A radial is:

• A. a magnetic bearing to a VOR station
• B. a magnetic bearing extending from a VOR station
• C. a QDM
• D. a magnetic bearing to or from a VOR station, depending on whether the aircraft is inbound or outbound

Answer: (A)

Radial is the magnetic direction of a line that starts at the VOR and extends outward. In VOR navigation, radials are the lines emanating from the station and are labeled by the magnetic bearing from the station to the aircraft on that line. So if you’re on the 090 radial, you’re on a line that runs east of the VOR, with the bearing from the VOR toward you being 090 degrees. When flying inbound to the station on that same line, you’d fly the reciprocal direction to intercept and then track toward the station on the same radial. QDM is the magnetic bearing to the station from the aircraft, while QDR is the magnetic bearing from the station to the aircraft. The key idea is that a radial is defined relative to the VOR as the line extending outward from the station.