Definition
An FAA directive titled 'United States Standard for Helicopter Area Navigation (RNAV)' that prescribes the criteria for designing instrument approach procedures specifically tailored to helicopters, including approaches to heliports using GPS and other RNAV systems.
Plain English
It is the official FAA rulebook that tells procedure designers how to build instrument approaches for helicopters, especially the kind that use GPS to fly into heliports.
Context Anchor
Seen in IFR helicopter training when the handbook explains how helicopter instrument procedures are designed and why they may differ from airplane procedures.
Derivation
An 'Order' in FAA usage is a formal, numbered directive that establishes binding policy or technical standards. The 8260 series specifically covers the design criteria for instrument flight procedures, with each suffix (.3, .42, .54, etc.) addressing a particular type of procedure. Order 8260.42 is the helicopter RNAV chapter of that series.
Why Pilots Care
Helicopter pilots and procedure developers rely on it to confirm that IFR heliport operations meet consistent safety and regulatory requirements.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Order” here as an air traffic control instruction. An FAA Order is an official FAA document that tells FAA personnel and procedure designers how to do a specific job.
Example Sentence 1
The RNAV (GPS) approach to the hospital heliport was designed under the criteria in FAA Order 8260.42.
Example Sentence 2
Chapter 7 cites FAA Order 8260.42 when explaining minimum lighting standards for heliport instrument operations.