What Is This? I've Been Told It Has To Do With Aircraft.

wallmaxx

It is located in Whatcom Co., just west of Lynden. One guy I know says it is for aircraft to use to locate their position when GPS fails??? Anyone know?

Attached Images

Enterprise road.jpg (63.3 KB, 155 views)

ChainsawCharlie

VORTAC.

Radio navigation for aircraft. Something like a "VHF broadcast" map of air highways, so to speak.

I have a friend who is a pilot, and I asked him one day "What are those giant bowling pin looking things?" Of course, I got a much more detailed explanation, but I'm no pilot, so that's the best you're getting from me.

MALCO.New.York

They a spaced all over the middle States and the World in order for planes to Navigate when NOT in contact with an Airport. Conventional Compasses like to point downward and North when 35,000 feet in the air.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VHF_omnidirectional_range

http://www.navfltsm.addr.com/vor-nav.htm

It is basically "Radio Navigation".

The System is to be used in conjunction with this. "Whiskey Compass".

__________________
Something to One may be Nothing to another!

Ultimate Wisdom---------
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OW-cnizLDEE

Jayrek

It is called a VOR in pilot speak. VOR stands for Very High Frequency Omnidirectional Range. It is used for navigation and certian "Radials" make up victor airways. Victor airways are the highway in the sky.When flying on a victor airway on an ifr flight plan the plane does not care if you are using Vortacs or GPS for navighation. There are many kinds of vor, high altitude, low altitude, terminal, etc. Using published maps and charts,(IFR approach plates you determine you location and route and alllow to operate in IFR conditions (takeoff and departure). In other words used for aerial navigation.

P.S.- A high amount of mid air collisions happen directly over VOR's involving small aircraft. (NTSB Stats) So if its near your house you might hear a loud bang one day.HIT THE DECK!!

JamesNLA

LOL, I used to live very close to the "FIL" VOR.
As a licensed pilot, I can't really add much more than what JAY posted. I personally think VOR's are next on the chopping block as are something called NDB (non directional beacon). VOR's are just a smarter version of them, however in the states they are not really used anymore. GPS will eliminate VOR's but that will take another good 20+ years.
To the OP, VOR's are not there as a backup to GPS, these things were/are in use long before GPS. That said, VOR's CAN and are used as a form of navigation, but they do not exist to back up GPS. Hope that helps!

__________________
"....And then we all switch places when I ring the bell"
-Adrock

wallmaxx

Thanks all.

I figured that it was similar to a compass / GPS for a soldier....we first learn the compass...then GPS. Keep the compass with you "just in case" the GPS ever fails.

As for its location....its out in the middle of an open field. I haven't stayed long enough to see if any near air collisions occur... Man, that would be bad.

Y'all take care

Teetorbilt

When I started flying 'omni's' and Radio Direction Finders (RDF's) was about all of the navigational equipment you had. The problem is that the vectors get wider the farther you are from them, think of a pizza slice.

Having an RDF was cool because you could listen to radio stations while you flew. The FAA was pretty strict about electronics and my plane was 24V so installing an 8-track was a no-no.

__________________
You can't solve you're problems with the same level of thinking that created the problems.

Albert Einstein