The majority are located in the eastern and central regions of the United States. Included in the list of VORs to be decommissioned are 12 VORs, 155 VOR/DMEs, and 141 vortacs. The minimum operational network program will leave two-thirds of the federal network in place. An additional 100 nonfederal VORs are in operation around the country, but are not part of the effort to create a minimum operational network. The FAA currently owns and operates 957 VORs in the continental United States. “We’ve worked closely with the FAA to make sure the real-world needs of general aviation pilots were considered and we’ll continue to be engaged as the process moves forward.” “We wanted to be sure that the process of setting up a minimum operational network could be done in a way that would ensure safety and give pilots adequate time to make the transition,” said Rune Duke, AOPA director of airspace and air traffic. But, as a member of several task force groups considering the plan, AOPA consistently argued to keep a larger network of active VORs in place and to spread the decommissioning process over a longer period of time.Īs a result, the number of VORs to be decommissioned was reduced to 308 and the number of “safe landing airports”-those within 100 nautical miles of an airport with a VOR or ILS instrument approach procedure that does not require GPS, radar coverage, DME, or ADF-was increased from 145 to 189.

Initial proposals involved decommissioning approximately 500 VORs. Others on the list won’t be decommissioned until the second phase, which is set to begin in 2020 and will involve decommissioning another 234 VORs over a five-year period.ĪOPA has been actively engaged in the process since 2011 when the FAA first announced plans to begin taking VORs out of service. The list of VORs slated for decommissioning includes some sites that will be among 74 VORs set to be removed from service in the next five years during the first phase of the project. The FAA has received investment approval for the first phase of its plan to decommission lesser-used VORs and has announced a list of the first 35 VORs to be cut as part of a plan to create a minimum operational network (MON) that will serve as a backup to ensure aircraft can land safely in the event of a widespread satellite navigation outage.

Air navigation bonfires decommissioned