ADF: Worth studying???

[blzr]

My type ride had an ndb hold and approach. I also have to do them in recurrent for the King Air. The examiner told me, and I agree, that while the approaches are being decomissioned in the near future, it is still a good tool in the sim to demonstrate situational awareness and scan.

From what I hear, Higher Power makes you do an NDB app for your 737 type.

 

[tracearabians]

ADFs are great especially when you have to fly on weekends. You can keep up with the scores!

How many people really use this anymore? VOR's seem much more useful and much more plentiful than NDB's. And even VOR's are getting "old".

I've already passed the written, so is it really worth it to brush up on ADF? Is it typically an issue durring the checkride?

 

[coloneldan]

If you fly outside of the US of A you will find LOTS of NDBs. There are even still some Jet Routes that are defined by NDBs. True, you can usually overlay a GPS, but what if you don't have one? What if the GPS fails? What if? Besides, a compass locator makes orienting yourself on an ILS a breeze.

However, I do see your point. There is no sense in learning to use an ADF if they are going to shut them all down. And they are going to shut them all down in 1997. Oh, wait....

My opinion is, if it's available, use it. It's not hard to learn, you just have to think about it while you're doing it. It's not like following a VOR needle, but it is just as accurate.

Plus, there is always the game scores, and usually some country music.

 

[xjcaptain]

I would certainly want to know how to use one. At XJ, we still do NDB approaches in our Saabs. No GPS. If you can't fly an NDB, you won't get through the interview process / sim ride....Assuming that we hire again. Ah, the joys of 121 ops into small airports.

 

[MauleSkinner]

Like a lot of people, I learned it some time ago, and my airplane has an ADF. The question is, for future proficiency, is it worthwhile spending any time finding and flying to an NDB approach, or skip it for the more conventional stuff.

Having used one to get into an airport a few weeks ago that I would have otherwise not been able to get to, I'd say it's worthwhile.

Fly safe!

David

 

[AC560]

If you don't figure them don't take a checkride in a plane that has one or you might have to figure it out real quick.

 

[sky37d]

I, fortunately, or unfortunately, have one in my aircraft, and on my initial instrument ride, flew an NDB approach with one engine. On each subsequent IPC I have done an NDB approach. It seems that is the only time I do one. Oh, except during training, then I did one in actual, with only 1 engine, of course.

 

[kevdog]

ADF/NDBs are great to have in your airplane. If you are not familiar with the techniques, it will make RMIs harder than they need to be when you get into bigger airplanes. Sure if your plane has a fancy GPS, you do not need an ADF, but if you fly outside of the US, you will use NDBs for navigation, arrivals, approaches, situational awareness, missed approaches, and holds. NDB approaches are really not that difficult if you know what you are doing and they do show good situational awareness during training/sim if you understand them.