Fly an NDB approach in any flight simulator: tune and identify the beacon, track with wind correction, descend safely and fly the missed approach.
To fly an NDB approach in a general flight simulator, load the chart, tune and audibly identify the NDB, set the ADF display, join and track the published inbound bearing with wind correction, cross every fix at or above its altitude, then descend to minimum descent altitude and fly the missed approach when required.
What do you need before flying an NDB approach?
You need a matching approach chart, an operative ADF receiver and a clear plan for the final approach segment, minima and missed approach. Confirm that the simulated aircraft has the equipment required by the procedure; an ADF alone is insufficient for an NDB/DME approach.
- NDB frequency and identifier: Check both on the chart. The identifier, normally transmitted in Morse code, confirms that the receiver has selected the intended beacon.
- Final approach course: Record the magnetic track rather than assuming the needle must remain directly ahead.
- Fixes and altitude restrictions: Mark the initial approach fix, procedure turn or hold, final approach fix or descent point, step-down fixes and minimum descent altitude.
- Missed approach point: Determine whether it is defined by time, DME, station passage or another published fix.
- Missed approach instructions: Set the initial heading and altitude before starting the descent.
The chart and the simulator's navigation data must describe the same procedure. Older scenery or navigation data may contain a beacon that has since changed or disappeared, while a newer chart may show a procedure the simulator does not have. Our simulated IFR briefing and missed-approach workflow covers the wider preparation around the approach.
How do you fly the NDB approach step by step?
The sequence is identify, intercept, track, descend and either land or go missed, using the chart rather than a GPS line as the controlling reference.
- Verify the procedure: Check the approach name, runway, NDB frequency, identifier, final course, minima and missed approach. Note whether the procedure requires DME or timing.
- Tune and identify the NDB: Enter the frequency in the ADF receiver, select ADF rather than ANT mode where applicable, and listen to the identifier. Do not trust the displayed station label without confirming the ident. For the underlying instrument technique, see our guide to ADF bearings, NDB tracking and station passage.
- Configure the aircraft early: Reduce speed, complete the landing checks and set the heading bug, timer, minimum altitude and missed-approach altitude. Large configuration changes on final make an already workload-heavy approach harder.
- Fly the published entry: Join through the stated initial fix, hold, reversal or procedure turn while respecting every altitude restriction. Do not replace the published entry with a direct turn towards the beacon unless the procedure and simulated ATC clearance permit it.
- Intercept the final course: Turn onto an intercept heading and monitor the bearing to the station. Reduce the intercept as the required bearing approaches; chasing the needle with repeated steep turns produces an unstable final.
- Track with wind correction: Hold a heading that keeps the aircraft on the published track. In crosswind, the ADF needle may sit slightly left or right of the nose even when tracking correctly.
- Descend at the published point: Begin descent only at the final approach fix or other charted descent point. Observe step-down altitudes and never descend below the published minimum descent altitude without the required visual reference.
- Land or go missed: Continue visually only when the runway environment is in sight and the aircraft is positioned for a stable landing. Otherwise, start the published missed approach at the missed approach point.
How do you read the ADF needle on final?
The needle always points towards the NDB, but its exact meaning depends on the instrument fitted to the simulated aircraft.
| Display | What the needle shows | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed-card RBI | Relative bearing clockwise from the aircraft's nose | Add relative bearing to magnetic heading and normalise the result to 001–360 degrees. |
| Rotatable-card RBI | Relative bearing against a manually positioned compass card | Set the card to the aircraft's magnetic heading and update it after heading changes. |
| RMI | Needle head gives magnetic bearing to the station; the tail gives bearing from it | Compare the needle head directly with the required inbound bearing. |
For a fixed-card instrument, use bearing to station = magnetic heading + relative bearing, subtracting 360 degrees when necessary. An ADF does not provide a course-deviation bar, TO/FROM flag or vertical guidance.
Holding the needle dead ahead is homing, not tracking. If the desired bearing to the beacon is 090 degrees while the wind-corrected heading is 085 degrees, a fixed-card needle about five degrees right is correct. Forcing it to zero would remove the wind correction and curve the aircraft downwind.
How do you correct for wind on an NDB approach?
Use a wind-corrected heading while keeping the measured bearing on the published track. Start with the correction estimated from the reported wind, then bracket it in small increments.
- If the bearing drifts away from the required final course, use a modest intercept towards the desired course line.
- As the required bearing returns, reduce the intercept and retain a few degrees of wind correction.
- If the bearing starts drifting the other way, halve the correction rather than making another large turn.
- Near the station, expect the needle to move more quickly; make smaller corrections and avoid chasing it.
At station passage, the needle normally swings rapidly through about 180 degrees and may wander briefly. Continue the published heading unless the chart requires a turn. Beacon passage is not automatically the missed approach point.
When should you descend and fly the missed approach?
Descent begins only at the charted final approach fix or descent point, and the missed approach begins at the published missed approach point if visual requirements have not been met.
An NDB approach is normally a non-precision approach without electronic vertical guidance. Use the chart profile, distance or timing table to select a stable descent rate, checking each step-down altitude. A constant descent is preferable when the procedure permits it, but the minimum descent altitude remains a hard floor until the required visual reference exists.
Start the timer at the fix specified by the chart, not automatically when turning inbound. The missed approach point might be reached after a published time from the final approach fix, at a DME distance, over the beacon or at another defined position. Do not turn early if the instructions require climbing straight ahead first.
Why is the NDB approach not working in the simulator?
Most failed simulated NDB approaches come from the wrong receiver mode, an unverified identifier, mismatched chart data or homing instead of tracking.
| Symptom | Likely cause and fix |
|---|---|
| Needle is parked or does not respond | Check electrical power, receiver frequency and ADF mode. ANT mode may provide audio without a usable bearing indication. |
| Needle points towards the wrong place | Confirm the Morse identifier. Another beacon may share or sit close to the selected frequency. |
| No beacon can be received | The aircraft may be out of range, too low, screened by terrain or using navigation data that omits the station. Review the main NDB reception range and interference factors; propagation effects vary between simulators. |
| Track curves towards the station | The pilot is centring the needle and homing. Fly a wind-corrected heading and monitor the bearing instead. |
| Chart and GPS disagree | The chart, GPS database and scenery may represent different data cycles. Use matching data or select another procedure rather than inventing a fix or frequency. |
Can the autopilot fly an NDB approach?
Use heading mode unless the aircraft documentation explicitly states that its autopilot can couple to the ADF. Many simulated autopilots cannot capture an NDB bearing through NAV mode, so the pilot must calculate the correction and command each heading.
A GPS overlay can help with situational awareness, but it should not conceal poor ADF tracking during practice. GPS substitution is appropriate only where the procedure and operating rules allow it.
How should you practise an NDB approach?
Begin in daylight with calm wind, then add crosswind and lower visibility once the bearing calculations and station passage are predictable. Save the flight before the initial approach fix so the intercept, descent and missed approach can be repeated without rebuilding the entire flight.
On later attempts, hide the moving map and fly from the chart, heading indicator, timer and ADF. This quickly exposes the two mistakes we see most often: following the needle instead of tracking a course, and reaching minimum altitude without knowing exactly how the missed approach point is defined.