Definition
A series of aeronautical charts and publications produced by the U.S. National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for the Department of Defense, providing en route charts, instrument approach procedures, airport diagrams, and supporting flight information for military and civilian users flying outside the contiguous United States. FLIPs cover areas such as Alaska, the Caribbean, the Pacific, Europe, Africa, the Middle East, South America, and other regions, and are organized into Enroute, Terminal, and Planning publications.
Plain English
A set of military-produced flight charts and books that pilots use when flying internationally or in regions where the FAA does not publish charts. They contain the same kinds of information as FAA charts -- routes, approaches, airport details -- just produced by the Department of Defense.
Context Anchor
Seen in en route chart legends and airport information, especially for military, joint-use, or defense-related airports.
Derivation
FLIP stands for Flight Information Publication. The DOD prefix indicates the publications are produced under the Department of Defense rather than the FAA, which is why they cover areas the FAA does not chart.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots use DOD FLIPS to obtain accurate airport and navigation data required for safe flight planning, especially when operating in or near military airspace.
Intuition Check
DOD FLIPS does not mean flipping pages or changing something. Here, FLIPS refers to a named set of Department of Defense flight publications.
Example Sentence 1
Before her ferry flight from Florida to the Azores, she ordered the appropriate DOD FLIPs to cover the en route and approach phases.
Example Sentence 2
According to the legend in DOD FLIPS, the symbol indicates a military airfield with fuel available.