Definition
Located together at the same physical site. In navigation, two facilities are collocated when their antennas or transmitters are installed at the same location, allowing them to share a common reference point for defining a fix or intersection.
Plain English
Two things placed at the same spot. For navigation aids, it means the equipment sits in the same place on the ground, even if it serves different purposes.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument navigation discussions, especially when identifying intersections or describing navigation equipment installed at the same site.
Derivation
From Latin 'com-' (together) and 'locare' (to place). Literally 'placed together.' In aviation it carries that exact sense — two facilities placed at the same location.
Why Pilots Care
Collocated navaids provide reliable, simultaneous bearing and distance information without position offset errors when defining intersections or fixes.
Intuition Check
Collocated does not mean merely shown near each other on a chart or related to each other. It means placed at the same site, or close enough that the procedure uses them as the same point.
Example Sentence 1
Because the VOR and DME are collocated, the pilot can use both signals from the same ground station to identify the intersection.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots identify the intersection by using the collocated VOR and localizer signals to confirm the fix.