VOR Standard Service volume legality

[Bernoulli]

Let's say you are 10,000 feet on an IFR flight plan and ATC tells you to fly direct to a high altitude VOR that is greater than 40 NM away. ..IE... you are beyond the Standard Service Volume of the VOR according to the AIM. You tune and identify it, center the CDI...all looks good...BUT...Because you are not on a published route and you are beyond the Standard Service Volume of 40 NM and you are a slant Alpha (IE...no RNAV or GPS)...are you allowed to accept the clearance or legally should you remind ATC you are a slant A and request a vector until able? Refer to AIM 1-1-8(a). I'm looking for legality here rather than practicality. Practiaclly...yeah...just center the CDI and go to the VOR... but is it legal if you are beyond the Standard Service Volume?Thanks in advance for all sincere responces.

 

[gkrangers]

How do you know you are more than 40 miles away if you are /A ?

 

[bluelake]

until you get a serious answer on here, just ask for a vector direct to the VOR, and u'll usually hear "fly heading XXX, direct XYZ VOR when able". that's legal...

 

[Bernoulli]

How do you know you are more than 40 miles away if you are /A ?

DME... Slant A is DME and Mode C.

 

[satpak77]

Let's say you are 10,000 feet on an IFR flight plan and ATC tells you to fly direct to a high altitude VOR that is greater than 40 NM away. ..IE... you are beyond the Standard Service Volume of the VOR according to the AIM. You tune and identify it, center the CDI...all looks good...BUT...Because you are not on a published route and you are beyond the Standard Service Volume of 40 NM and you are a slant Alpha (IE...no RNAV or GPS)...are you allowed to accept the clearance or legally should you remind ATC you are a slant A and request a vector until able? Refer to AIM 1-1-8(a). I'm looking for legality here rather than practicality. Practiaclly...yeah...just center the CDI and go to the VOR... but is it legal if you are beyond the Standard Service Volume?Thanks in advance for all sincere responces.

who gives rats hiney you are receiving it aren't you

put your Riddle books away kid, this is the first time in 15 years I have heard someone ask about "legality of Standard Service Volume"

go get a girlfriend

 

[gkrangers]

DME... Slant A is DME and Mode C.

Yeah...I was thinking U.

/G spoils me.

And I agree with satpak...as a Riddler...headin out in a few minutes. Go have some fun.

 

[gkrangers]

until you get a serious answer on here, just ask for a vector direct to the VOR, and u'll usually hear "fly heading XXX, direct XYZ VOR when able". that's legal...

ATC would probably say that anywho.

 

[Bernoulli]

who gives rats hiney you are receiving it aren't you

put your Riddle books away kid, this is the first time in 15 years I have heard someone ask about "legality of Standard Service Volume"

go get a girlfriend

Here we go. Come on people. Some serious answers are appreciated. please spare the wise cracks. Once again... it's a question of legality and not practicality. It's a question that requires some knowledge to answer appropriately. If you don't know then don't respond. Apparently you don't know. If someone know the legal answer I'd appreciate it. Once again... thanks in advance to all sincere answers.

 

[satpak77]

Here we go. Come on people. Some serious answers are appreciated. please spare the wise cracks. Once again... it's a question of legality and not practicality. It's a question that requires some knowledge to answer appropriately. If you don't know then don't respond. Apparently you don't know. If someone know the legal answer I'd appreciate it. Once again... thanks in advance to all sincere answers.

how about you go look it up in the AIM and/or Instrument Flying Handbook, and come back and TELL US what the answer is

 

[Bernoulli]

how about you go look it up in the AIM and/or Instrument Flying Handbook, and come back and TELL US what the answer is

I have looked it up and can't find anything on it. Perhaps someone well read has come across this question and knows the answer.

 

[Metro752]

iF THAT situation comes up, just ask the controller.

kinda like asking if you have to know that columbus landed in 1492

 

[Bernoulli]

Perhaps I should have directed this question to ATC folks. Any ATC people out there that can answer the question?

 

[Bernoulli]

OK... For all you wise guys out there. Same scenario as originally posted but now you are flying part 135 or 121 and an FAA guy is riding jump seat watching your every move. Whatcha gonna do when ATC tells you to fly direct to the VOR but you are outside that VOR's standard service volume. Can you legally fly direct to it if you can ident it? I know in alll practicallity you would just ask for a vector to cover your butt... but would it be legal to fly to it being outside the service volume?

 

[C425Driver]

Under 135 or 121, the company Ops Specs will grant authorization for Class I Navigation, which allows for flights in the Operational Service Volume of a navaid (not the standard service volume – there’s a difference). The operational service volume is the airspace around a naviad where usable signal can be received. In other words, if you can tune and ID it you can use it regardless of the standard service volume limits of that particular naviad and the Fed in the jumpseat will be happy. The same standard most likely applies to part 91 operations.

C425Driver

 

[Bernoulli]

Under 135 or 121, the company Ops Specs will grant authorization for Class I Navigation, which allows for flights in the Operational Service Volume of a navaid (not the standard service volume – there’s a difference). The operational service volume is the airspace around a naviad where usable signal can be received. In other words, if you can tune and ID it you can use it regardless of the standard service volume limits of that particular naviad and the Fed in the jumpseat will be happy. The same standard most likely applies to part 91 operations.

C425Driver

Thanks for a straight answer. That's what I'm looking for. Do you know by any chance where I can reference operational service volume, or have you only seen it in company ops specs?

 

[hydroflyer]

I always understood the standard service volumes to just be generalizations, not a hard number to go by. Everything is based off of operational service volume. If I remember right, I used to demonstrate this concept to instrument students using a low altitude enroute chart. There are some places that depict a VOR changeover point beyond the standard service volume of one of the VOR's, I think there is one example along the NW Oregon coast. Other times in mountainous terrain, VOR service volume is limited and the back of the AFD will tell you between what radials/distances and altitudes the VOR is limited to.

 

[Bernoulli]

Sounds like "Standard Service Volume" is what is the "Standard" one can expect to recieve in a line of sight situation. Operational Service Volume is what we can legally navigate on an IFR flight plan as long as the VOR can be IDENTed. Does anyone know where "operational Service Volume" is published? I can't find it in the AIM.

 

[satpak77]

Sounds like "Standard Service Volume" is what is the "Standard" one can expect to recieve in a line of sight situation. Operational Service Volume is what we can legally navigate on an IFR flight plan as long as the VOR can be IDENTed. Does anyone know where "operational Service Volume" is published? I can't find it in the AIM.

GOOGLE

 

[hydroflyer]

You may be better off looking this up in the TERPS or Advisory Circulars. Easiest way to find your answer may be to search for "Service Volumes" on the FAA website and see what it pulls up.

 

[jeroom]

I learned that to know the operational service volume of a (H) VOR, you have to do this little math thing:

Distance (NM): 1.23 square root Height (FT)
That will tell you how far away you could receive the VOR depending on your altitude (If you are in the cone).

Ex: 1.23 Square root 10,000 (FT) = 123 NM

Ok, also consider this information as pure book theory...but works most of the time.