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Using HSI

Using a Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI)

VOR and ILS made easier

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Navigation

The horizontal situation indicator (HSI) was designed to eliminate

some of the work of using very-high-frequency omnidirectional range
(VOR) navigation and instrument landing systems (ILS). Like other
cockpit instruments, HSIs can vary in appearance and operation by
brand. Fundamentally, however, all HSIs indicate an aircrafts
horizontal position relative to a selected VOR or ILS.
The HSI works by combining a VOR/DME receiver and an electricallyslaved heading indicator. (Not all HSIs are slaved but the HSIs in the
Flight Simulator aircraft are.)
Let's look at the various components of the HSI. The heading
indicator shows the aircrafts magnetic heading and its green
pointer shows the course the pilot has selected. A course
deviation indicator (CDI) shows the position of the selected
radial relative to the aircrafts current position. A dotted scale
indicates the amount of deviation from course. (The number
of degrees of deflection indicated depends on how far the
aircraft is from the ground-based station.) The HSI also has
an ADF for cross-reference, and includes a glide slope
indicator and scale for ILS approaches.

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Name of current station

DME range to station
Course deviation indicator
(CDI)
Selected course indicator
Heading bug
Groundspeed readout
To/From indicator

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RELATED LINKS
Using the Radios
Using the GPS
What You Need to Know
About VOR
Using an Autopilot

Glide slope indicator

ADF needle (tail end)
Course setting
Course selector knob
NAV/GPS selector
switch
Heading bug knob
ADF indicator

HSI in the Beechcraft King Air 350

Reading the HSI

The small airplane in the center of the HSI always points straight ahead, indicating the direction
the aircraft is traveling. Using the HSI in the King Air 350 (shown above), the Seattle VOR is tuned
on VOR1 (the instrument can display information for VOR1, VOR2, or the GPS). The To/From
indicator shows that the aircraft is flying toward the station. The pilot has selected a course of 340
degrees (the green arrow) and, as a reminder, has set the heading bug on 340 degrees. The CDI
indicates that the 340 degree radial of the Seattle VOR is to the left, or west, of the aircraft. The

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Using HSI

pilot has turned toward the CDI with an intercept angle of about 45 degrees. There's no need to
calculate which way to turn, just turn toward the CDI.
The pilot holds that heading until the CDI begins to center and then intercepts the radial, turning
to 340 degrees. As long as the pilot flies straight down the radial, the needle will stay centered. As
a cross reference, the pilot can refer to the magenta ADF needle pointing at a non-directional
beacon (NDB), 226 degrees from the present position.

Outbound
When flying outbound from a VOR the same technique applies; fly toward the CDI. The selected
course, however, is a radial pointing away from the station.
The example here shows an aircraft heading away from the
Olympia VOR. The 060 degree outbound radial is selected
on the course indicator. The To/From indicator points back,
toward the station. The pilot has turned toward the CDI to
intercept the radial.
The HSI receiver can also be tuned to an ILS and used on
approach. The pilot selects the final approach heading on
the course indicator and the CDI centers when the aircraft
intercepts the localizer. Glide slope information is provided
by the indicator and scale on one or both sides of the HSI.
Once again the pilot flies towards the indicator. If the glide
slope indicator is above the scales midline, the aircraft is
below the glide slope and the pilot climbs to intercept. If
the indicator is below the midline the aircraft is above the
glide slope and the pilot descends to intercept.

HSI and GPS

Another advantage the HSI has is its ability to help the pilot track a GPS course. GPS, or global
positioning system, is a network of satellites that continuously transmit coded data to GPS
receivers. The receivers use the data to compute a position or track on Earth. A GPS receiver
determines location by comparing the angular relationship between the receiver and the orbiting
satellites. Being able to calculate a precise position without relation to a fixed ground station
means that a course can be plotted direct to the destination with no radial or angle calculations.
The pilot knows the aircrafts current position by referring to the GPS latitude and longitude
readouts or to the units moving map display. By switching the HSI to GPS mode, the course
needle and CDI indicate position relative to the GPS course. Once again, the pilot turns toward the
CDI to intercept the course.
If you want to make this a hands-free task, use the Nav hold on the autopilot to have it do the
work for you (see Using an Autopilot) and flip the VOR/GPS switch to GPS. Any way you look at it,
if youre navigating by GPS, VOR, or making an ILS approach, an HSI makes the job easier, and
that should mean a safer flight.

Flight Simulator aircraft with HSI:

l Beechcraft Baron
l Beechcraft King Air
l Bell JetRanger 206B
l Boeing 737-800
l Boeing 747-400
l Bombardier Canadair CRJ-700
l Bombardier Lear 45
l Cessna Grand Caravan C208B
l Maule M-7-260C Orion
l Mooney Bravo
l Robinson R22

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