Story ID: 
FAA Moving Ahead with VOR Decommissioning
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: The agency has listed 35 VORs that are first in line for decommissioning.
Word Count: 162
The FAA is set to begin decommissioning VORs as it continues the transition from ground-based to satellite-based navigation. The agency released a list of the first 35 of 74 VORs that will be decommissioned through 2020. More than 200 more will be decommissioned through 2025.

The FAA will retain more than half of the VORs as it establishes a minimum operational network to serve as a backup to satellite systems.

The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, which has been involved in task forces that have considered the VOR decommission plan, noted that the FAA has received funding approval to move forward with the decommissioning. The list of approved VORs first in line to be decommissioned is spread among 17 states. New York and Alabama will lose the most VORs in this first round, at four apiece. 

AOPA has pushed for a larger VOR network and a longer decommissioning process to ensure pilots have adequate time to make the transition safely.