Zone of confusion pertains to which navigation aid?

• A. VOR
• B. GPS
• C. NDB
• D. ILS

Answer: (A)

The situation described is specific to the VOR navigation system. When you’re directly over or very close to the VOR station, the azimuth information becomes unreliable because all radials seem to originate from the same point. In that zone, the VOR receiver can’t determine which radial you’re on, so the CDI can wander or show conflicting indications. The remedy is to fly away from the station or establish a known radial once you’re outside that zone, after which the VOR provides accurate bearing again. Other navigation aids don’t have this overhead ambiguity in the same way: GPS provides position from satellites, while NDB/ADF and ILS operate with different cues and aren’t described as having a cone of confusion around a ground station.