Heading to intercept a radial
The heading to fly to intercept a VOR radial inbound or outbound from the radial you are on now, with the intercept angle doubled from the angle off course or set by you.
Planning and education aid. Not for primary navigation. Full disclaimer
Experimental: not yet fully verified. How results are checked
Fly heading 240° to intercept, a 60° intercept onto course 180°.
- Course on the radial
- Angle off course
- Intercept angle
- Where you are
Provenance
- Computed by
- aviation.ifr.radial-intercept 1.0.0, core 0.1.0
- Model
- Course = the radial outbound, or the radial + 180° inbound. The heading is the course turned toward the radial by the intercept angle: by default twice the angle off course, kept between 20° and 90° (a common training technique), or your own
- Accuracy
- Geometry only: correct the heading for wind, and follow the procedure or ATC's assigned heading when there is one
- Notes
- 1 shown with the answer
- Cites
- Federal Aviation Administration, Instrument Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-15B
Something look off?
How we got thisFormula, worked example, sources, and proof
Model: Course = the radial outbound, or the radial + 180° inbound. The heading is the course turned toward the radial by the intercept angle: by default twice the angle off course, kept between 20° and 90° (a common training technique), or your own
Show your work
Angle off course
radial you are on − radial to intercept30° − 0°= 30°Intercept heading
course turned toward the radial by the intercept angle180° + 60°= 240°
The same steps an agent gets from the MCP server with explain: true.
Accuracy: Geometry only: correct the heading for wind, and follow the procedure or ATC's assigned heading when there is one
Worked example: On the 030 radial, intercept the 360 radial inbound. Source: FAA-H-8083-15B chapter 9 course interception; 30° off, so a 60° intercept: heading 180 + 60 = 240. It is golden test vector v001, and every build checks the tool still gives its answer within its tolerance.
You enter
- Radial you are on
- 030 deg
- Radial to intercept
- 360 deg
- Track it
- inbound
You get
- Intercept heading
- 240°
- Course on the radial
- 180°
- Angle off course
- 30°
- Intercept angle
- 60°
- Where you are
- left of the course
Review: Not yet independently reviewed by a flight instructor (CFI).
Last verified: 2026-09-18, when a maintainer last confirmed this tool's sources at the issuer. See the sources ledger.
Status: version 1.0.0, core 0.1.0. See this tool in the verification report.
Checked against: 9 golden test vectors (download the test vectors, each with its source and tolerance). See how results are checked and every source.
Sources
- Instrument Flying Handbook, FAA-H-8083-15B, Federal Aviation Administration, FAA-H-8083-15B. Chapter 9 (VOR navigation: intercepting a radial, inbound and outbound, with an intercept angle no more than 90°).
Experimental means this tool has not yet met the stable bar: at least 20 golden vectors, differential tests, and an independent worked example.