Definition
A waypoint that requires the use of turn anticipation to avoid overshoot of the next flight segment. The aircraft begins its turn before reaching the waypoint so that the new course is intercepted smoothly without flying directly over the waypoint itself.
Plain English
A point on a flight plan where the aircraft starts turning early so it rolls onto the next leg without overshooting. The aircraft cuts the corner rather than flying right over the point.
Context Anchor
Seen in GPS and RNAV route or procedure descriptions, especially when following a sequence of waypoints in the flight plan.
Derivation
The name describes exactly what the aircraft does: it flies by the waypoint rather than over it. The hyphenated form distinguishes it from a fly-over waypoint, where the aircraft must cross directly above the point before turning.
Why Pilots Care
Allows efficient routing without requiring abrupt heading changes that increase workload or fuel burn.
Intuition Check
A fly-by waypoint does not mean “fly directly over this point.” It means “use this point to begin a smooth turn onto the next part of the route.”
Example Sentence 1
Because the next fix was a fly-by waypoint, the GPS commanded the turn before the aircraft reached it.
Example Sentence 2
Charts mark the waypoint with a specific symbol so pilots know to start the turn early rather than overfly it.