Bruce W.1 wrote:

You can calculate your position by triangulating from two VOR stations.
How many pilots do this? Or do most just fly between omnis? When you
fly cross country do you just fly VOR to VOR, or do you draw a straight
line to your destination and constantly triangulate while enroute to see
if you are on this line?

When I navigate using the VOR network, I usually go VOR to VOR in congested
airspace and straight line for long cross-countries. When traveling straight
line, I frequently use the triangulation method to verify my location when there
are no good landmarks nearby. I frequently use triangulation to determine the
point at which I pass an intersection or waypoint (whether official or
otherwise). For example, I may fly one radial from VOR "A" to remain outside the
DC ADIZ, but I know that I can change course once I pass the point at which a
particular radial of a second VOR crosses that one. In any case, I treat the VOR
network as sort of a backup to pilotage (and I treat pilotage as a backup to
LORAN/GPS).

As Larry pointed out, in most cases, using the airways usually doesn't increase
your enroute time all that much over going direct.

George Patterson
Whosoever bloweth not his own horn, the same shall remain unblown.