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course selector — Aviation Definition | Keynomen Aviation

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course selector

Plain English Meaning

The knob the pilot turns to tell the instrument which course they want to fly. Once set, the needle on the instrument shows whether the aircraft is left of, right of, or on that course.

Full Definition

The control on a VOR or HSI navigation display used to set the desired course (radial) the pilot wants to fly to or from a VOR station. Rotating the course selector turns the course pointer and reorients the course deviation indicator (CDI) so that it shows the aircraft's position relative to that selected course.

course selector

Context Anchor

Seen on VOR indicators and similar cockpit navigation displays, including during VOR accuracy checks.

Why Pilots Care

It allows the pilot to align the CDI needle precisely with a chosen radial for accurate tracking and course interception.

Intuition Check

Do not think of the course selector as steering the airplane. It does not turn the aircraft; it only sets the reference course shown by the navigation instrument.

Example Sentence 1

During the VOT check, the pilot turned the course selector to 360° and confirmed the needle centered with a FROM indication.

Example Sentence 2

Before starting the VOR accuracy check, she set the course selector to the published radial on the chart.