Definition
A route established and used by military aircraft for the conduct of low-altitude, high-speed training. MTRs are developed jointly by the FAA and the Department of Defense and are depicted on aeronautical charts. They are identified as IR (Instrument Routes, flown under IFR procedures) or VR (Visual Routes, flown under VFR procedures), followed by a route number that indicates the altitude profile: three-digit numbers (e.g., IR123, VR456) signify routes with at least one segment above 1,500 feet AGL, while four-digit numbers (e.g., IR1234, VR4567) signify routes flown entirely at or below 1,500 feet AGL.
Plain English
A charted corridor where military aircraft fly fast and low for training. Civilian pilots need to know where these routes are so they can watch out for fast-moving military traffic that may appear suddenly.
Context Anchor
Pilots encounter MTRs during preflight planning and on aeronautical charts, especially when a planned route crosses a labeled military route.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots must identify active MTRs to avoid conflicts with high-speed military traffic that may not be talking to air traffic control.
Intuition Check
Do not assume a "training route" is slow or low-risk because it is for practice. In this context, it can mean fast military aircraft operating along a planned path.
Example Sentence 1
During preflight, she checked the sectional and noticed her route crossed VR1207, so she called Flight Service to see if the route was active.
Example Sentence 2
The controller advised traffic of military training route activity between 500 feet and 2,000 feet AGL.