Definition
An FAA publication, issued in regional volumes, that contains the instrument approach procedure charts, departure procedures, standard terminal arrivals, and airport diagrams used for instrument flight operations in the United States. It is updated on a 56-day cycle.
Plain English
A book of FAA charts that pilots use to fly instrument approaches, departures, and arrivals at airports. It is reissued every 56 days so the charts stay current.
Context Anchor
Seen when using FAA instrument charts, especially in discussions of published procedures, airport status, and procedure availability.
Derivation
From 'Terminal' (the airspace and procedures around an airport, where flights begin or end), 'Procedures' (the published step-by-step routes and approaches), and 'Publication' (a printed or digital document). The name describes what it contains: the procedures used in the terminal environment.
Why Pilots Care
A pilot planning an instrument flight must consult the current TPP to confirm which procedures remain valid at a given airport.
Intuition Check
Do not read “terminal” as the passenger building. In TPP, it means the procedures used in the airport area.
Example Sentence 1
Before the flight, she pulled up the current TPP on her tablet and reviewed the approach chart for her destination.
Example Sentence 2
Pilots download the latest TPP volume before any cross-country trip that may require instrument approaches.