VOR (VHF omnidirectional range)

Article By:

Thompson, William I., III Science Applications International Corporation, Falls Church, Virginia.

Flint, Robert B. VORTAC Consultant, Havana, Illinois.

Greenspan, Richard L. The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Last reviewed:June 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.567900

A short-range air navigation aid, which provides azimuth aid by visual means of cockpit instruments. A VOR system provides properly equipped aircraft with bearing information relative to the VOR station and magnetic north. The VOR system is used for landing, terminal, and en route guidance. It also gives virtually static-free regular weather broadcasts, special flight instructions, and voice and code station identification. The VOR service operates in the very high frequency (VHF) band between 108 and 118 MHz, sharing alternate channels with the localizer in the instrument landing system. Typically, VOR stations are co-located with a distance measuring equipment (DME) system or a tactical navigation (TACAN) system. The combined systems are referred to as VOR/DME or VORTAC stations and provide both azimuth and distance information. See also: Distance-measuring equipment; Instrument landing system (ILS); Tacan

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