Plain English Meaning
A way of flying along any chosen path between points in space, instead of being limited to flying directly between ground-based radio stations.
Full Definition
A method of navigation that allows an aircraft to fly any desired flight path without needing to track directly to or from individual ground-based navigation aids. The aircraft's onboard equipment computes position from sources such as GPS, DME/DME, or inertial reference systems, and guides the aircraft along a route defined by waypoints rather than by the location of physical stations.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument flight planning, high-altitude routing, , , and discussions.