When was the last time you used your ADF?

In article ,
Nathan Young wrote:

I'm just curious as to when the last time was that you used your ADF
for actual navigation?

I've been flying instruments for over 10 years. I've never flown a single
NDB approach in anger (i.e. other than in training or to pass a checkride)
in all that time. Of course, that reflects the kind of flying I do;
somebody based at a field with only an NDB approch would obviously have a
different story to tell. We pulled all the ADFs out of our club planes a
bunch of years ago.

I used to use it a lot on X/C trips (VFR or IFR), to tune in NDBs near my
route as a double-check on my navigation.

Before we had GPS, I found tuning in the LOM to be a useful situational
awareness aid on an ILS (if the CDI and ADF needles are pointed in opposite
directions while intercepting the localizer, you're going to intercept
outside the LOM, which is a good thing).

But all that's in the past. At this point, I can't imagine doing any
serious IFR flying without a GPS, and once you've got a GPS, there's just
absolutely no need for an ADF anymore (except for those very rare
exceptions of fields which only have an NDB approach and no GPS overlay,
and even then I'm not sure I'd be able to resist the urge to cheat).

Roy Smith wrote:

once you've got a GPS, there's just
absolutely no need for an ADF anymore (except for those very rare
exceptions of fields which only have an NDB approach and no GPS overlay,

.... and the occasional field where the ATIS/AWOS is on the NDB frequency.

"Roy Smith" wrote in message
...
I've been flying instruments for over 10 years. I've never flown a single
NDB approach in anger (i.e. other than in training or to pass a checkride)
in all that time.

I once made an NDB approach in IMC to a field whose ILS approach was
pointing downwind at the time. Usually, though, my use of the ADF is for an
ILS's LOM.

--Gary

"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
...

I once made an NDB approach in IMC to a field whose ILS approach was
pointing downwind at the time. Usually, though, my use of the ADF is for
an ILS's LOM.


What field?

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote in message
link.net...

"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
...

I once made an NDB approach in IMC to a field whose ILS approach was
pointing downwind at the time. Usually, though, my use of the ADF is for
an ILS's LOM.

What field?

FRG (Farmingdale, NY).

Padres against the Tigers, third game of the World Series about twenty years
ago while VFR going from San Diego to Sacramento.

Jim

And now every game is on XM in perfect audio quality.

RST Engineering wrote:
Padres against the Tigers, third game of the World Series about twenty years
ago while VFR going from San Diego to Sacramento.

Jim

Which in no way erases the fact that the Pads got blown out by the Cats in
five games.

Jim



"Newps" wrote in message
news
And now every game is on XM in perfect audio quality.

RST Engineering wrote:
Padres against the Tigers, third game of the World Series about twenty
years ago while VFR going from San Diego to Sacramento.

Jim

On Wed, 07 Jun 2006 13:52:49 GMT, "Steven P. McNicoll"
wrote:


"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
...

I once made an NDB approach in IMC to a field whose ILS approach was
pointing downwind at the time. Usually, though, my use of the ADF is for
an ILS's LOM.


What field?

At one time, maybe they still do, TVC (Traverse City) had an NDB
approach off what was also the LOM on the ILS. Of course it was
pointed in the same direction as the ILS, but you could do a circle to
land off it. OTOH they also had a VOR that would have been a lot
easier and made more sense, at least to me.

Actually I remember that one as the DE had me fly that NDB for a
circle to land on my check ride and it was down wind against opposing
traffic. We must have looked kinda strange coming down the approach
to those airliners getting ready to depart.

Roger Halstead (K8RI & ARRL life member)
(N833R, S# CD-2 Worlds oldest Debonair)
www.rogerhalstead.com

On Fri, 09 Jun 2006 02:59:12 -0400, Roger
wrote:

At one time, maybe they still do, TVC (Traverse City) had an NDB
approach off what was also the LOM on the ILS. Of course it was
pointed in the same direction as the ILS, but you could do a circle to
land off it.

Until recently (it was still there in 2005) Fort Collins-Loveland
(FNL) had NDB 33 and ILS 33 approaches. The circling minimum for the
ILS33 was 484 ft. agl, and for NDB33 504 ft. agl.

I don't know when the NDB33 approach got decommisioned, the COLLN
NDB/LOM transmitter is still there.

However, Greeley-Weld Count (GXY) has a fairly new NDB 34 approach,
based on the BUFFS NDB/LOM for the ILS34 approach. Again, the
circling minimums for the ILS approach are lower than those for the
NDB.

I assumed colocated ILS and NDB approaches were not uncommon.

Tim.