[ARC5] 416 KC TWEB Goodness

[releazer at earthlink.net]

Note that tuning in an AM broadcast radio station with an aircraft ADF remains an undiminished capability in terms of navigation.  The location of aircraft NDB's is based on using the stations for published IFR approaches.  Anyone doing that under actual IFR conditions should have his life insurance paid up and perhaps his driver's license revoked, because even a cheap handheld GPS will do a far better job.  If you want to fly to Podunk or Pixley or Punxsutawney, tuning in a AM station there will work just fine.  On the Smithsonian Air Disasters series they related the case of a Brazilian 737 where the pilots misread a computer generated flight plan as 270 rather than 27.0 degrees, flew off into the setting sun, and were astonished when the airfield did not appear in their windshield.  Unable to get the VOR, they used the ADF to tune in a station that was broadcasting an important soccer, but without checking to see it's location.  They flew off into the jungle, over 400 miles off course, ran out of fuel, and crashed.

Wayne
WB5WSV