Why The Hell... (random rant)

On 04/04/07 10:40, EridanMan wrote:
What I'm not 100% convinced of is the necessity of keeping the VOR's
aligned with your compass. A compass is a perfectly valid
navigational tool with or without VOR alignment, and all of our
aircraft have compass cards in them anyways for coverting between
Magnetic and True headings.

It's true that all the airplanes in which I've flown have had
compass cards, but that's not what they do. They provide the
deviation for the compass at various headings, which are due to
magnetic fields within the aircraft.


Seems to me using the same conversion factor for Magnetic Heading to
VOR Radial as we do for Magnetic Heading to True is no more
complicated (and in fact less so) then worrying about particular
magnetic offsets for each station?

Either way its pretty much a moot point - because yes - we fly to keep
the needle centered, period. Again then - why go to the expense and
trouble of re-aligning all the VOR's and re-numbering the Victor
airways every few years? Just align everything true-north and don't
touch it again?

Note - this was a semi-inebriated, pedantic rant, I just thought it
might stimulate some good discussion





--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane, USUA Ultralight Pilot
Cal Aggie Flying Farmers
Sacramento, CA