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It's not so much that you can't fly from VOR to VOR, everyone knows how to do so. It's more that it's a horrible waste of time and fuel. If you have GPS, you
by RNCTX 5y ago
It's not so much that you can't fly from VOR to VOR, everyone knows how to do so. It's more that it's a horrible waste of time and fuel.
If you have GPS, you will get cleared direct after getting out of congested areas, usually (presuming you are capable of clearing all of the terrain between point A and point B). If you're having to fly from VOR to VOR you will fly a much more indirect route and spend a lot more time and fuel, particularly on private jets.
Hence the offer to put private jets on vectors rather than tell them to fly the old fashioned way. People on private jets tend to be people who make political contributions, who in turn tend to call the congressmen in their pocket and complain.
- unionemployee 5y agoThere's an incredible amount of inefficiency in the airspace system that causes massive fuel and time waste, but flying VOR to VOR in cruise doesn't seem like one of them. Airline routes are still frequently planned along airways with lots of VOR to VOR along the way. Yes, you get directs, but these only save a minute or two. If you're in a Gulfstream flying above everyone else, sure, it's "direct Van Nuys" from over NYC. Airlines don't get that treatment though.
- RNCTX 5y agoDidn't say they did. Yes, airlines are run assembly-line style. The linked article mentioned a private jet straying into a restricted area, I was referencing that incident in particular.