Plain English Meaning
A marked spot on the airport where you park your plane to test whether your VOR navigation equipment is reading correctly.
Full Definition
A painted sign on an airport surface marking the exact spot where a pilot can position the aircraft and check the accuracy of the aircraft's VOR (VHF Omnidirectional Range) navigation receiver against a published bearing and distance from a nearby VOR station.
Context Anchor
Seen on some airport taxiway or ramp areas where an FAA-designated ground VOR receiver check is available.
Derivation
VOR stands for VHF Omnidirectional Range, a ground-based radio navigation aid. 'Checkpoint' comes from the idea of a fixed reference point used to verify or 'check' something — in this case, the accuracy of the aircraft's VOR receiver.
Why Pilots Care
Enables a required preflight accuracy verification of VOR equipment before IFR flight without needing airborne checks.
Grounding Statement
The practical idea is simple: put the aircraft at the marked spot, tune the listed VOR, and compare the cockpit reading with the number on the sign.
Intuition Check
Do not treat it as a general airport direction sign. It marks one specific approved place where one specific VOR reading can be checked against the aircraft’s receiver.
Example Sentence 1
Before the IFR flight, the pilot taxied to the VOR checkpoint sign and verified the receiver was within tolerance.
Example Sentence 2
Using the VOR checkpoint sign, the crew verified the equipment met the required tolerance before departure.