Learn how to navigate to an intersection in a flight simulator using GPS, FMS or crossing VOR radials, with fixes for missing waypoints.
To navigate to an intersection in a flight simulator, identify the fix by its usually five-letter name, load it into the aircraft’s GPS or FMS, make it the active waypoint, and follow the commanded course. Without area navigation, fly the published VOR radials or other charted bearings that define the intersection.
Intersections are positions, not radio beacons
An intersection is a charted geographical position defined by coordinates, crossing radials, bearings or distance information. In our Aviation & Real-World Flying context, the key point is that the intersection itself does not transmit a signal and has no frequency to tune.
Most named fixes use a five-letter identifier. Check the charted position as well as the name, particularly if the avionics offers several possible matches. You will not normally see any physical marker outside the aircraft.
How do I enter an intersection into a GPS or FMS?
Enter the intersection’s identifier as a waypoint, place it in the intended route sequence, and then activate either the route leg or a Direct-To course.
- Confirm the identifier: Copy the fix name exactly from the applicable chart or flight plan and check that its displayed location is in the correct region.
- Add the waypoint: Insert it into the flight plan between the correct preceding and following fixes. On an FMS-equipped aircraft, verify that no route discontinuity remains around the new leg.
- Activate the correct guidance: Activate the leg leading to the intersection, or use Direct-To if you genuinely want a course from the aircraft’s present position.
- Select the navigation source: Set the CDI, HSI or flight-guidance source to GPS or FMS rather than VOR/LOC. Selecting NAV or LNAV on the autopilot will not help if the wrong source is driving it.
- Check the active leg: The displayed course should point towards the intended fix, the bearing should make sense, and distance should decrease after intercepting the course.
- Prepare the next leg: Confirm what the avionics will do after the intersection, especially if it is part of an airway, arrival or approach.
The exact controls vary by aircraft. Our explanation of route entry, active legs and FMS guidance covers the airliner-style workflow, while the G1000 waypoint and Direct-To procedure applies to many simulated general-aviation aircraft.
Should I use Direct-To or add the intersection to my route?
Use Direct-To only when you want to fly from your present position straight to the intersection; use a normal flight-plan leg when you must preserve the published route and its inbound course.
| Method | Choose it when | Main trap |
|---|---|---|
| Direct-To | ATC clears you directly to the fix, or you are making a simple off-route flight | It can bypass intermediate fixes, altitude constraints and the intended airway course |
| Flight-plan leg | The intersection belongs to an airway, SID, STAR or approach | Activating the wrong leg can command a turn back towards an earlier waypoint |
| VOR cross-fix | The aircraft lacks RNAV equipment, or you are practising conventional navigation | Confusing a VOR radial with an aircraft heading gives a false position |
A Direct-To command creates a new path from approximately the aircraft’s present position. It does not necessarily intercept the published inbound course. If you are flying with simulated ATC, do not leave the cleared route unless the clearance permits it.
How do I find an intersection using VOR radials?
A non-RNAV aircraft can identify an intersection by tracking one published VOR radial and monitoring another radial, bearing or DME distance that crosses it.
- Read the fix definition: Note the VOR identifiers, frequencies, published radials and any DME distance shown on the chart.
- Tune and identify the stations: Use NAV1 for the radial you intend to track and NAV2 for the crossing radial where two receivers are available.
- Set the courses correctly: A VOR radial is always a magnetic bearing from the station. If you are flying inbound along a radial, the course selected for tracking is normally its reciprocal.
- Track the primary course: Correct for wind rather than simply holding the published course as a heading.
- Monitor the crossing indication: The aircraft reaches the intersection when the second CDI centres with the expected TO/FROM sense, or when the specified DME distance is reached.
With only one navigation receiver, you can cross-tune between stations, but this raises workload and makes it easier to drift off the primary course. Our guide to using VOR radials and NDB bearings explains the conventional indications in more detail.
Why can’t my GPS find the intersection?
A missing intersection is usually caused by an identifier error, an unsuitable waypoint search, or a navigation database that does not contain the same fix as the chart.
- Check for a typing error. Similar-looking five-letter identifiers are easy to transpose.
- Verify the waypoint type and region. If the unit presents several matches, compare their coordinates or distance from your route.
- Check database consistency. The simulator, aircraft avionics and external flight plan may use different navigation-data cycles, producing missing fixes or route discontinuities. See our guidance on checking and updating flight-simulator navdata.
- Do not search for a frequency. An intersection is stored as a position, not as a tunable station.
- Use coordinates only as a controlled fallback. A user waypoint at the charted latitude and longitude can reproduce the position, but it will not automatically inherit published altitude constraints or procedure coding.
Confirming passage over the fix
You have reached the intersection when the GPS sequences the active leg, the crossing radial centres, or the specified DME distance is reached. A fly-by waypoint may command an early turn and never show exactly zero distance; a fly-over waypoint requires passage over the fix before turning.
If there is no following flight-plan leg, avionics behaviour varies: some units retain the last course, while others stop providing useful lateral guidance. Set up the next waypoint before arrival rather than waiting for the intersection to pass beneath the aircraft.