Definition
Prominent, easily identifiable ground features selected along a planned route of flight that a pilot uses to confirm position, verify groundspeed, and check progress against the navigation log during cross-country flying.
Plain English
Landmarks on the ground you pick out before the flight so that, as you fly over them, you can confirm you are on course and on time.
Context Anchor
Used during preflight route planning and during the flight, especially when planning or flying a cross-country route.
Derivation
From 'check' (to verify) plus 'point' (a specific location). The word originally referred to a place where something is inspected or confirmed. In flying, the 'something' being confirmed is your position and timing.
Why Pilots Care
They provide regular opportunities to catch navigation drift, fuel burn deviations, or timing errors before they become serious.
Intuition Check
Do not think of checkpoints as places where you must stop or land. In this context, checkpoints are reference places used to verify your position while you keep flying.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot circled three checkpoints on the sectional — a lake, a highway intersection, and a small town — to track progress on the cross-country.
Example Sentence 2
At the first checkpoint the pilot compared planned versus actual time to confirm the current groundspeed.