"Steve House" wrote in message
...
Student here, following debate with interest but I don't understand the
issue at disagreement. Considering "bearing" as distinct from "relative
bearing", is not the bearing the clockwise angular direction with respect
to the meridian over its origin of a line drawn from one point to another?
And since the 0 radial of the VOR station is aligned to the magnetic
meridian, each VOR radial indicates directly the magnetic bearing from the
VOR station to an object that lies somewhere along it. To get one's
bearing
from the VOR station, than, can you not just rotate the OBS until the
needle
is centred? If the "from" flag is up then the OBS ring reads out directly
the magnetic bearing to the aircraft as viewed from the VOR station, and
if
the "to" flag is up, the OBS is showing the reciprocal. So don't you know
you're somewhere along that line?

Yes. That was my point exactly. Only, somewhere along that line could
be anywhere within about a 200 square mile area when you factor in the
inherent accuracy of the single VOR.

Of course, neither indication gives the
actual aircraft position without using some other additional means to
establish distance from the station - DME, triangulation on another
station,
etc.

Yes. That was my point exactly.