>>>>I can usually solve this puzzle in a few minutes by inspection but from time to time I encounter a string that stumps me. "VACTOR" got me sufficiently annoyed that I decided to brute-force it.
>>
>>>A better approach would've been to just ask here. I think the word's "vortac".
>>>
>>You must be a pilot!
>
>I know the word since I was a kid, from reading about airplanes in encyclopedias. I'm a FlightSim junkie, though (been using it since it came out for the Apple II).
>
>How about you? You knew the word's meaning right away. Are you a pilot?
>
>Alex

No - I was using my old Apple ][ for other things - I just googled the word! My friend's a pilot, but the work never came up in conversation over beers... <g>