fulanito_uk wrote on Oct 25^th, 2012 at 9:38pm:



In short, yes. If the fix is does not correspond to a navaid, then you must use the DME from the last VOR to know when you are on the given fix.

Or sometimes the fix is a bisection of two different radials of two different VORs, in which case you don't strictly need DME, but an IFR panel capable to manage two different VOR signals at the same time (or need to fiddle with the sole one you got, I guess), to know when you're on the fix.

Of course, if you got GPS it's even simpler to know when you're on the fix, but if you want to fly old school, when GPS stood for Going to a Party this Saturday... it's only VOR and DME for you.

fulanito_uk wrote on Oct 25^th, 2012 at 10:36pm:


Not a problem at all. For that there's a clock or better a chronometer beside the airspeed indicator in every IFR capable cockpit ever since the 20ies. Given a certain speed your plane is moving at (ground speed), you can calculate the time you need to reach the distance between HNS and the fix COALE with good precision.

The actual formula is: S / V == T * 60

Where S is Space in nm, V is Velocity in knots ground speed, and T is the resulting time factor that must be multiplied to the amount of minutes in a hour (60).

Simple example: Given your ground speed is 100knots and the hypothetical space between HNS and COALE is 30nm the formula would look like this:

30 / 100 == .3 * 60 == 18 minutes of flight

Or at least this is the formula I've always used in this kind of occasions and it has yet to fail me.

Here is the result of the "COALE" intercept (13.48 mintues from HNS 30) not perfect but practice makes perfect  .
Plus I did turn off all wind etc... will practice a little then learn how to compensate.

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Thanks again!