VOR Outage - 08C-KJXN (MI)

jxdrl

jxdrl

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Jonathan
So, last Wednesday (May 2), I did a quick, routine flight from our home base to near where my mom lives.

I was thinking of filing IFR to get around the 5 miles visibility, mist, and the low scattered clouds around Grand Rapids. However, I had some errands to run and it was forecast to clear up in a few hours.

By the time I left, it was clear enough for VFR besides being bumpy - bounced my head off the ceiling before tightening the lap belt more.

However, I could not have navigated legally or did an approach to JXN with my current equipment (/A). The VOR in LAN has been out of service for awhile and yesterday, the JXN VOR was OTS for the day which NOTAM'd the ILS OTS without RNAV. I could have done vectors/VFR GPS I suppose since JXN was VFR but it never came to that.

Makes me want the IFD540 install at the end of the year to come sooner.

Any ideas if I "needed" to get there. Just depart and use the GRR VOR to get out the weather and then cancel IFR since JXN had good weather?

Jonathan

Mods - My original thread never got moved so I made a new one here as I think it could start a good discussion. The other can be deleted.
 
If the GRR VOR is within 40nm of your departure airport (you hint but don't say you're out of KGRR) and you have a DME, then going direct GRR and out a radial off GRR as far as 40nm to a DME fix (GRR GRR130 GRR130040) would have been a legal departure, followed by VFR to KJXN. Another possible route would have been GRR V285 AZO V116 ECKDO, then VFR to KJXN. It is indeed both possible and legal to file to a point in space with the intention of cancelling there and proceeding VFR thereafter as long as you file an alternate to which you can navigate from there.

But this is just the sort of situation which makes one long for a full-function IFR GPS, isn't it?
 
Based at 08C, hence the title. I would like the GPS. Later this year! Maybe we'll get an approach at home. That would be nice.

What's the rule for 40nm or are you just eluding to the service range of VORs down low?

We have a panel VFR GPS and I fly with an iPad too so it's pretty hard to get lost but the airways make some flights very inconvenient.

I know you can file like that - just never needed to.

We don't need to discuss direct/vectors. ATC is very helpful with those in busy areas. Just yesterday:

ATC: your on course heading to Dayton is about 020 right?
Me: that sounds about right.
ATC: 7YM fly heading 020, direct Dayton when able
 
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Just out of curiosity, is the LAN VOR *still* OTS or was it working for a while? It was OTS last May when I was shuttling between here and Y70 to drop off and pick up my airplane that needed a spar carrythrough replacement. If it's been OTS continuously since then, it sure sounds like an awfully long time to go without a navaid that a bunch of procedures depend on (I'm kind of assuming here that's the case since it's associated with a fairly busy Class C field, though the only one I can name off the top of my head is the VOR-A into Y70).
 
azure said:
Just out of curiosity, is the LAN VOR *still* OTS or was it working for a while? It was OTS last May when I was shuttling between here and Y70 to drop off and pick up my airplane that needed a spar carrythrough replacement. If it's been OTS continuously since then, it sure sounds like an awfully long time to go without a navaid that a bunch of procedures depend on (I'm kind of assuming here that's the case since it's associated with a fairly busy Class C field, though the only one I can name off the top of my head is the VOR-A into Y70).
Click to expand...


It worked a little bit a few months back when I was doing approaches all over Michigan . There were a whole bunch of unusable radials though. My CFI friend was talking to the tower guys at JXN and they were saying it was zoned improperly and some new buildings are blocking the signals. I don't know what they're doing about it.

KLAN has a bunch of ILSs that don't depend on the VOR IIRC so it shouldn't be too big of a problem.
 
More than half of the VOR's east of Denver will end up being decomissioned in the next 8 years, so I doubt it would be relocated.
 
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