Definition
A path terminator used in RNAV procedures that ends a flight path leg only when the pilot manually intervenes — typically by selecting a new course, sequencing the next leg, or resuming navigation through pilot action. The leg continues indefinitely until that pilot input occurs.
Plain English
A leg of an RNAV procedure that does not end on its own. It keeps going until the pilot does something to end it.
Context Anchor
Seen in instrument procedure coding and GPS/FMS route displays, especially on legs that depend on pilot action or controller instructions instead of a fixed waypoint crossing.
Derivation
‘Manual’ comes from the Latin manus, meaning ‘hand’ — i.e. done by the pilot rather than automatically by the system. ‘Terminate’ comes from the Latin terminus, meaning ‘end’ or ‘boundary.’ Together: an ending that requires a hand on the controls.
Why Pilots Care
The FMS will not automatically sequence to the next waypoint, so the pilot must intervene to avoid overshooting the intended path or procedure.
Intuition Check
Do not read termination as “stop flying the procedure.” Here it means the end of one coded leg. Manual means that end does not happen automatically; the pilot must command the change.
Example Sentence 1
The departure procedure ended with a manual termination, so the crew flew the assigned heading until ATC issued a vector to join the airway.
Example Sentence 2
After completing the hold with manual termination, the crew selected direct to the initial approach fix to begin the approach.