Whither The DF Steer?

摘要

Whether the weather caved in, whether your planning was imperfect, whether an equipment failure contributed or whether you simply can't navigate doesn't matter much. What does matter is you are well and truly lost on your VFR flight, not sure what to do next and dusk is approaching. You've got gas, so a precautionary landing isn't necessary-yet -but you literally don't know which way to turn. You put 121.5 MHz into a radio and ask for some help.rnIn times past, that help likely would come in the form of a direction-finder (DF) steer from a nearby Flight Service Station. No more. In fiscal year 2006, the FAA decommissioned all direction-finding installations outside Alaska as a cost-saving measure, after finding there were fewer than five for-real requests for DF steers over a three-year period.