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.
Plain English
A marked spot on the airport where you park your plane to test whether your VOR navigation equipment is reading correctly.
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.