Definition
A low-power VHF omnidirectional range (VOR) navigation station used for approach and terminal-area navigation near an airport. It transmits on VHF frequencies and provides bearing information out to roughly 25 nautical miles and up to about 12,000 feet above the station, supporting instrument approaches and arrivals rather than long-distance enroute navigation.
Plain English
A short-range radio navigation station near an airport that tells pilots which direction they are from the station. It is the small version of a VOR, designed for use close to the airport during arrivals and approaches rather than for long cross-country flights.
Context Anchor
Seen in airport navigation information, navigation receiver use, and discussions of radio navigation facilities near an airport.
Derivation
Terminal means the area around an airport where arrivals, approaches, and departures happen — the end points of a flight rather than the enroute portion. VHF omnidirectional range describes a radio aid that transmits on Very High Frequency in all directions (omni-directional), allowing a pilot to determine bearing from the station. So a TVOR is simply a VOR built for terminal-area use.
Why Pilots Care
It gives accurate directional guidance near the airport where longer-range VORs may be unreliable or unavailable.
Intuition Check
“Terminal” does not mean the passenger building here. It means the airport-area environment where aircraft are arriving, departing, or navigating nearby.
Example Sentence 1
The approach chart showed a TVOR on the field, which the pilot tuned and identified before starting the procedure.
Example Sentence 2
With the TVOR centered, the aircraft maintained the proper course through the terminal area.