Plain English Meaning

A way of turning the aircraft around to fly back toward a fix. Instead of making a sharp 180-degree turn, the pilot flies outbound at a slight angle, then turns back so the path looks like a teardrop on the chart.

Full Definition

A course reversal maneuver in which the aircraft departs the fix on a specified outbound track at an angle (typically around 30 degrees) from the reciprocal of the inbound course, flies outbound for a set distance or time, then turns back to intercept the inbound course. The flight path traced over the ground resembles a teardrop shape.

Context Anchor

Seen on instrument approach procedures when the aircraft must reverse direction or lose altitude before continuing inbound on the .