Definition
A flag or display element on a VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) navigation indicator that shows whether the selected course (set by the Omni Bearing Selector) will take the aircraft toward the VOR station or away from it. It reads TO when flying the selected course leads to the station, FROM when it leads away, and is blanked or shows a flag when the aircraft is in the zone of ambiguity perpendicular to the selected radial or when the signal is unreliable.
Plain English
A small indicator on the VOR display that tells you whether following the course you've dialed in will take you toward the station or away from it.
Context Anchor
Seen on VOR indicators, course deviation indicators, and some horizontal situation indicators when using radio navigation.
Derivation
Combines the everyday words 'to' and 'from' with 'indicator,' from the Latin indicare meaning to point out, directly describing its role in showing direction relative to the station.
Why Pilots Care
It prevents flying the reciprocal of the intended radial and helps confirm station passage.
Intuition Check
Do not read TO or FROM as a simple statement of where the airplane’s nose is pointing. It describes the selected navigation course in relation to the station: toward it or away from it.
Example Sentence 1
After tuning the VOR and centering the needle, the pilot confirmed a FROM indication, verifying the aircraft was tracking outbound on the 090 radial.
Example Sentence 2
After crossing the station the indicator flipped to FROM, confirming the aircraft was now outbound.