Finding airfield without Tacan

[Uncle Ronald]

So i normally use TACAN to find my airfields and sometimes when i am cruising above dubai i notice not all airfields have Tacan there so i don't know how to locate it properly and take the right course.
I did see that there was something called VOR with a frequency
could that be some other Navigation system i could use?
What do you guys do when an airfield has no tacan
(i fly a F/A18C)

[fikmeinshizer]

Try using your radio in ADF mode and tracking the outer or inner markers

[matokla]

VOR is civil directional beacon. If u have the NS430 Module, u can use them in ns430 localiser mode

[ZeroReady]

Call ATC for a vector?

[Uncle Ronald]

Originally posted by ZeroReady:

Call ATC for a vector?

what do i ask the atc? is there an option called vector to airfield?

[ZeroReady]

request landing. theyll vector you to the initial point to line up for the runway. there may also be an option to just request a vector i cant remember

[fikmeinshizer]

request landing first then you can request navigation assistance

[Skeeter4life]

map :3

[Spaceman]

Contact the ATC you want to land at and declare 'inbound'. They will provide you a vector and the distance you should fly along that vector to acquire a long final.

As you learn to navigate, you will also gradually learn to identify landmarks and surface features and use them as indicators to navigate entirely VFR all the way to the airfield without the need for TACAN and the like. This is why pilots do FAM flights when they enter an area they are unfamiliar with, to get an idea of what everything looks like, literally. For example, you can find Khasab easily in the Persian Gulf by locating the Arabian Peninsula, and following it to its northern-most tip.

[matokla]

Originally posted by Spaceman:

As you learn to navigate, you will also gradually learn to identify landmarks and surface features and use them as indicators to navigate entirely VFR all the way to the airfield without the need for TACAN and the like.

While your statement is really true and important, VFR won't work at night or in bad weather.

[Spaceman]

Originally posted by matokla:

Originally posted by Spaceman:

As you learn to navigate, you will also gradually learn to identify landmarks and surface features and use them as indicators to navigate entirely VFR all the way to the airfield without the need for TACAN and the like.

While your statement is really true and important, VFR won't work at night or in bad weather.

And I didn't leave this comment without also offering a method for finding your way to an airfield without visual reference. Also, if you're flying on NTTR, most of the airfields there don't even have an ATC, let alone navaids of any kind. So if you want to use them, you're going to be limited to VFR. Alternatively, you can use your kneeboard. Rshift+K to open it, [ and ] to tab through pages, Rctrl+K to mark your position and heading on it, and K to close it once you've sorted yourself out.

[Troll Norris]

You can learn the terrain or compare it by map. Or use any different nav beacon or you can ask the ATC via radio. All of those methods are realistic. VOR needs NAV radio. Basic ADF is not able to work with the VOR.

[matokla]

Originally posted by Troll Norris:

VOR needs NAV radio. Basic ADF is not able to work with the VOR.

Once again: the DCS Garmin Module provides NAV and more. Since i am somewhat glued to Red Birds, i find it very useful outside of Caucasus. I personally didn't regret the 20 bucks.

[matokla]

Originally posted by Spaceman:

Originally posted by matokla:

While your statement is really true and important, VFR won't work at night or in bad weather.

you can use your kneeboard.

Sure and i prepare my kneeboard in preperation of every flight. But you gain no actual altitude info, and no glidepath info either from the kneeboard.

[Troll Norris]

He probably means in-game kneeboard. There are the airfield charts in it.

[matokla]

Originally posted by Troll Norris:

He probably means in-game kneeboard. There are the airfield charts in it.

I mean this too. How do you see your actual altitude and your position in relation to the glidepath from the Approach-Chart?

Edit: even the online one?