ArcticChiller wrote:
Talking of the VOR 30 day check… Is that somewhere in the EU regulation?
On European aircraft this is typically done by avionics shops with ramp check equipment. Depending on country this has a larger interval of 1 or 2 years.
It is surprising that there is no provision in FAR 91.171 for checking a VOR bearing against a GPS bearing…
The regulation pre-dates the era of GPS and has not been updated.
I do cross-check against GPS to make sure both navs work accurately and then log it as cross-check between NAV receivers.
Well, alright. Thanks for the info. :)
Aviathor makes an excellent point. The FARs make no provision for doing the VOR check in Europe, unless you use two VOR receivers. Personally I check against a GPS track and log it accordingly.
Peter wrote:
The FARs make no provision for doing the VOR check in Europe, unless you use two VOR receivers.
Unless you had some “appropriate authority”:
(3) If neither a test signal nor a designated checkpoint on the surface is available, use an airborne checkpoint designated by the Administrator or, outside the United States, by an appropriate authority (the maximum permissible bearing error is plus or minus 6 degrees);
Maybe if the CAA doesn’t assume this role, then you can fill in the blank, assume that appropriate authority (lower your voice and stick on a mustache) and make yourself a checkpoint (say, in front of your hangar; ah no, it has to be airborne). I think over the “Needles” would be a good checkpoint for you, Peter. 
Martin wrote:
I would avoid “IFR avionics”. You can use radio navigation even when flying IAW VFR. The difference in minimum equipment simply stems from the fact that you have to be able to fly without visual reference (for a large part of the flight). So you have equipment that allows you to achieve that but nothing is stopping you from having e.g. P-RNAV approved box in a VFR only machine.
Yes I know (what exactly is IAW VFR?). But if you look at the requirements, you will find that VFR ontop or at night requires the same equipment as IFR, except OAT probe and a second static port (the second static port is only in the GM). Why VFR ontop and at night require a heated pitot, but no OAT probe, is a mystery, no one will mount a heated pitot without an OAT probe (heated pitot in the first place is stupid enough), but that’s beside the point. The point is, a well equipped “VFR machine” is also equipped for IFR, there is no difference. My Onex (experimental homebuilt) will be equipped for VFR ontop/night, but then I use the old national regulation, where there is larger difference between VFR-N and IFR regarding equipment.
This also means that some planes previously used for VFR night and ontop, may not do it legally today without equipment upgrade. This is particularly true for VFR ontop, which had no particular requirements other than day VFR.
There are two Lancairs at my homebase, they both need to upgrade their radios to 8.33, and are not very happy because they have NAV/COM radios. None of them have IFR rating (one of them had a CPL, but today only PPL). Anyway, they both want the VOR for VFR mainly and EIR/IR further down. I have also been thinking about mounting a VOR, have been looking at Val Avionics. With one single INS 429 at US$ 2k, and my Onex can fly IFR all over Scandinavia, below 10k. I am not very likely to get a IR rating, but I still want that VAL unit for VFR ontop, and to do the odd ILS approach.
Aviathor wrote:
AFAIK there are no VOR check facilities in the European countries I have been to. But there are other ways of doing a VOR check as laid out by 14CFR 91.171, for example comparing two VORs which should be within 4 degrees of one another.
If you have an on-airport VOR, can’t you just check that the indication on the ramp corresponds to the direction to the VOR?
No, technically not. Everybody does it of course, to find out if one’s VORs are accurate, but it doesn’t satisfy the requirement. It’s a moot point though, since the method used for the check dies not have to be recorded.
I guess, without reading all posts here, the problem is to find out if the aircraft is ok for IR or not.
We have a DR401 with G500 and GTN650 and STec 55×.
First in the POH it is written; Approved Operation, VFR by day in no-icing condition this even excludes VFR by night or i’m mistaken ?
Then a additional
AIRCRAFT FLIGHT MANUAL SUPPLEMENT
Document n° 1002545GB Issue dated Mach 18th
, 2013 1 / 4
Amendment 1 dated July 22th, 2013
VHF TRANSCEIVER
VOR/ILS RECEIVER
GARMIN GTN 650/750 GPS RECEIVER
says
Placards
A limitation placard showing the following text:
“USE OF GPS LIMITED TO VFR”
is displayed next to the GPS.
so why should the club put this online on the memerside if it is not affecting our DR40 ?
If you look the equipement you would say, yes it is, but with all this limitations…. and i have no clou how to find out it.
The issue is, the club board expects every member to fly strait into IMC and thats why they do not want members to fly it IR.
In my view IR is not a must to fly IMC, as many in here say, IR is more comfortable to fly i.e. to southern france on a beautiful day wihtout IMC but not hassle with any R etc areas….
Luckymaaa
Has the DR401 got another independently powered attitude indicator apart from the G500 ?
