Definition
An RNAV operating mode in which the course deviation indicator (CDI) shows displacement from a course line that runs parallel to, but offset from, the original course between the active VOR/DME-defined waypoints. The aircraft flies a track parallel to the planned route at a pilot-selected lateral offset distance.
Plain English
A setting on a VOR/DME RNAV unit that lets the pilot fly a path running alongside the planned route, offset to the left or right by a chosen distance, instead of directly over it.
Context Anchor
Seen when using older VOR/DME RNAV equipment, especially when comparing raw VOR navigation with area navigation guidance.
Derivation
‘Parallel’ comes from Greek parallēlos, meaning ‘alongside one another.’ The mode is named for what the aircraft track does relative to the original course — it runs alongside it at a fixed distance rather than on top of it.
Why Pilots Care
Enables lateral separation from airways or obstacles while retaining VOR-based navigation.
Analogy
It is like drawing a second line on a map that stays beside a road and points the same way, but passes through a different spot.
Intuition Check
Parallel does not mean another aircraft is flying beside you. Here it means the navigation course runs in the same direction as a selected VOR radial but is shifted away from it. Mode simply means the selected equipment setting.
Example Sentence 1
To stay clear of a line of buildups along the airway, the pilot selected VOR Parallel mode with a five-mile right offset.
Example Sentence 2
In VOR Parallel mode the CDI showed guidance for the offset track while the original radial remained selected.