VOR Navigation

When you review TC's sample PPL exam you will see a few questions like the following:

With the VOR receiver tuned to the Coehill VOR (N44º40’ W77º50’), when you are over the town of Marlbank (N44°26’ W77°05’) the CDI should be

1. centred with a “FROM” indication when the OBS is 123°.
2. centred with a “FROM” indication when the OBS is 303°.
3. deflected full left when the OBS is 123°.
4. deflected full right when the OBS is 303°.

As you can see, not only will it test your ability to know exactly where you are on the map but also to know how to interpret the VOR receiver readings.

How do you go about solving the issue above? First you need to know where you are on the map in relation to the provided points of reference. Then, you will need to understand how VOR navigation works and where you are in relation to the given information.

You will however need to understand how the VOR works. Hopefully, below you will find an easy way to understand it.

VOR is short for VHF Omni-directional Radio Range, is a radio beacon located on the ground that transmits a signal which contains azimuth or the bearing with respect to magnetic north the station is from the aircraft. The most challenging for me is how to read the actual instrument...




The round dial with selectable azimuth information is the Omni Bearing Selector (OBS). The 'needle' is the Course Deviation Indicator (CDI). That needle will move/deviate from the centre to either left or to the right when the airplane gots off course.

When the aircraft is left of the course, the CDI needle will deviate to the right, showing the pilot which direction the desired course is located.

If the needle is to the LEFT, turn the plane to the LEFT to get back on course.

The TO and FROM indicator tells you if the VOR station is in front of you or behind you in the relation to the radial you set in the OBS. If you are tracking a 000 radial and the station is ahead of you the indicator will say TO. However, if you have the reciprocal radial of 180 set, then you will show a FROM heading.

You won't need to know the following for the exam but I think it will be certainly useful in practice.

A series of horizontal dots is shown on the instrument dial so that one can tell how much of a deviation you are tracking. Every dot represents a 2° deviation off your intended course. This will tell you how lost you are but also which new heading to choose to get back on course.

Here is a great simulation that helps you to visualize.

Here is a good Youtube video that explains the above.

Dreading those rules

No pilot or pilots, or person or persons acting on the direction or suggestion or supervision of a pilot or pilots may try, or attempt to try or make, or make attempt to try to comprehend or understand any or all, in whole or in part of the herein mentioned Aviation Regulations, except as authorized by the Administrator or an agent appointed by, or inspected by, the Administrator.

Sound familiar? :) Yes, welcome to CARs - The Canadian Aviation Regulations are a compilation of regulatory requirements designed to enhance safety and the competitiveness of the Canadian aviation industry, blah, blah, blah

Joking aside, expect more of the above when you study the CARs. Not only are they written in legalese but memorizing them won't help you at all. You have to understand them. The exam itself will test your knowledge and "application" of those rules and regulations.

You will need to know them for your PSTAR as well as your PPL exam. So, don't waste any time.

I love Web 2.0 collaboration. In exchange for the MET flashcards I created earlier, Igor was kind enough to prepare the flashcards for all the important CARs.

Download them here

He also posted the Word and PDF version of the earlier MET cards here.

How much do pilots make in Canada?

Someone asked me a few days ago..how much do pilots make in a year? To be honest, I didn't know the answer to this question as I'm not pursuing my PPL to become a pro. I did some research just out of curiosity. The results were a little daunting...

The range seems unreasonably wide...

18K to 265K a year!

So, what does it take to make 265K a year? You have to own the airline:)

Ok, I'm kidding, but I suspect there are a select few with all the right skills, ratings and experience to get to that level and I'm sure many pilots just never get there. The general trend suggests that if you make it to the 'majors' as a Captain with 10+ years of service you can expect an average of 135K plus a year. Not too bad. You appear to be out of luck as a part time instructor who just got their CPL and has barely hit 250+ hours:(

Here are a few reference pieces I thought to be good to review.

• Aviation.ca
• Air Transport Association of Canada (ATAC)
• AC Pilot News Blog
  
• Some US data

Here I'm including a cool pay calculator. Be aware, his is based on individuals' self reported data meaning people could inflate these numbers. Take these results with a grain of salt.

PayScale Salary Calculator

Considerations for the written PPL Exam

As I'm preparing to write the PPL exam, I've decided to look around for tips I may find useful just before/during the examination. Here are top 20 I've found to be most interesting and insightful.

1. Review the sample exams and answer guides. They will give you a flavour of the type of questions to expect. Click here to download the TC sample exam software. Have a look at the right navbar of this site for sample online exams you can take.
   
2. Spend appropriate amount of time learning what Transport Canada tells you is of major importance. Click on each section and see little airplane that represents the most important sections
3. Review TC's document that outlines weak knowledge areas based on past years' exam results - Review it here
4. Know your CAR's - shouldn't be too much trouble as TC tells you the sections plus you already studied most of them for PSTAR exam
5. Be careful with questions that reference AGL vs MSL heights -TC will use them interchangeably
6. When asked for minimum altitude over any given point on the map, ensure you consider the type of an area i.e. parks
   
7. Be careful with questions that reference Magnetic vs True heading or track -TC will use them interchangeably
8. In the MET section ensure to read all the notes on the maps/charts provided - the notes may contain the answer you are looking for!
9. Do navigation last as it is most time consuming and you don't want to run out of time
   
10. Be careful to check your early NAV answers as some will carry through to future questions
11. In NAV, only focus on calculations required to answer questions on the exam
12. On VOR questions, draw the plane facing the OBS to reduce confusion - TC will purposefully make it look a bit odd
13. In NAV section your numbers/answers will seldom be identical to one of the options due to different interpolations on charts. Go for BEST(closest) ANSWER!
14. Before you click "start" do all your cross country planning and review it well because it'll save you time! Know your latitude and longitude coordinates.
    
15. Don't forget to bring: I.D., current medical, letter of recommendation, proof of experience and training, payment, pencils, eraser, navigation ruler, protractor, calculator and flight computer
16. You are not allowed to bring in any notes (obviously) so write down any formulas you think you may need right before you start the exam. You may ask for scrap paper too...
    
17. Don't forget about common sense - it is not all about memorization
18. Review more tips from Transport Canada - View here
19. Know your stuff! You want to ace this not just pass.
    
20. Did you make an appointment yet?

Break a pen.