What is the NAVAID type at MCB?

What is the NAVAID type at MCB?

• A. VOR/DME
• B. TACAN
• C. VORTAC
• D. VOR

Answer: (C)

The idea here is that some bases use a NAVAID that serves both civilian and military needs by pairing a VOR with TACAN in one site. A VORTAC is exactly that: a co-located VOR and TACAN, providing VOR azimuth guidance plus TACAN (and its DME) distance information. At a military base like MCB, having a VORTAC supports both types of navigation users—civilian aircraft using the VOR for direction and military aircraft using the TACAN/DME for range. So the station at MCB is a VORTAC. If it were just a VOR, you’d have direction only; if it were VOR/DME, you’d have VOR plus DME but no TACAN; if it were TACAN alone, you’d have military bearing and distance without civilian VOR guidance. The combined, widely used solution at a base is a VORTAC.

The idea here is that some bases use a NAVAID that serves both civilian and military needs by pairing a VOR with TACAN in one site. A VORTAC is exactly that: a co-located VOR and TACAN, providing VOR azimuth guidance plus TACAN (and its DME) distance information. At a military base like MCB, having a VORTAC supports both types of navigation users—civilian aircraft using the VOR for direction and military aircraft using the TACAN/DME for range. So the station at MCB is a VORTAC.

If it were just a VOR, you’d have direction only; if it were VOR/DME, you’d have VOR plus DME but no TACAN; if it were TACAN alone, you’d have military bearing and distance without civilian VOR guidance. The combined, widely used solution at a base is a VORTAC.