Always learning: More radio navigation

Since I'm working toward my commercial license, I've found a new instructor at Cooking Lake, who is fun and suits my style. I've done a few flights with him to keep working on things I've learned and to advance my knowledge and skills. Lately, we've been working on radio navigation using VORs. VORs are ground stations that emit radio signals outward in a 360 degree array. Pilots can tune in to the signal and follow a specific radial, which is tracked by an onboard instrument. A week or so ago, we flew a wide circle around Cooking Lake, tracking the Edmonton VOR outbound to Vegreville, across to Chipman, and back again to Cooking Lake. I was under the hood the whole time (so I couldn't see outside), so I got an hour of instrument time while I learned.

Yesterday, we went up again for another practice session. This time, we climbed to 9500' and tracked the 360 degree radial (northbound) of the Edmonton VOR to Athabasca. It was a beautiful day - perfect for flying - and it was the highest I've ever flown (as a pilot). We had snacks and music along the way and really enjoyed the flight. My instructor also demonstrated how to use flight following, which is when you ask air traffic control to monitor your flight, even in uncontrolled airspace, for the purpose of traffic separation. Hilariously, although Athabasca is just a small town, everyone who flew there yesterday arrived at the same time we did. The circuit was crazy! We touched down there and then departed immediately for a direct return via GPS to Cooking Lake.

These experiences really helped me to visualize what is actually happening with VOR navigation and it was great practice in working with the instruments. It was also just a lot of fun and a reminder of what a great privilege it is to fly.