Definition
A ground-based radio navigation aid that transmits signals in the very high frequency (VHF) band, allowing a properly equipped aircraft to determine its bearing to or from the station along any of 360 selectable courses (radials). VORs operate between 108.0 and 117.95 MHz and form the backbone of the federal airway system.
Plain English
A radio beacon on the ground that broadcasts signals in every direction. Your aircraft receiver reads those signals and tells you which direction you are from the station, so you can fly toward it, away from it, or along a chosen line out from it.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter VORs when using navigation radios, reading aeronautical charts, tracking courses during instrument flight, and flying some instrument procedures.
Derivation
"Omnidirectional" comes from Latin omnis (all) plus "directional" — meaning the station sends usable signals in all directions, not just along one path. "Range" here is the older navigation sense of a radio aid that defines a course or bearing, not a measure of distance.
Why Pilots Care
It supplies the basic electronic airways used for instrument navigation across the country and serves as a reliable backup when GPS is unavailable or unreliable.
Analogy
Think of the VOR station like the center of a wheel, with many invisible spokes extending outward. The aircraft receiver helps the pilot identify and follow one of those spokes.
Intuition Check
“Range” does not mean the VOR tells you distance by itself. A basic VOR tells direction or course information, not how many miles away the airplane is.
Example Sentence 1
After departure, the pilot tuned the VOR to 113.5, identified the Morse code, and tracked the 270 radial outbound toward the next fix.
Example Sentence 2
When the GPS failed in IMC, the crew switched to VOR navigation and flew the published airway between two stations.