Definition
In the context of Performance-Based Navigation (PBN), performance requirements are the specified standards an aircraft and its navigation system must meet to fly a given route or procedure. They define accuracy, integrity, continuity, availability, and functionality — for example, how closely the aircraft must stay to the centerline, how quickly the system must alert the crew if it cannot meet that accuracy, and what navigation features the equipment must support.
Plain English
These are the rules about how accurate and reliable your navigation system must be to legally fly a particular route or approach. If your equipment can meet the standard, you can fly the procedure. If it can't, you can't.
Context Anchor
Seen in NextGen, instrument procedure, and aircraft equipment discussions when deciding whether an aircraft is allowed to use a route, procedure, or section of airspace.
Derivation
Performance' here means how well the navigation system actually does its job — not how powerful the aircraft is. 'Requirements' means the minimum standard that must be met. Together: the minimum navigation capability needed to fly the procedure.
Why Pilots Care
Determines whether an aircraft is certified and equipped to fly optimized NextGen routes that save time and fuel.
Analogy
It is like a height requirement for a ride: the rule is not about how much someone wants to ride, but whether they meet the minimum condition to do it safely.
Grounding Statement
Before flying a procedure, the airplane and its systems must be able to do what that procedure assumes they can do.
Intuition Check
Do not read performance requirements as a general comment about how well a pilot flies. In this context, it means specific minimum capabilities the aircraft, equipment, or operation must meet.
Example Sentence 1
Before flying the RNP approach, the crew verified that their aircraft met the performance requirements specified on the chart.
Example Sentence 2
Before filing the NextGen route, the pilot checked the airplane's performance requirements against the procedure specifications.