Plain English Meaning

Knowing where you are, where you're going, and how to get there safely in the airplane.

Full Definition

The process of determining an aircraft's position and directing its movement from one point to another along a planned route, using visual references, instruments, radio aids, or satellite-based systems.

Context Anchor

Seen in cockpit instruments, moving-map displays, flight planning, radio navigation, and any discussion of how the airplane gets from one place to another.

Derivation

From the Latin 'navigare', meaning 'to sail' or 'to steer a ship', formed from 'navis' (ship) and 'agere' (to drive). Aviation borrowed the word directly from maritime tradition because the same problem applies: knowing your position and steering toward a destination across a featureless .