Definition
A legacy U.S. military long-distance telephone network (Automatic Voice Network) once used by the Department of Defense and referenced in some older aviation publications and military flight planning materials for direct dialing between military installations, including airfields and weather/briefing facilities.
Plain English
An old military phone system that let people at military bases call each other directly. You may still see it mentioned in older aviation documents.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA acronym, abbreviation, and NOTAM contraction lists when a notice refers to the availability or condition of this official phone service.
Derivation
From AUTOmatic VOice Network. The name simply describes what it was: an automatic (direct-dial) voice telephone network for military use. AVON is a shortened form of AUTOVON.
Why Pilots Care
Civilian pilots will rarely encounter AVON in active use today, but recognizing the term prevents confusion when reading older charts, manuals, or military-related aviation materials.
Intuition Check
AVON does not mean the cosmetics company or an aircraft device here. In this aviation context, it means AUTOVON service, an official voice phone service.
Example Sentence 1
The older flight planning guide listed an AVON number for contacting the base weather office.
Example Sentence 2
Clearance delivery coordinated the flight plan change through the AVON network.