Plain English Meaning

A type of instrument approach where the aircraft follows a path made up of GPS waypoints down to the runway, instead of tracking radio signals from ground stations.

Full Definition

An instrument approach procedure based on Area Navigation (RNAV), allowing the aircraft to fly a published path to a runway by navigating directly between defined waypoints rather than tracking signals from ground-based navigation aids. RNAV approaches use onboard navigation systems (typically GPS, often augmented by WAAS) to provide lateral and, in many cases, vertical guidance to landing minimums.