Definition
A DME-derived readout showing the number of minutes remaining until the aircraft passes over the tuned DME station, calculated from current groundspeed and slant-range distance. The value is only accurate when the aircraft is tracking directly toward the station; off-track or arcing flight produces misleading readings.
Plain English
How many minutes it will take, at your current speed, to reach the navigation station you have tuned in.
Context Anchor
Seen on DME displays during instrument navigation, especially when flying toward a navigation facility and checking distance, speed, or arrival timing.
Derivation
Station comes from an older word meaning a fixed standing place. In aviation navigation, the station is the fixed ground site that sends or receives the radio signal, which helps explain why “time to station” means time to that fixed site, not time to any nearby airport building or parking area.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to plan their approach, manage fuel, and anticipate when they will arrive over the station for navigation or holding procedures.
Grounding Statement
If the distance number is steadily counting down, time to station is the equipment’s estimate of how long it will take to count down to zero.
Intuition Check
Do not read “station” as an airport terminal or a place where the aircraft parks. Here, it means the fixed ground radio facility used by the DME.
Example Sentence 1
With the DME tuned to the VOR, the time to station showed eight minutes, so the pilot began planning the descent.
Example Sentence 2
Monitoring time to station helps determine when to begin descent for the approach.