Published Sep 10, 2021
Conventional Navigation in MSFS 2020: VOR and NDB Updates
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Since the release of PMDG DC-6 for MSFS 2020, we have seen an increasing demand for a complete and current database of VOR and NDB navaids. In particular, VOR flying has become increasingly popular within the flight simulation community. Conventional flying can also be practiced in some of the default aircraft types in MSFS, such as the Cessna 172 and the Bonanza G36. In this article, we’ll cover our recent navdata developments that have been made to facilitate flight simulation with conventional navigation.
What is conventional navigation?
Flights using conventional navigation have been conducted since the 1930s and this is often regarded by pilots as an interesting and rewarding challenge, but let’s start by defining what conventional navigation is. When a flight is made using conventional navigation, the navigation is made with reference to radio aids.
Conventional navigation was serving as a primary method of navigation before computers were introduced to the flight deck. Many aircraft types then started to navigate using RNAV, a navigational method where the aircraft uses a Flight Management System that determines the aircraft position based on input from navigation sensors. Conventional navigation is still being adopted to various degrees today, and if you ever decide to become an IFR pilot, you will likely fly using radio aids during your flight training.
Conventional navigation is conducted mainly by indications to distances and bearings from radio navigation aids on the ground that are read by the aircraft onboard equipment. The three most common types of radio navigation aids are:
- ADF (Automatic Direction Finding) - A Relative Bearing Indicator (RBI) instrument in the cockpit Indicates relative bearing to an NDB (Non-directional Beacon).
- VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Radio Range) - Indicates the magnetic bearing from the station to the aircraft. An Omni-Bearing Selector (OBS) indicates the aircraft’s position relative to the radial the pilot has selected.
- DME (Distance Measuring Equipment) - Indicates the distance in nautical miles from the beacon to the aircraft, and is usually presented digitally in the cockpit. VOR and DME beacons are often located at the same place in order to provide the pilot with both a direction and a distance to the beacon.
For convenience, collocated DME and VOR beacons are often transmitting on the same frequency. In the example above, we have tuned the PJM beacon at 113.00, which provides us with both a VOR and DME indication to PJM.
Recent updates to VOR and NDB for MSFS 2020
As a result of a growing interest in conventional navigation within the flight simulation community, we have now released updates to our services in order to offer an easier and more realistic flying experience based on radio aids. As of AIRAC cycle 2109, we have updated our VOR and NDB navaids globally to reflect their ranges in the real world, allowing you to fly between different navaids as realistically as possible.
Cessna 172 lined up for ESVAN departure out of TNCM using conventional navigation (VOR and DME). Navigraph Charts are accessible inside MSFS 2020 using our In-Game Panel.
We have also made it simpler to plan flights between VOR waypoints using our free and powerful flight planning tool, SimBrief.com. If you are new to SimBrief or want to know more about the tool, click here.
To generate a VOR route in SimBrief, follow the steps below when creating a flight using the Integrated Dispatch System:
- Enter your departure, arrival, and aircraft type
- Scroll down to the “Route Finder” section
- Change the “Route Type” to “VOR ONLY”, and click “Find Route”.
You can also include or exclude certain VORs by using the appropriate text fields, as seen on the right-hand side of the image above.
If you want to include more VOR navaids in your route, or plan using VORs that are closer together, simply lower the “Estimated Altitude”. The VOR reception distance depends on your cruising altitude, so lowering it may increase the number of VOR navaids along the route.
To read more about our navdata service for MSFS, click here. If you have suggestions on how to further improve our service, please let our development team know by submitting a post in forum.navigraph.com.