Definition
A written or recorded entry made by a flight crew documenting the aircraft's position at a specific point in space and time, typically including the fix identifier, time of crossing, altitude, and other relevant navigation data. Used during navigation to track progress along a route and to verify the aircraft is on course.
Plain English
A note the crew makes showing where the aircraft was at a known point and when it got there. It's a written snapshot of position used to keep track of the flight.
Context Anchor
Seen in aeronautical data, charting, instrument procedure, and navigation database discussions.
Derivation
A 'fix' in navigation comes from the idea of 'fixing' (locking down) the aircraft's exact position at a moment in time. The 'record' part is simply the written log of those fixes. The term reflects the older navigation practice of plotting position by hand and keeping a running written record of each confirmed location.
Why Pilots Care
If radio or electronic navigation aids fail, a current fix record lets the crew estimate position from the last known fix and continue navigating safely until coverage is restored.
Intuition Check
Fix does not mean “repair” here. It means a specific named position used for navigation. Record does not mean an audio recording here. It means the official stored data for that position.
Example Sentence 1
After crossing the VOR, the first officer updated the fix record with the time, altitude, and station identifier.
Example Sentence 2
Reviewing the fix record confirmed the aircraft's location matched the planned route.