"ndb? That Son Of A Bi**h!"

[Ralgha]

Um, yes I know all that. The avionics shop's gone over the whole airplane multiple times. It is the particular NDB station. I was just venting on NDBs in general.

 

[SkyWestCRJPilot]

Interestlying at SkyWest the RJ pilots aren't trained for NDB approaches so they aren't allowed. The EMB pilots are trained for them and they are allowed to do them. They often do an NBD approach into Sun Valley, Idaho and a few other places.

 

[Timebuilder]

Mark has good advice on flying the NDB approach.

Here's another piece. Approaches, no matter the type, happen in the real world. There is almost always some kind of wind, so plan for it. Use a wind correction angle that you associate with your airplane when flying other approaches with the same wind and direction averages, such as the VOR approaches you may have done. By turning to the course heading and checking the needle position, left or right, you will find out if you have too much or too little correction. If you are very lucky, you will have just the right amount.

And Mark's observation about the DG is SO important. I would check the DG against the compass when going to the station for the initial passage, on the outbound course, the procedure turn inbound (when used) and the approach to the station for the letdown to the MDA.

Also, remember this: an ADF WILL point to electrical discharges, like lightning.

Bad mojo, lightning.

 

[bobbysamd]

NDB approaches

One thing to add to the excellent advice given above:

Tune and identify the station, and keep the ADF volume turned up! A very common error in NDB work is turning down the ADF - and, amazingly, the NDB going off the air.

Examiners are known to turn off ADFs - and to bust instrument examinees who fail to keep the volume up.

 

[Timebuilder]

Good one, Bobby!

I had one instrument student complain that "that darned noise is driving me crazy!"

I said GOOD. Make sure it drives the examiner crazy, too!!!

 

[The_Russian]

BEE BEEP BEEP.......

Maybe thats how my mind got warped.............................

 

[Pickle]

What Tony said

Rook said: "this is a question for pilots flying glass cockpits."

On the 757 we just use LNAV, and follow the pretty magenta line like TonyC said. Our 737-800s don't even have an RMI installed. The 757s do though. As far as turning up the volume, I always do that in the sim, the check airmen hate that!!

 

[TonyC]

Re: What Tony said

Rook said: "this is a question for pilots flying glass cockpits."

On the 757 we just use LNAV, and follow the pretty magenta line like TonyC said. Our 737-800s don't even have an RMI installed. The 757s do though. As far as turning up the volume, I always do that in the sim, the check airmen hate that!!

In the MD-11, if the Identifier is displayed, it's tuned and identified. I haven't listened to a Morse code in a looooooong time.

 

[UnstableAviator]

Re: NDB approaches

Tune and identify the station, and keep the ADF volume turned up! A very common error in NDB work is turning down the ADF - and, amazingly, the NDB going off the air.

I still wonder why ADFs manufactured after ~1955 don't have an "Off" flag. One would think that the same technology present in VOR receivers could make its way into the old school ADF.

 

[Rook]

Thanks for all the responses.
Rook(nursing some beers after getting kicked in the nads in ths sim)

600' AGL Autopilot on.
'WHEW!'