Plain English Meaning

Aircraft don't turn on a dime. When you cross a fix and start a turn, you actually fly past the fix a bit before the airplane comes around. Flyover protection is the extra safety margin built into the published altitude so that obstacles in the area you overfly during that turn stay safely below you.

Full Definition

Additional obstacle clearance airspace built into a Minimum Turning Altitude (MTA) to account for the fact that an aircraft will overfly the fix before beginning its turn, rather than turning exactly at the fix. It ensures that obstacles in the area beyond the fix, in the direction of flight, remain safely below the aircraft during the turn.

Context Anchor

Seen in instrument procedure design and minimum turning altitude discussions, especially where a turn begins after crossing a named on the .