Definition
Military Training Routes are routes established jointly by the FAA and the Department of Defense for use by the military to conduct low-altitude, high-speed training. MTRs are generally flown below 10,000 feet MSL at airspeeds in excess of 250 knots. Routes flown under instrument flight rules are designated IR routes; those flown under visual flight rules are designated VR routes. Routes with one or more segments above 1,500 feet AGL are identified by four-digit numbers (e.g., IR1206, VR1207); routes with no segment above 1,500 feet AGL are identified by three-digit numbers (e.g., IR206, VR207).
Plain English
Special corridors set up so military aircraft can practice flying fast and low. They're charted so civilian pilots know where to expect military traffic moving quickly at low altitudes.
Context Anchor
Seen on aeronautical charts, in preflight planning, and when checking for military flight activity along or near a planned route.
Why Pilots Care
VFR and IFR pilots must identify these routes during flight planning to reduce the chance of unexpected high-speed encounters.
Intuition Check
Do not read “training route” as just any practice path. In FAA use, a Military Training Route is a published route set aside for specific military training activity, and it can affect civilian flight planning.
Example Sentence 1
During preflight planning she noticed her route crossed VR1207 and called Flight Service to check whether the MTR was active that afternoon.
Example Sentence 2
ATC issued an advisory about active military operations on VR-105.