Definition
A point along the centerline of a Federal airway, jet route, or other published route segment where a pilot navigating by VOR is expected to switch navigation reception from the station behind the aircraft to the station ahead. The COP is normally located at the midpoint between the two facilities, but it may be published at a different location when terrain, signal coverage, or route geometry require the changeover to occur somewhere other than the midpoint.
Plain English
It is the spot on a route where you stop tuning and tracking the VOR station behind you and start tuning and tracking the VOR station ahead of you.
Context Anchor
Seen on instrument en route charts when a route segment is based on radio navigation facilities.
Derivation
Plainly descriptive: the point at which the pilot changes over from one navigation station to the next. The phrase tells you exactly what the action is and where it happens.
Why Pilots Care
Switching at the published changeover point keeps navigation signals strong and position information accurate throughout the transition.
Intuition Check
Do not read changeover point as the place where the route itself changes. Here, it means the place where your navigation reference changes from one station to the next.
Example Sentence 1
Approaching the COP, the pilot retuned the second VOR and identified the station before continuing along the airway.
Example Sentence 2
Approaching the COP, the pilot tunes the next aid while still receiving the previous one for a smooth handoff.