what_next wrote:
For example one Zürich departure that I fly frequently requires intercepting a radial without a given interception heading (which is often supplied elsewhere).
Out of interest, which one are you thinking of? I suppose the 10 and 28 technically have such a leg to intercept the KLO outbound, but you’re so close to the desired radial it doesn’t give a great deal of latitude.
Most of the SIDs I’ve flown have a designated course to fly, even if there is no lateral guidance.
The US IR I did in Arizona in 2006 was packet to the brim of VOR radial intercepts… it’s classic old “separate the men from the goats” IFR stuff.
Europe has always separated men from the goats using loads of exams packed with junk, so one could debate which is better 
Obviously both are a waste of time.
Many SIDs in the US have a heading or vector to intercept a radial or airway as the beginning portion. RNAV SIDs often contain intercepting a course to a fix as the first leg, which is similar to intercepting a radial. Since RNAV SIDs require the entire procedure be encoded in the database, the lack of this capability excludes most of the generation one GPS systems such as the KLN94. They can use OBS mode, but can’t have the leg programmed in the database. Intercepting an airway or radial is still used in preferred routes and in the TEC routes in Southern California. Interestingly enough, routes with radials to fly can be assigned by ATC, but there is no way to file them unless they are already part of a named procedure.
I did this night vfr only on my request (easier to communicate than with headings and villages).
But it is a big deal anyway? Any of our PPL students can do it after a brief introduction…
Your PPL students can fly to a VOR after a brief introduction, of they can intercept whatever radial with the right method after " a brief introduction"? I am just asking because I don’t know any VFR pilot who can do that in the correct way,… and many IFR pilots forget it too.
Out of interest, which one are you thinking of? I suppose the 10 and 28 technically have such a leg to intercept the KLO outbound, but you’re so close to the desired radial it doesn’t give a great deal of latitude.
For example the DEGES 2W out of runway 28. And you are right about being close to the radial. Anyway, the trick in Zürich is to climb with a (very) good rate because you can get a “turn left direct xxxxx and climb FL120” upon first contact.
Peter wrote:
The US IR I did in Arizona in 2006 was packet to the brim of VOR radial intercepts… it’s classic old “separate the men from the goats” IFR stuff
Heh! When I met my old flight instructor (who instructed both for my original PPL and IR) to get the PPL back after my long break, one of the first questions he asked me was “you’re at this position and want to intercept this radial, what heading do you fly…?”
There’s actually many correct ways to intercept a radial, the one i prefer is what they teach at Lufthansa: “D+30”, meaning that you add 30 degrees to the difference between the radial you are on and the one you want to intercept.
Your PPL students can fly to a VOR after a brief introduction
That is not the topic under discussion, however.
To fly to a VOR, you rotate the OBS until you get a zeroed bar and a TO flag, then you read what the OBS says and make that your new heading. After flying that for a bit, you will see the wind drift (in case you have no idea what the wind is) so you adjust the heading accordingly.
There’s actually many correct ways to intercept a radial
There is surely an infinite number of headings which will do to intercept a VOR radial. But this is a completely different thing to flying to a VOR. Which country has this in the PPL?
