SESKStuff Everyone Should Know
SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/pilot-identify-vor-station

After tuning a VOR frequency, what should you verify before navigating?

Verify the station's identifier.

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  1. Its identifier ✔
  2. The flap position
  3. The cabin temperature

Why: A tuned frequency is not enough. Check the coded identifier so the receiver is using the intended station before trusting its course guidance.

Huh, didn't know that: A VOR identifies itself in Morse code or with a recorded voice giving the station name followed by VOR.

The dad joke
The VOR introduced itself because even radios dislike mistaken identity.
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References

Answer: Its identifier. A tuned frequency is not enough. Check the coded identifier so the receiver is using the intended station before trusting its course guidance.

  1. Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge Chapter 16 www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/18_phak_ch16.pdf
    Next, check the identifiers to verify that the desired VOR is being received.
    Checked 2026-10-09.

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