If navigating purely by VORs, what is the maximum distance apart two high-level VORs may be while still maintaining reception?

• A. 260 NM
• B. 130 NM
• C. 40 NM
• D. 100 NM

Answer: (A)

When you’re navigating purely by VORs, you rely on being within the reception range of each station. A high‑level VOR has a service radius of about 130 NM. To be able to use two VORs at once for a position fix, there must be some area where you can receive signals from both — the overlap of their coverage.

The farthest apart the two VORs can be while still having that overlap is when their coverage circles just touch end‑to‑end, which is 130 NM plus 130 NM, or 260 NM. If the stations were any farther apart, there’d be no location that lies within range of both simultaneously, so you couldn’t navigate using both VORs at once. So 260 NM is the maximum separation for reliable dual‑VOR reception.