Definition
Vectoring of aircraft by air traffic control to provide course guidance through the use of radar.
Plain English
A controller watches you on radar and tells you what headings to fly so you end up where you need to go.
Context Anchor
You may encounter this when a controller gives radar vectors after departure, during arrival, or while guiding an aircraft around traffic or weather.
Derivation
Radar comes from Radio Detection And Ranging. Navigational comes from the Latin navigare, meaning to sail or steer a ship. Together the phrase describes steering an aircraft using radar information.
Why Pilots Care
Allows safe navigation and traffic separation when visual references are limited or airspace is complex.
Intuition Check
Radar navigational guidance does not mean the aircraft’s own radar is flying or navigating the airplane. It means air traffic control is using radar information to give the pilot directions to fly.
Example Sentence 1
Approach provided radar navigational guidance around the line of thunderstorms before clearing us direct to the next fix.
Example Sentence 2
Radar navigational guidance kept the flight on course during the instrument approach.