airways are not always four miles either side of centerline. A 4.5° degree splay is used, at 51 miles from the NAVAID that splay reaches the four mile nominal limit so the airway bulges. At NELLO V311 extends 6.4 miles either side of centerline.
 
And there are still plenty of rental planes that are equipped for IFR, but not for GPS approaches.
 
The TERPs criteria for VOR airway expansion:
 

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You're off base here. It's a published route so an Expanded Service Volume had to be established. The Electric City VORTAC datasheet shows the R-274 is good out to 82 miles.

The lateral limits of Victor airways are not always four miles either side of centerline. A 4.5° degree splay is used, at 51 miles from the NAVAID that splay reaches the four mile nominal limit so the airway bulges. At NELLO V311 extends 6.4 miles either side of centerline.


Where did you find the datasheet on it. The only thing I can find is in the airport directory that shows it's a low VOR..
 
Doesn't matter what it's power is, when you're on the airway it's been tested for that area.


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What is the decode for 274/00/D82/70/175. I'm guessing 274 is R-274 and D82 is 82SM.
 
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