Definition
A ground-based navigation transmitter that broadcasts VHF radio signals which an aircraft receiver uses to determine its bearing to or from the station. VOR stations are the physical facilities that define VOR airways and serve as fixed reference points for en route navigation, instrument approaches, and holding patterns.
Plain English
A radio transmitter on the ground that aircraft use to figure out which direction they are from a known point. It is the actual installation -- the antenna and equipment -- not the signal or the airway.
Context Anchor
Seen on enroute charts, instrument procedures, and VHF airway descriptions when a route or course is based on VOR navigation.
Derivation
VOR stands for VHF Omnidirectional Range. 'Omnidirectional' means the station transmits useful bearing information in every direction (360 degrees), so an aircraft anywhere within range can use it.
Why Pilots Care
Supplies dependable azimuth guidance for airway navigation and position verification when GPS is unavailable or as a backup.
Intuition Check
Do not read “station” here as a building where people work or a broadcast radio station for listening. A VOR station is the ground radio navigation facility that sends the signal your aircraft receiver uses.
Example Sentence 1
After departure, the pilot tracked outbound from the VOR station on the 270 radial to join the airway.
Example Sentence 2
They cross-checked the VOR station identifier on the chart before turning onto the next leg of the route.