Definition
Instrument approach procedures based on Area Navigation (RNAV), which allow an aircraft to fly a defined path between any two points in space rather than requiring the aircraft to track to or from a ground-based navigation station. RNAV approaches use signals from satellites (GPS), ground-based references (DME/DME, VOR/DME), or onboard inertial systems to compute the aircraft's position and guide it along the published approach path. Common types include RNAV (GPS) approaches with LNAV, LNAV/VNAV, LPV, and LP minima, and RNAV (RNP) approaches that require additional aircraft and crew authorization.
Plain English
Instrument approaches that let the aircraft fly a path drawn directly between waypoints in the sky, instead of having to fly toward or away from a ground radio station. The aircraft's navigation system (usually GPS) figures out where it is and keeps it on the published path down to the runway.
Context Anchor
Seen when selecting, briefing, and flying instrument approaches on a GPS navigator, flight plan, approach chart, or air traffic control clearance.
Derivation
RNAV stands for Area Navigation. The name highlights the key idea: the aircraft can navigate through any area along a chosen path, rather than being tied to flying directly to or from a ground station.
Why Pilots Care
These approaches expand the number of usable runways in low visibility and allow more direct routing than traditional procedures.
Intuition Check
Do not read “approach” here as simply “getting closer.” In instrument flying, an approach is a specific published procedure with a defined path, altitude limits, and instructions.
Example Sentence 1
Cleared for the RNAV (GPS) Runway 27 approach, the pilot loaded the procedure in the flight management system and followed the magenta line down to the LPV minimums.
Example Sentence 2
RNAV approaches often include a published vertical descent angle that the autopilot can follow to the missed approach point.