"john smith" wrote in message

VOR doesn't care what heading the airplane is flying, so how does the crab
angle affect the track if you are keeping the needles centered? You simply
adjust your crab angle right or left to maintain the track, correct?

Yes, that is how you do it with only a VOR receiver. It is somewhat a
matter of trial and error to determine the proper crab angle and that crab
angle will change if the winds aloft change.

However, if you have a portable GPS with a simulated HSI such as the Garmin
296, it makes the process of determining and modifying crab angles almost
automatic. The electronic HSI on a Garmin 296 knows only your track and not
your actual heading. So if you set the "heading" on the electronic HSI to
the desired course, you will actually be establishing whatever crab angle is
needed to maintain the desired course. This greatly simplifies the workload
of navigating with a crosswind.

--------------------
Richard Kaplan

www.flyimc.com