Definition
A device installed at a location away from a ground-based navigation facility (such as a VOR, NDB, or ILS) that displays the operational status of that facility in real time, allowing personnel to monitor whether the facility is transmitting reliable signals.
Plain English
A small display, located somewhere other than the navigation station itself, that shows whether the station is working properly.
Context Anchor
Seen in discussions of how FAA navigation facilities are monitored, especially when a control facility or monitoring station must know whether a navigation aid is usable.
Derivation
Remote means "at a distance," status means "the current condition of something," and indicator means "a device that shows information." Together: a device that shows the current condition of something located elsewhere.
Why Pilots Care
Confirms that a navigation signal is reliable before and during an approach, reducing the chance of using a failed or unreliable aid.
Grounding Statement
Picture a warning light in a control room that tells someone whether a radio navigation site miles away is working or has failed.
Intuition Check
A remote status indicator is not a cockpit navigation instrument. It is a monitoring display used to show the condition of navigation equipment from another location.
Example Sentence 1
When the VOR began transmitting an unreliable signal, the remote status indicator at the control facility flagged the fault and the navaid was taken out of service.
Example Sentence 2
Controllers checked the remote status indicator to verify the ILS was on the air during low-visibility operations.