direct

[mstram]

Is any specific nav equip required to accept a "direct to ..." AATC instruction ?

Does it make any difference if the direct-to is an airport / intersection ?

I.e, can you fly to an intersection using only VOR's ?

Mike

[Manflex55]

ATC won't normally issue a "direct" clearance to something other than a beacon (ie an intersection or any other waypoint) unless they see from your flight plan that your a/c has the appropriate equipment. If in doubt, they'll ask you something like "can U accept direct xxx ?".

Most airliners use a system called INS or IRS, which does not need any beacon or any external signal. All U need to do is enter the intersection/waypoint name or, for slightly less sophisticated systems, its lat/long.

Light GA a/c can B fitted with either GPS or a system called RNAV. With the latter, U enter the coordinates of your intersection/waypoint in relation to a specific VOR. U need to enter both the distance & the bearing. Once U've down that (& activated the RNAV), the VOR is virtually moved to your waypoint & the nav reverses to a dead easy VOR tracking with TO/FROM indications & normal needle deflection.

MF