When was the last time you used your ADF?

Hello all,

I'm just curious as to when the last time was that you used your ADF
for actual navigation? Are NDBs common in the US? It seems as though
every little airport has an ILS!

-dr

In article .com,
wrote:

I'm just curious as to when the last time was that you used your ADF
for actual navigation? Are NDBs common in the US? It seems as though
every little airport has an ILS!

Pretty much everytime I fly away from my airport I use the ADF for SA.

--
Bob Noel
Looking for a sig the
lawyers will hate

wrote in message oups.com...
Hello all,

I'm just curious as to when the last time was that you used your ADF
for actual navigation? Are NDBs common in the US? It seems as though
every little airport has an ILS!

-dr

Last Saturday.
And the Sunday before that.
And on most of my cross-country flights, generally.
But ~90% of my ADF usage is supplementary to other navigation.

The needle swing when passing an LOM is supplementary, to me.
So also, is using the ADF to be ready for a clearance direct to the airport,
while being radar vectored and expecting a visual approach.
(The latter is exactly how I used my ADF last Saturday.)

On 6 Jun 2006 18:35:51 -0700, wrote:

Hello all,

I'm just curious as to when the last time was that you used your ADF
for actual navigation? Are NDBs common in the US? It seems as though
every little airport has an ILS!

I use it almost every flight for AM radio, not so much for instrument
flying, although two of my more frequently used airports (CMI -
Champaign, and RFD - Rockford) have LOMs on the ILS, so I occasionally
actually use one for navigation.

-Nathan

"Nathan Young" wrote in message
...
I use it almost every flight for AM radio, not so much for instrument
flying, although two of my more frequently used airports (CMI -
Champaign, and RFD - Rockford) have LOMs on the ILS, so I occasionally
actually use one for navigation.

I often use LOMs on ILS approaches too. Seeing that the CDI and ADF lean in
opposite directions is an easy way to double-check that you're being
properly vectored for the approach.

--Gary

The ADF works great with AM broadcast for VFR long range
direct. Before the days of LORAN and GPS, tracking to some
50,000 Watt clear channel radio was the accepted method.
Even works for practicing all those techniques that are
never used in the real ATC world of IFR, such as time and
distance, bearing change, etc.



--
James H. Macklin
ATP,CFI,A&P

--
The people think the Constitution protects their rights;
But government sees it as an obstacle to be overcome.
some support
http://www.usdoj.gov/olc/secondamendment2.htm
See http://www.fija.org/ more about your rights and duties.


"Gary Drescher" wrote in message
. ..
| "Nathan Young" wrote in
message
| ...
| I use it almost every flight for AM radio, not so much
for instrument
| flying, although two of my more frequently used airports
(CMI -
| Champaign, and RFD - Rockford) have LOMs on the ILS, so
I occasionally
| actually use one for navigation.
|
| I often use LOMs on ILS approaches too. Seeing that the
CDI and ADF lean in
| opposite directions is an easy way to double-check that
you're being
| properly vectored for the approach.
|
| --Gary
|
|

I wasn't sure, so I checked my plane. It doesn't seem to have an ADF.

I used to use them occasionally for listening to ball game scores. I
guess that need hasn't arisen since I've had my plane.

On 6 Jun 2006 18:35:51 -0700, wrote:

Hello all,

I'm just curious as to when the last time was that you used your ADF
for actual navigation? Are NDBs common in the US? It seems as though
every little airport has an ILS!

-dr

I use it occasionally for IAP's to my home base, as it is usually a shorter
approach than the GPS approaches; and, since it is on the field, I can
convert to a visual approach (or cancel IFR) if weather permits and I have
the field in sight.

I always use it at my home field to obtain the local altimeter setting,
which allows for lower minimums and is only available on the NDB frequency.

I rarely use it on an ILS to ID the OM, but I set it to that frequency in
case my GPS malfunctions on the approach.


Ron (EPM) (N5843Q, Mooney M20E) (CP, ASEL, ASES, IA)

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.