Do Any of You Still use NDB's

[350DRIVER]

We do quite abit of charter business up into Canada and at alot of the smaller airports you have but one choice= NDB approach so yes they are still viable, alive and well and they will be there for years to come.


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[Typhoon1244]

In five years at ASA (2.5 on the Brasilia, 2.5 on the CRJ) I've flown one real NDB approach while flying the line. And as long as we have GPS overlay, I'm unlikely to do any more. (That doesn't mean I'll flush that knowledge, 'cause you never know...!)

I usually use the NDB needle to remind me to call the tower when crossing the marker!

 

[freightdogfred]

There's a reason they call them "Non-Precision" approaches....Seems like every time ya gotta do one, it's in the mountains of SA or Mejico, the frozen wasteland of Canada, or in the middle of a monsoon in India. These third world places prefer them as the maintenance required to support them is minimal in comparison to an ILS or a VOR station. I don't see them going away anytime in the near future.

 

[TXCAP4228]

I don't have the experience that most of the other people have who've responded, but I have flown 2 NDB approaches in actual. The first approach was on an overcast day last winter and I went out to get some approaches in actual. I requested an NDB and approach asked me twice if I was sure. Sort of funny. Anyway, the second was in April, and it was the only approach available at my destination.

I've never flown a jet or anything larger than a C206, but I imagine that an NDB approach in a much faster airplane is a handful.

Not my favorite approach to fly, but whenever I am doing approaches for proficiency I always try to get at least one. Great practice.

 

[Pickle]

SkySpray said: "Just off the top of my head, Beef Island, Anguilla, Dominica, and St. Kitts come to mind,"

Was that Melville Hall in Dominica or Canefield? I know there is an NDB on each field, but I can't imagine that with the way Melville Hall (DOM) was set up there could be an instrument approach into there. We went in there with a 727 and it was a VFR only airport for us.

Also St. Vincent had only an NDB approach and Valencia Venezuela had an NDB. Had to do both of those a few times.

 

[profile]

FedEx is certainly still teaching and flying NDBs, at least in the MD-11 fleet. NDBs are about all there are in many parts of the world still, even though we actually let the aircraft fly via NAV (for the MD-11/10) using the FMS path, we are monitoring the raw data of the NDB and that is the legal basis of the approach.

NDBs will be around for quite some time to come, and the fact that they are more difficult to interpret is all the more reason to practice them during training, IMO.

 

[fr0g]

A few of the airports we fly into still only have a NDB, so in the winter we shoot tons of NDB approaches. Try 2-3 a day sometimes...

 

[Vladimir Lenin]

I think shooting NDBs is fun, because controllers know how erratic some NDBs are and they'll clear you a whole chunk of airspace and then it's up to you. Play in low clouds if you want on the way to MDA, or use it to fine tune your LOC intercept (if it's located on the field or nearby) I did that on my IFR checkride, because I totally forgot what heading they gave me to intercept, and kind of lost myself in space for a few seconds. I have about 12 of them, 3 in actual IMC within the last 6 months. Fun times, especially partial pannel, makes you feel like a bush pilot

 

[bobbysamd]

NDB approaches

I shot one in actual about seventeen years ago. The last one I shot was during my last comp check ten years ago. I sat through plenty of them that my students shot.

In many parts of the world, ATC is not as well developed as it is here, and NDB approaches are still the only approaches available. Just be sure that you tune and identify the station and you have the volume up on your ADF while you're shooting them.

 

[350DRIVER]

I think it is fair to say that if you are corporate 91/135 and go international alot then chances are pretty good that you will have to shoot the NDB approach at some point in time since in many countries that is all you have to choose from. As previously stated we go into Canada quite often and some of the more remote fields that we frequent have nothing other than NDB approaches so we have little choice on what we "want".... A good test as well on the check rides . I don't think they are going away any time soon...


just my $.02

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[skyking1976]

I don't think they are going away any time soon...

Isn't that the truth. Anybody here ever fly over in Russia? That place is full of NDB's.

SK