Plain English Meaning
The everyday 'mile' used on roads. It is shorter than the nautical mile that pilots usually use for navigation distances.
Full Definition
A unit of distance equal to 5,280 feet (approximately 1,609 meters), used on land and in certain aviation contexts such as light-sport airplane speed limits, visibility reports, and sectional chart distances. One statute mile equals roughly 0.87 nautical miles.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA handbooks, weather visibility reports, and light-sport airplane information when a distance or visibility value is stated in ordinary land miles.
Derivation
From the Latin 'statutum,' meaning something fixed or set down by law. The statute mile got its name because its length was set by an English statute (law) in 1593. The name signals 'the mile defined by law on land' as to the nautical mile, which is tied to the geometry of the Earth.