Definition
An RNAV (area navigation) flight path leg defined as a track from a specified fix directly to a designated navigation aid (navaid). The leg terminates upon reaching the navaid.
Plain English
A programmed segment of a flight route that runs from one named point to a ground-based navigation station, ending when the aircraft reaches that station.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument procedure descriptions, route coding, and navigation system logic when a path is defined by where it starts and where it ends.
Derivation
The name describes the leg literally: it begins at a 'fix' (a defined geographic point) and ends 'to' a 'navaid' (a navigation aid such as a VOR or NDB). The hyphenated form is standard FMS leg-type naming.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing how a leg is defined helps pilots predict how the autopilot and flight management system will fly the segment, especially how and where it will transition to the next leg.
Intuition Check
Do not read “fix” as “repair.” In this term, a fix is a known position, and the leg goes from that position to a navigation aid.
Example Sentence 1
The approach procedure included a fix-to-navaid leg from the initial approach fix direct to the VOR.
Example Sentence 2
The approach plate showed a step-down fix-to-navaid three miles from the localizer antenna.