Definition
Provision of navigational guidance to aircraft in the form of specific headings, based on the use of radar. This is the ICAO definition of radar vectoring, used internationally by air traffic control to direct aircraft along desired tracks.
Plain English
A controller watches the aircraft on radar and tells the pilot which compass heading to fly so the aircraft ends up where the controller wants it.
Context Anchor
You encounter this in ATC communications when a controller gives heading instructions during departure, arrival, approach, or traffic handling.
Derivation
‘Vector’ comes from the Latin ‘vehere,’ meaning ‘to carry.’ A vector carries the aircraft in a specific direction. ‘Radar’ is a 1940s acronym for Radio Detection and Ranging. Together: using radar to carry the aircraft along a chosen heading.
Why Pilots Care
It reduces your navigation workload, keeps you clear of other aircraft and obstacles, and is essential in busy or instrument conditions.
Grounding Statement
Picture ATC seeing your aircraft on a radar display and steering you with heading instructions instead of leaving you to follow your route on your own.
Intuition Check
Radar vectoring does not mean the pilot is simply using radar. It means ATC is actively guiding the aircraft by assigning headings based on radar information.
Example Sentence 1
‘Cessna 23A, fly heading 270, vectors for the ILS Runway 27 approach.’
Example Sentence 2
We received radar vectoring to avoid a line of thunderstorms on our arrival.