bearing from or bearing to

[Tinstaafl]

It depends on your frame of reference w.r.t. the direction your trying to measure.

Your position from the NDB is a Bearing FROM. At the same time the direction needed to get to the station is a Bearing TO. They're two sides of the same coin.

Generally a Bearing FROM is used to describe your position w.r.t. somewhere else whilst a Bearing TO is used to describe somewhere else's position w.r.t. yourself.

 

[A Squared]

The answer is:

Listen carefully to what the controller says and ask for clarification if he doesn't say "to" or "from"

 

[Donsa320]

So....which is it? Are all bearings to or do you have to and from?

Also, you don't necessarily need an RMI (although those are fun)...you could just be using a straight movable card ADF or (as you already mentioned) a fixed card ADF.

But I'm still confused...is it all bearings are TO the station or you can track a bearing FROM a station or TO a station.....

Maybe I should just go FROM this thread and TO the fridge and get a beer FROM the fridge and put it in TO my belly :beer:

-mini

Well, I thought the original question was: are ADF bearings generally referred to as "TO" or "From"? And my answer is "TO". That is the way they are charted. How you fly them is your option.

DC

 

[A Squared]

And my answer is "TO". That is the way they are charted.

Not true at all. They are charted both ways Just a cursory glance through my jepps results in both "to" and "from"

 

[bafanguy]

No, I'm afraid that bearings on the ADF are "To" in general use.
.

We found it best to refer to ADF bearings as "To" and VOR Radials as radiating out "From" to avoid confusion, having grown up with both.

Best
DC

Donsa,

When I first saw the question asked, my reaction was the same as yours....bearings are "TO". I think this may be what those of us of a "certain age" were taught; it's clearly what I remember.

My 1963 copy of "Air Navigation" by the US Navy Hydrographic Office says, "Note that the bearing of a radio station is the reciprocal of the direction of propagation of the radio wave." I think this is a roundabout way of saying "TO", i.e., the signal comes from the station measured as 270, the bearing is 090 ?

I looked in "Weems & Zweng" and found no definitive statement.

However, the AIM, "Pilot/Controller Glossary" states "...to or from any point...". And the "FAA Instrument Flying Handbook" says, "A bearing is simply the direction of a straight line between the aircraft and station, or vice-versa."

As you said earlier, just don't let there be any confusion bewteen you and the controller as to what the clearance is.

 

[Donsa320]

Not true at all. They are charted both ways Just a cursory glance through my jepps results in both "to" and "from"

Were those enroute charts, the approach charts always had both on them. I looked for some examples on the US enroute but could not find any. I believe you are in Alaska if I recall and would more likely have some Low Frequency Airways left up there, no?

DC

 

[Donsa320]

Donsa,

When I first saw the question asked, my reaction was the same as yours....bearings are "TO". I think this may be what those of us of a "certain age" were taught; it's clearly what I remember.

My 1963 copy of "Air Navigation" by the US Navy Hydrographic Office says, "Note that the bearing of a radio station is the reciprocal of the direction of propagation of the radio wave." I think this is a roundabout way of saying "TO", i.e., the signal comes from the station measured as 270, the bearing is 090 ?

I looked in "Weems & Zweng" and found no definitive statement.

However, the AIM, "Pilot/Controller Glossary" states "...to or from any point...". And the "FAA Instrument Flying Handbook" says, "A bearing is simply the direction of a straight line between the aircraft and station, or vice-versa."

As you said earlier, just don't let there be any confusion bewteen you and the controller as to what the clearance is.

Could be age creeping up....as the King said in Siam...what was so is not.

 

[bafanguy]

Could be age creeping up....

...nope...that can't be it...

 

[A Squared]

Were those enroute charts, the approach charts always had both on them. I looked for some examples on the US enroute but could not find any. I believe you are in Alaska if I recall and would more likely have some Low Frequency Airways left up there, no?

DC

I was referring to approach plates. Yeah, I'm in Alaska and yeah we still have colored airways. On the enroute chart's it's all bearings from the NDB.

On my approach plated I can find instances where it specifically states "...via the 293 bearing from JNR NDB" nnd also "climb on 270 bearing JNR NDB to cross...." In the second case if you were climbing on the 270 bearing *to* the NDB, you'd be plowing rocks