Definition
A VOR service volume classification (Class T) indicating a Terminal VOR. A Terminal VOR provides reliable signal coverage from 1,000 feet AGL up to and including 12,000 feet AGL, out to a radius of 25 nautical miles from the station. Terminal VORs are intended to support arrivals, departures, and approaches in the vicinity of an airport rather than long-distance enroute navigation.
Plain English
The letter T on a VOR identifies it as a short-range station meant for use near an airport. Its signal is only guaranteed to be usable within about 25 nautical miles and at lower altitudes, so it's designed for arrivals and departures, not long cross-country legs.
Context Anchor
Seen when studying VOR station classes and when checking how far from a VOR you can expect reliable navigation guidance.
Derivation
Terminal here means 'at the end of a journey' — from the Latin terminus, meaning boundary or endpoint. In aviation, a terminal area is the airspace around an airport where flights begin and end, so a Terminal VOR is one tied to that airport environment rather than the enroute structure.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing the class determines how far you can reliably navigate using that station before signal reception becomes unreliable.
Intuition Check
Terminal does not mean the airport passenger building here. It means a short-range VOR class for the airport-area environment.
Example Sentence 1
The approach uses a Terminal VOR on the field, so we'll only pick up a usable signal once we're within about 25 miles.
Example Sentence 2
During the approach briefing, the crew confirmed the nearby VOR was a T facility and therefore suitable for the terminal segment.