What navigation information do VOR and DME provide when used together?

• A. VOR provides altitude; DME provides speed.
• B. VOR provides time; DME provides direction.
• C. VOR provides bearing to/from the station; DME provides distance to the station.
• D. VOR provides weather; DME provides runway length.

Answer: (C)

The essential idea is that VOR gives you direction relative to a station, while DME gives you how far you are from that station. When you tune a VOR and read the bearing, you know which radial you’re on with respect to the station (and whether you’re on a “to” or “from” indication). The DME then tells you the distance to that same station. Put together, you can determine your location along that bearing by using the distance from the station. For example, if you’re on the 270-degree radial from the station and the DME shows 12 nautical miles, you’re 12 NM west of the station on that radial. Weather, altitude, or speed aren’t provided by these aids, and the two work together specifically to give bearing and distance information.