PSI VOR to be decommissioned?

azure

azure

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azure
I heard a rumor around the airport recently that they were considering either decommissioning the Pontiac, MI VOR (PSI) or letting it go permanently OTS the next time it needs mx. Does anyone know if this is true? If so it will leave only one approach into VLL, which for all practical purposes requires an IFR GPS. That's not a problem for my airplane, but there are a lot of pilots here that don't have one, including my CFII.

It would also nix at least two other VOR approaches that I'm aware of.
 
There are VORs near hear that have had radials inoperative for years. Wouldn't surprise me one iota.
 
And PSI has had inop radials for years too... but none of them is near the FAC for any approach, so I can kinda understand that there is no real urgency to get them fixed. But letting a heavily used navaid just die is going a little further IMO.

I was also a bit alarmed when the LAN VOR was OTS for a long time early this summer.
 
The HYR VOR has been out for at least one year, which is really annoying since the AWOS is broadcast over the VOR there.

I was flying up there last year in the 182, and had to ask center for the latest observation since it wasn't available over the air.
 
Got an email from a local CFI about it today.
He included an email response to the FAA written by another local CFI (I think he's a CFI, maybe just an active and experienced pilot) - listed 16 concerns (including the loss of a whole bunch of approaches).

I can PM it to you if you'd like. (Don't feel comfortable posting it for all the search bots to find with this guy's name on it [or, maybe worse, with his name not on it].)

Apparently comments to the FAA are due by October 31.

:mad: :mad2:
 
Sounds very potentially true, and likely to happen unless some well-written letters can sway them. :(

Doesn't mean much, but they totally messed up the VOR's latitude in that letter.
 
azure said:
I heard a rumor around the airport recently that they were considering either decommissioning the Pontiac, MI VOR (PSI) or letting it go permanently OTS the next time it needs mx. Does anyone know if this is true? If so it will leave only one approach into VLL, which for all practical purposes requires an IFR GPS. That's not a problem for my airplane, but there are a lot of pilots here that don't have one, including my CFII.

It would also nix at least two other VOR approaches that I'm aware of.
Click to expand...

I think it's a first step towards closing the state of Michigan!

Seriously, I suspect we will see more of these as the FAA crawls towards the NextGen system.

I got an ATC reroute in FL a few years ago to an airway for which I couldn't pick up one of the VORs. When asked about it, ATC told me it had been OTS for a couple of years due to a flood. He the suggested I use my VFR portable GPS to navigate to it....I was IFR! So much for the purists who say that's illegal. I complied with the ATC instruction.
 
azure said:
Doesn't mean much, but they totally messed up the VOR's latitude in that letter.
Click to expand...

Longitude as well, you'll find Centex VORTAC at those coordinates, about 1000 miles southwest of PSI.
 
roncachamp said:
Longitude as well, you'll find Centex VORTAC at those coordinates, about 1000 miles southwest of PSI.
Click to expand...
So which one are they planning to shut down? IOW did they get the ID wrong or the location?
 
gismo said:
So which one are they planning to shut down? IOW did they get the ID wrong or the location?
Click to expand...

Well, given that they got all the other information correct, I'd say they got the location wrong.
 
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