Find KMCO navigation aids, including the ORL VORTAC, ILS, DME, RNAV/GPS and radar, with chart checks and flight-simulator setup advice.
Orlando International Airport (KMCO) is served by the nearby ORL VORTAC on 112.2 MHz, runway-specific ILS/localisers, DME, RNAV/GPS procedures and Orlando Approach radar. The ORL station is near Orlando Executive Airport rather than on the KMCO field, so its published radials and distances refer to the station, not the airport.
For our Aviation & Real-World Flying readers, the key distinction is between a ground-based navigation aid, a published procedure and an ATC service. They can work together, but they are not interchangeable.
Which VOR serves Orlando International Airport?
The principal conventional VOR serving KMCO is the ORL VORTAC on 112.2 MHz, located near Orlando Executive Airport roughly seven nautical miles north of KMCO.
A VORTAC combines a civil VOR signal with military TACAN equipment. Civil aircraft can obtain VOR azimuth and paired DME distance; suitably equipped military aircraft can use the TACAN component. Our plain-English comparison of VOR, NDB and DME explains what each indication represents.
Tune 112.2 and confirm the identifier ORL before relying on it. Remember that VOR radials extend from the station. DME shows slant-range distance to ORL, not distance to the KMCO runway threshold or airport reference point.
What other navigation aids does KMCO use?
KMCO combines runway-specific ILS/localiser installations, satellite-based RNAV procedures, DME information and radar services for its parallel-runway operation.
| Aid or service | What it provides | KMCO operating point |
|---|---|---|
| ILS/localiser | Localiser lateral guidance and, for an ILS, glideslope vertical guidance. | Each published approach has its own frequency, identifier and inbound course. Use the plate for the assigned runway; the ORL VORTAC frequency is not an ILS frequency. |
| DME | Slant-range distance from the selected DME facility. | ORL supplies paired DME through its VORTAC. Check which distance source a procedure requires rather than assuming every displayed distance is measured from KMCO. See our explanation of DME indications and common errors. |
| RNAV/GPS | Area navigation using GNSS positions, named fixes and coded procedures. | KMCO has published RNAV procedures and terminal routes. GPS is not a signal transmitted by the airport; it depends on compatible aircraft equipment and valid navigation data. |
| ATC radar | Vectors, traffic sequencing and approach surveillance from Orlando Approach. | Radar vectors are ATC instructions, not a pilot-tuned navigation aid. Pilots still monitor the assigned procedure and aircraft position. |
| Visual guidance | Approach lighting, runway lights and visual glide-path indications. | These help during the visual segment but do not replace an ILS glideslope or the altitude constraints on an instrument procedure. |
Approach availability, minima and equipment requirements differ by runway and procedure revision. Our summary of KMCO instrument approach options covers that separate planning decision.
Does KMCO use NDBs or marker beacons?
Modern KMCO operations should not be planned around an assumed on-field NDB or marker beacon; current procedures primarily use ILS/localiser guidance, DME, RNAV fixes and other charted fixes.
Legacy simulator databases and old charts may retain an NDB, compass locator or marker that has since been withdrawn or removed from a procedure. A signal appearing in a simulator does not prove that the facility remains operational in real-world aviation. Check the current procedure chart and applicable NOTAMs before using any such aid.
How should you use KMCO navigation aids in a simulator?
Use the current procedure chart first, then configure the simulator's radio or flight-management system to match that exact procedure.
- Select the runway and procedure. Check its identifier, transition, required equipment, inbound course and minimum altitudes.
- For ORL VORTAC navigation, tune
112.2, verifyORL, select the correct NAV receiver as the CDI source and confirm that any DME display is using the intended receiver. - For an ILS, tune the runway's charted localiser frequency, verify its identifier, set the published front course where the avionics require it and change the primary guidance source from GPS to LOC or VLOC before interception.
- For RNAV/GPS, load the exact approach and transition from the database. Compare the resulting fixes and altitude constraints with the chart; an outdated cycle can contain a changed or missing procedure.
- Cross-check position. Use the chart, headings, distances and another available source rather than trusting one needle or moving-map symbol. Our chart-and-radio navigation workflow for flight simulators covers that technique.
Why does the VOR or ILS appear not to work?
The usual causes are an incorrect source selection, a parallel-runway frequency mix-up or outdated simulator navigation data.
- Expecting ORL to be at KMCO: ORL is north of the airport near Orlando Executive, so its DME and radials reference that location.
- Using ORL for an ILS: a VORTAC provides no ILS glideslope. Tune the separate localiser frequency printed on the runway's approach chart.
- Leaving the CDI on GPS: the localiser may be tuned correctly while the display continues following the magenta GPS course.
- Selecting the wrong parallel runway: runway numbers look similar at KMCO. Confirm the full runway designation, localiser identifier and inbound course.
- Using mismatched scenery and navdata: airport scenery controls much of the visual layout, while navigation aids and procedures may come from a separate database. Updating one does not necessarily update the other.
- Missing DME: the aircraft may lack DME equipment, the display may be sourcing another receiver, or DME hold may be retaining a previously selected station.
Use ORL when a route or procedure calls for conventional VOR/DME navigation, an ILS for precise runway alignment and descent guidance, and RNAV/GPS when flying a coded satellite-based procedure. Treat radar vectors as instructions from ATC, not as a substitute for monitoring the aircraft's position.