Definition
A radial from a VOR other than the one currently being tracked, used to identify a specific point along the aircraft's flight path. When the aircraft's course needle on the second VOR centers on the specified radial, the pilot knows they have reached that fix.
Plain English
A signal line from a different VOR station that crosses your flight path. When you reach the spot where that line meets your route, you know exactly where you are.
Context Anchor
Seen on instrument approach charts and missed approach instructions when a procedure uses a VOR radial to mark where the aircraft should take the next action.
Derivation
Cross' here means 'crossing' or 'intersecting,' not 'angry' or 'across.' A cross radial is simply a radial from another station that crosses your current track to mark a position.
Why Pilots Care
Provides a reliable navigation reference to start a turn at the correct location, ensuring obstacle clearance and proper routing during a missed approach.
Analogy
It is like a cross street on a road route. You may not turn onto that street, but reaching it tells you exactly where you are along your route.
Intuition Check
Do not read “cross radial” as just any radial the airplane happens to cross. In this context, it means a specific published radial used as a position marker in the procedure.
Example Sentence 1
After passing the missed approach point, the pilot tracked outbound on the 090 radial until the cross radial from the second VOR centered, marking the holding fix.
Example Sentence 2
The pilot watched the VOR needle to identify the cross radial that marked the start of the holding pattern entry.