How to use an RMI

avi8tor1983

Well-Known Member
I've never used an RMI before but i'll be going for an interview where they use them for ADF approaches. I was curious how you use it. How does it make it more simple? Thanks for any input.
 
Just remember you are ALWAYS on the tail of the needle and you always drag the tail with you. on the page where they explain the intercept for the 075 bearing you turn right, drag the tail (which in turns moves the head of the needle) and you can easily see the angle of intercept. This works quite well when the outer marker is an ADF. You can have the RMI pointing to the outer marker and it works great to let you know when you will probably turn base and when you are about to be turned for the intercept. Good info..
 
Most underrated and underused instrument for IFR flying. Also most powerful.
 
Most underrated and underused instrument for IFR flying. Also most powerful.

Had an instructor at my college, can't remember who, tell us about a buddy of his that used to do night flights over the atlantic. He said the guy would get a few miles off the coast of the US, tune in the NDB in Europe near his destination and fly to it. I still don't know if he was totally BSing us but wow!
 
If that is just a normal H NDB, then that is really out side of its published service volume.
 
Had an instructor at my college, can't remember who, tell us about a buddy of his that used to do night flights over the atlantic. He said the guy would get a few miles off the coast of the US, tune in the NDB in Europe near his destination and fly to it. I still don't know if he was totally BSing us but wow!

I think you were BS'd....
 
didn't you guys do NDB approaches on CFII checkride? i like to use it as a navigational aid, but not for approaches.
 
I think you were BS'd....
I dunno...the atmosphere can do weeeeeeird things to signals in that frequency range. Especially "back in the day" when they were probably running at higher power because there wasn't as much worry about frequency congestion.

Then again, maybe BS.
 
I dunno...the atmosphere can do weeeeeeird things to signals in that frequency range. Especially "back in the day" when they were probably running at higher power because there wasn't as much worry about frequency congestion.

Then again, maybe BS.

The highest range I could find was over water, daytime, ideal weather conditions, and that was 600 miles....:dunno:
 
The highest range I could find was over water, daytime, ideal weather conditions, and that was 600 miles....:dunno:

I don't diddle with radios too much, but sometimes, I get really bored and search for AM stations. One night while driving the interstate in North Dakota, listened to a hockey game in Denver (600ish miles) and a report about a car show in Chicago (650ish miles). I've heard of HAM radio operators doing far better. I'd like to think that above story, while probably not true, is at least factually plausible.

EDIT: You know, that sounds like a good myth for the Mythbusters :D
 
I don't diddle with radios too much, but sometimes, I get really bored and search for AM stations. One night while driving the interstate in North Dakota, listened to a hockey game in Denver (600ish miles) and a report about a car show in Chicago (650ish miles). I've heard of HAM radio operators doing far better. I'd like to think that above story, while probably not true, is at least factually plausible.

EDIT: You know, that sounds like a good myth for the Mythbusters :D

I've gotten fair reception of some NYC stations while in Florida. Only at night, though.
 
This works quite well when the outer marker is an ADF. You can have the RMI pointing to the outer marker and it works great to let you know when you will probably turn base and when you are about to be turned for the intercept. Good info..

This is one of the reasons I cringe when I see LOMs being decommissioned.



To me an RMI is a must while flying fast airplanes in the IFR system, /A anyway.

With an ADF I alway leave it like a fixed card because It's just too much spinning for me IMO. An RMI is just an ADF that spins the card automatically. It gives you great SA in relation to courses and intercepts, plus some RMIs have the ability to tune VHF making it super easy to identify step downs on an approach, for example.

So you're out there getting vectored for the ILS. There is a VOR on the field too. Tune the RMI receiver to the VOR on the field, and just watch the needle head smoothly rotate towards the final approach course on the RMI. As soon as it gets close you can expect the localizer to come alive... That kind of thing.

They also make arcs almost dummy proof.
 
The highest range I could find was over water, daytime, ideal weather conditions, and that was 600 miles....:dunno:

I know for a fact that AM travels further, much further, at night. Here is one wiki source but if you need more I have no problem digging them up: "However, after sunset, changes in the ionosphere cause AM signals to travel by skywave, enabling AM radio stations to be heard much farther from their point of origin than is normal during the day."


Also, the stations in Europe are stronger than ours are, at least according to him this one was. Can anyone confirm high power NDB's in Europe?
 
I know for a fact that AM travels further, much further, at night. Here is one wiki source but if you need more I have no problem digging them up: "However, after sunset, changes in the ionosphere cause AM signals to travel by skywave, enabling AM radio stations to be heard much farther from their point of origin than is normal during the day."

Very true. Flying night cargo, and 40 miles from PHX, I coudn't pick up the local PHX AM news station, but could listen to an AM news station in LA clear as if I were right there.
 
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