Definition
A route depicted on instrument approach procedure charts that provides a path from an enroute fix or navigation aid to the initial approach fix (IAF) of an instrument approach procedure.
Plain English
A short connecting route on an approach chart that takes you from where you are in the enroute system to the starting point of the actual instrument approach.
Context Anchor
Seen on instrument approach charts, especially when moving from the en route portion of an IFR flight into the approach procedure.
Derivation
‘Feeder’ comes from the idea of feeding something into a larger system — like a feeder road that delivers traffic onto a highway. Here, the route ‘feeds’ the aircraft into the published instrument approach.
Why Pilots Care
It provides a predictable, charted way to reach the approach without relying solely on radar vectors, preserving situational awareness during the transition.
Intuition Check
A feeder route is not just any route to the airport. It is a specific published path that feeds the aircraft into the start of an instrument approach.
Example Sentence 1
ATC cleared us direct to the VOR, and from there we followed the feeder route to MISTY intersection to begin the ILS approach.
Example Sentence 2
The approach chart shows the feeder route as a thick line connecting the en route airway to the IAF.