LGT STRAYS OFF COURSE.

Narrative

COMMON PRACTICE IN ACFT EQUIPPED WITH VLF/OMEGA; IS TO SUE THE OMEGA; COUPLED TO THE AUTOPLT FOR ENRTE NAV. AFTER TKOF FROM SWF; WE NOTED THE OMEGA WAS SLOWLY STEERING THE ACFT OFF COURSE. THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON; WHICH IS WHY VOR XCHK IS ALWAYS REQUIRED. THE CAPT ON THIS FLT HAD RECENTLY UPGRADED FROM FO TO CAPT. IT IS NOT UNCOMMON FOR PLTS COMING OFF THE NEW GENERATION; 'COMPUTERIZED;' ACFT; TO BE A LITTLE RUSTY ON 'RAW DATA' NAV. THIS PARTICULAR LEG WAS A LEG ON WHICH THE CREW ATE THEIR MEALS. I WAS EATING; WHILE THE CAPT FLEW AND WORKED THE RADIOS. I WAS JUST FINISHING MY LUNCH WHEN THE CENTER CTLR ADVISED THE CAPT THAT HE WAS 3 MI OFF CENTERLINE OF J37 AND THAT HE SHOULD GO DIRECT HOPEWELL (112.0). I HAD HPW ON THE #2 NAV AND CONFIRMED THAT WE WERE OFF COURSE AND THE CAPT HAD TURNED BACK TOWARDS THE STATION. I FINISHED EATING AND RESUMED RADIO DUTIES. THE CAPT TURNED THE #2 RADIO TO RDU AND EVIDENTLY SET THE WRONG FREQ FOR HPW ON THE #1 RADIO. THE OMEGA WAS STEERING THE ACFT W OF HOPEWELL BUT SINCE THE RADIOS WERE SET UP WRONG; WE HAD NO XCHK ON THE COURSE. I TOOK A FREQ HDOF AND THE NEW CTLR ASKED WHERE WE WERE GOING. SHE ADVISED THAT WE WERE W OF HPW AND HDG W. WE WERE SUPPOSED TO BE DIRECT HPW. SHE ASSIGNED US A HDG OF 140 DEG (BACK TO HPW) AND ISSUED A DSCNT TO FL220 (WE WERE AT FL240). AS I ACKNOWLEDGED LEAVING 'FL240 FOR FL220'; I NOTICED THE ALT ALERT WAS ALREADY SET TO FL220. I BELIEVE THE CAPT HAD ACKNOWLEDGED A DSCNT WITH THE PREVIOUS CTLR; BUT WHEN THE CONFUSION STARTED ABOUT THE COURSE; HE FORGOT TO DSND. THE CTLR DID NOT SEEM CONCERNED ABOUT THE DSCNT CLRNC; SO I DID NOT QUESTION FURTHER. THE REST OF THE FLT; AS WELL AS THE NEXT 2 DAYS OF THE TRIP WERE UNEVENTFUL. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: ONE CREW MEMBER OUT OF LOOP WHILE EATING. TOO MUCH RELIANCE ON OMEGA FOR COURSE MAINT. CAPT WAS FAIRLY NEW ON LGT AND HAD COME TO BE RELIANT ON OMEGA FOR NAV WHICH SEEMS TO BE THE CASE WITH SOME OF THE NEWER CAPTS THAT WERE PREVIOUSLY ON THE WDB. SETTING THE WRONG FREQ ON THE NAV RADIO FOR HPW.