Preflighting an airplane and doing a rudimentary diagnosis of mechanical problems can be tricky, in part because most pilots aren’t intimately familiar with their airplane. One oft-overlooked piece of the puzzle is the airplane’s antennas, those gangly looking protrusions that ruin what would otherwise be a clean and appealing form.
Other than helping you win a bet during a hangar-flying session, knowing which antenna goes to which cockpit device could help you with some of that basic mechanical diagnosis. Thankfully, learning what goes where is pretty easy—and surprisingly, it follows a somewhat logical path.
The easiest antennas to spot are those associated with the navigation radios. VOR antennas take the shape of a V, and often are found on the top of the vertical stabilizer. If you don’t see the V, the airplane most likely has a blade antenna that combines VOR with other functions. Moving forward on the fuselage, you’ll likely find a small antenna with a flexible base. That’s for the emergency locator transmitter (ELT), which usually is somewhere below and behind the rear cabin bulkhead.
From here, you’ll also be able to see the communications antennas, which usually are white, set at an angle, and on top of the airplane. If your airplane has two radios and you only see one antenna, take a look underneath the airplane, where you’ll probably see the other. Some manufacturers do this in an attempt to increase reception.
While you’re under the airplane, look for a small silver rod with a small ball on the end. That’s for the transponder.
Airplanes equipped with GPS will have the telltale white, elongated hockey puck on the top of the fuselage somewhere.
Finally, if your airplane has a wire running between the top of the vertical stabilizer and the top of the fuselage, your airplane has (or used to have) an automatic direction finder (ADF).
Some antenna manufacturers are working to combine certain antennas, GPS and the communication radios being one example.
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