Who Needs VORs?
When pilots hit me up for help planning their panel upgrades, one of the most common questions is whether it’s safe to ditch VHF nav systems from the panel. You know, finally get rid of that well- worn King KX155 or KN53. Ask me that a couple of years ago and nine times out of 10 I would say yank ‘em for good. But not anymore, unless the mission is VFR all the time every time. But for even the occasional IFR flying, I’m not so sure WAAS GPS is a sure thing—all the time every time.
Moreover, some shops are just giving bad advice in suggesting that a panel intended for modern IFR flying is fully capable without a backup VHF nav, including glideslope receiver. Part of that reasoning is because Garmin’s so-called budget line of IFR GPS navigators don’t have VHF nav receivers (the GTN series do). Consider that while the FAA isn’t about maintaining the aging network of VORs, it very much expects the VOR/ILS system to be a primary backup during GPS outages. Our sister publications Aviation Safety and IFR magazines have been doing a great job covering this topic, and it’s a deep one that I think every active instrument pilot should learn about. The FAA calls it MON, for minimal operational network, which are VHF nav stations (VOR, localizer and ILS) it will keep active in case the signals for WAAS navigators tank when we need them the most. Many are surprised to learn that the FAA is extending the service volume of low-altitude VOR stations to 70 nautical miles and that puts signal coverage (at least in mostly flat terrain) in place above 5000 feet MSL.