Definition
The straight line of the final approach course projected outward beyond the final approach fix, away from the runway. It represents where the final approach course would continue if extended back along the same track, and is used by pilots and flight management systems as a reference for intercepting the final approach at the correct angle and alignment.
Plain English
Imagine drawing a straight line down the runway and along the path the aircraft will fly to land on it. Now extend that line backward, away from the runway, into the area before the final approach starts. That extended line is the extended final approach course.
Context Anchor
Seen in GPS instrument approach discussions, especially when the aircraft is being vectored or turned onto the final approach path before the final segment begins.
Derivation
Extended' here simply means 'continued further out along the same line.' The final approach course is the published track flown to the runway; extending it just means drawing that same track further back from where the final approach officially begins.
Why Pilots Care
It gives more distance to establish on the correct track before reaching the final approach fix, reducing the chance of a late or unstable intercept.
Intuition Check
Do not read “extended” as meaning the FAA added a longer final approach segment. Here it means the same final approach path is imagined as continuing outward in a straight line.
Example Sentence 1
ATC vectored the aircraft to intercept the extended final approach course about ten miles outside the final approach fix.
Example Sentence 2
ATC cleared the aircraft to join the extended final approach course for the RNAV runway 27 approach.