Definition
A method of determining an aircraft's position and guiding its flight path using radio signals transmitted from ground-based stations or satellites and received by equipment on board the aircraft.
Plain English
Finding your way in the air by using radio signals from stations on the ground or from satellites, picked up by equipment in the aircraft.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight planning and aircraft equipment checks when deciding whether the airplane has the navigation equipment needed for the planned route.
Derivation
From Latin radius (ray, beam) and Latin navigare (to sail or steer a ship). Radio signals travel as invisible 'beams' through the air, and the aircraft uses them to 'steer' the same way mariners once used stars or landmarks.
Why Pilots Care
It allows accurate navigation when visual references are unavailable, such as at night or in clouds.
Intuition Check
Radio navigation is not the same as talking on the radio. It is about using radio signals for position and course guidance, not voice communication.
Example Sentence 1
Before departure, the pilot tested the aircraft's radio navigation equipment to confirm it was receiving signals correctly.
Example Sentence 2
Radio navigation provided course guidance that kept the airplane on the planned route when the ground was hidden by clouds.