Definition
An IFR route flown off the published airway system that has not been established under 14 CFR Part 95, the federal regulation that defines official IFR altitudes and routes. These routes are typically random or direct routings approved by ATC and depend on radar coverage, navigation capability, and pilot-determined obstacle clearance rather than on published minimum altitudes.
Plain English
It is a direct or random IFR route that is not part of the official published route system. Because it has no published minimum altitude, the pilot and controller share more responsibility for keeping the aircraft clear of terrain and obstacles.
Context Anchor
Seen when studying off-airway instrument routes, especially when a route is planned directly between navigation points instead of along a published airway.
Derivation
Part 95 refers to Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 95, which establishes IFR altitudes for federal airways and other published routes. Calling something a 'non-Part 95 route' simply means it falls outside that regulatory framework.
Why Pilots Care
The pilot must determine a safe altitude using obstacle data rather than relying on a published value.
Intuition Check
Do not read “Part 95” as a percentage or as a casual route label. Here it means a specific FAA regulation; “non-Part 95” means the route is not covered by that regulation’s published route-altitude listings.
Example Sentence 1
Because the direct routing was a non-Part 95 route, the crew checked the chart's off-route obstruction clearance altitudes before accepting the clearance.
Example Sentence 2
ATC approved the non-Part 95 route after the pilot confirmed adequate obstacle clearance.