Definition
An early form of radio navigation aid that guided pilots along defined airways by transmitting two interlocking Morse code signals — the letter 'A' (dot-dash) and the letter 'N' (dash-dot) — in opposing directional patterns. When the aircraft was on the correct course, the two signals merged into a continuous steady tone. Drifting off course caused one of the two Morse letters to become audible, indicating which side of the course the aircraft had strayed to.
Plain English
An old radio system that pilots listened to through headphones to stay on course. A steady hum meant they were on track. If they heard a beeping pattern, they were off to one side and needed to correct.
Context Anchor
Seen in older navigation discussions, aviation history, and explanations of how early instrument routes were flown before modern cockpit displays.
Derivation
Aural' comes from the Latin 'auris', meaning 'ear'. The name reflects how the system worked: pilots navigated by listening, not by reading an instrument.
Why Pilots Care
It was the primary means of enroute navigation in instrument conditions before modern radio navigation aids existed, directly affecting route accuracy and safety.
Grounding Statement
The pilot listened for the sound: steady meant on course, and a broken letter tone meant the airplane was off to one side.
Intuition Check
Do not read range here as simply 'how far something can go.' In this term, range means a radio navigation system that gave pilots course guidance.
Example Sentence 1
Before the VOR network was built, pilots flew the airways by tuning in the aural radio range and listening for a steady tone in their headphones.
Example Sentence 2
Early instrument students practiced flying the aural radio range legs to learn how to interpret changing audio tones for navigation.