Definition
Specific VOR radials that have been officially tested and approved by the FAA for use as VOR receiver accuracy checkpoints, either on the airport surface or while airborne over a designated location. The published radial and distance from the VOR are guaranteed accurate within stated tolerances, allowing pilots to verify that their VOR equipment is reading correctly.
Plain English
These are radials the FAA has measured and approved as known-good reference lines. When you tune the VOR and sit at (or fly over) the marked spot, your equipment should show that exact radial. If it does, your VOR is working accurately.
Context Anchor
Seen when using published VOR checkpoints to check whether the aircraft’s VOR equipment is accurate before or during instrument flying.
Derivation
"Certified" comes from the Latin certus, meaning sure or settled. A certified radial is one the FAA has settled as reliable for the purpose of checking your VOR.
Why Pilots Care
Allows pilots to confirm that VOR equipment meets the required accuracy tolerance before relying on it for navigation, particularly in instrument meteorological conditions.
Analogy
A certified radial is like a marked line on a measuring tool. You trust the line because it has been checked, then you compare your equipment against it.
Intuition Check
Do not assume “certified” means every radial from that VOR is approved for a receiver check. Here it means the specific published radial has been officially checked for use at that checkpoint.
Example Sentence 1
Before the IFR flight, the pilot taxied to the painted spot on the ramp, tuned the VOR, and confirmed the indicator matched the certified radial published for that checkpoint.
Example Sentence 2
Using the certified radial listed in the Chart Supplement, the crew confirmed the VOR was within tolerance while on an IFR cross-country.