How the HSI and VOR show your position relative to the BERYL intersection

How the HSI and VOR tell the story of BERYL

If you’ve ever watched a cockpit compass come alive on a rough IFR day, you know navigation isn’t just a point on a map. It’s a conversation between your airplane and the sky. The patient partners in that chat are the Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) and the VOR receivers. Put simply, they work together to answer one vital question: where is the aircraft in relation to a notable waypoint, like the BERYL intersection?

Let me explain the basics first, because once you see how these tools interact, the picture becomes clear and, frankly, almost intuitive.

What is BERYL, and why does it matter?

BERYL is an intersection—a fixed point defined by the crossing of two VOR radials. In IFR flight, knowing where you are relative to such a point helps you stay on course, plan your next segment, and prevent you from wandering off the intended route. Think of BERYL as a lighthouse; the HSI and VOR indicators are your lanterns that illuminate whether you’re on track, approaching, or off to the side.

How the HSI and VOR work together

The HSI is a dynamic, easy-to-read display that blends heading information, course data, and the bearing to a navigational aid into a single, intuitive picture. It’s not just a compass; it’s a guidance system with a picture of where you are relative to a selected course. The VOR indicators, meanwhile, point you toward or away from a VOR station on a given radial. When you couple the two, you get a real-time sense of position relative to a target like BERYL.

Now, about that diagram you might be visualizing (and the answer C)

In the scenario you mentioned, the aircraft’s position relative to BERYL is shown as position C. What does that mean in practice? It means that, on the HSI, the course line to BERYL lines up with the selected bearing in a way that places the airplane in the specific quadrant or segment labeled C. The VOR indicators reinforce this by showing the appropriate radial relationship to the BERYL intersection. The two displays together tell you: we’re on the correct path toward BERYL, or we’re still off to one side and need to correct.

To read this clearly, you want to look for a few key signals:

• The CDI/deflection: If the CDI is centered, you’re on the selected course toward (or from) the VOR that defines BERYL. A deflected CDI means you’re either left or right of that bearing, and you’ll need to yaw the heading a bit to recapture.

• The TO/FROM indicator: This flag confirms whether the current course is taking you toward or away from the VOR. When you’re chasing BERYL, you want the TO indication if you’re progressing toward the waypoint along the chosen course.

• The bearing to BERYL on the HSI: The needle or wing? The arrow on the HSI points to the course to the station. If BERYL is your target, you’ll want that course line to intersect your current heading in a way that matches the plan.

• The radial relationship from the VOR: Each VOR provides a splendidly simple cue—your radio bearing to a fix comes from the radial you’re tracking. If the radar picture shows you’re on the right radial toward BERYL, you’re in good shape.

The big picture: why this matters for situational awareness

Being able to determine your position relative to an intersection like BERYL isn’t about memorizing a single trick. It’s about building a mental map that you can trust in moments of stress or reduced visibility. When you know where you are in relation to a fix, you can:

• Plan the next leg with confidence, choosing a safe altitude, a clean heading, and a clean turn that won’t surprise you.

• Maintain proper course precision under IFR, which is all about controlling your path through a tangle of air traffic, weather, and airways.

• Cross-check with other instruments, like GPS or DME, to confirm you’re not drifting off course.

• Maintain good situational awareness in busy airspace, where even a small misread can ripple into bigger navigational headaches.

A quick, practical read on a real-world flight deck

Picture this: you’re flying along a route that uses BERYL as a waypoint, and you’ve tuned the VORs that define the fix. You glance at the HSI. The course selector is set to the leg that must pass through BERYL, and the CDI shows just a slight deflection to the right. The TO/FROM flag is telling you you’re approaching BERYL, not receding from it. The VOR indicator confirms you’re on the correct radial to lead you into the intersection. In this moment, position C on the diagram isn’t a magical guess—it’s a logical result of how the signals line up with your flight path.

If the CDI were centered and the TO/FROM flag confirms you’re moving toward BERYL, congratulations: you’re on the intended track. If the CDI is off to the left or right, you know you need to adjust your heading a notch to recenter the instrument picture and steer the plane back onto the right track.

A little tip-stack to keep your readings sharp

• Keep the OBS (the course selector) aligned with the leg you intend to fly. That alignment is what lets the CDI tell you if you’re on or off course.

• Use DME or distance-to-fix readings when available. They give you another dimension of awareness: how far you are from BERYL, not just which way you’re pointed.

• Cross-check with another navigation method if you can. A quick glance at GPS or another VOR can help verify that the HSI and VOR readings aren’t drifting.

• Fly the required procedures, then re-check. In IFR flight, the easiest way to drift off course is to rely on a single instrument. A steady, deliberate cross-check rhythm keeps you honest.

A small digression that still connects back

Navigation isn’t a solitary skill; it’s a shared language between pilot, aircraft, and ground-based navigation aids. In a way, you’re learning to listen to the sky as if it’s giving you a whisper. The HSI translates that whisper into a readable map, while the VOR provides the kind of precise, radio-based beacon that keeps cockpit chatter grounded in reality. And the more you practice reading these signals together, the more you’ll feel that your hands and your head are both guiding the same flight.

Common misconceptions and how to avoid them

• Misreading the CDI’s deflection: A tiny deflection isn’t nothing. It means you’re not yet on course. Small corrections, done calmly, are better than big, rushed maneuvers that could push you off balance.

• Forgetting to check the TO/FROM flag: It’s easy to assume “toward” when you’re actually moving away from the fix. The flag is a tiny but mighty cue in your mental map.

• Not cross-checking with another instrument: It’s tempting to trust one display, especially in smooth air. A second read from GPS or DME can save you from drifting into a risky scenario.

Bringing it home

So, the position labeled C on the chart isn’t just a letter—it’s a snapshot of harmony between the HSI picture and the VOR signal. It signals that you’ve found the right relationship to BERYL, the fix that anchors your leg. The HSI gives you the course, the VOR gives you the radial, and the combined readout keeps your navigation clean, confident, and safe.

If you’re learning to fly under IFR, this kind of integration—the way the cockpit’s signals converge into a reliable sense of place—becomes second nature. It’s not about memorizing eight steps; it’s about letting the instruments tell you where you are, where you’re going, and how to stay on course when the weather or the wind throws a curveball.

The next time you glance at the HSI and the VOR, take a breath and look for the story they’re telling. Is the CDI centered? Is the TO/FROM flag clear? Is your airplane on the right radial toward BERYL? If the answers line up, you’re seeing position C—not just as a point on a map, but as a lived, navigated moment in the flight deck’s ongoing conversation with the sky.