Huldenberg

A VOR-DME is a single facility that combines a VOR (bearing) with Distance Measuring Equipment (distance). Tuning one frequency therefore gives the pilot both pieces of a position fix at once — the radial you are on *and* how many nautical miles you are from the station. In navigation terms that is a rho-theta fix (distance and angle), which pins the aircraft to a single point without needing a second station.

This pairing makes VOR-DMEs especially useful for instrument approaches, DME arcs, and defining en-route and terminal fixes. The VOR component works exactly like a stand-alone VOR (VHF, line-of-sight, 360 radials), while the DME component returns slant-range distance on its paired UHF channel automatically when you select the VOR frequency. VOR-DMEs are among the most common navaids on published airways and approach charts.