Definition
Designated locations on an airport surface or at specific airborne points where a pilot can verify the accuracy of the aircraft's VOR navigation receiver against a published bearing and frequency. The Chart Supplement U.S. lists these checkpoints, including the VOR station to use, the radial that should be indicated, the location on the airport (or in the air), and the distance from the station.
Plain English
Marked spots on the ground or in the air where you can check that your VOR navigation equipment is showing the correct direction. The book tells you where to park, what station to tune, and what reading you should see. If your indicator matches, your VOR is working accurately.
Context Anchor
Seen in the Chart Supplement U.S. when checking airport and navigation information, especially before using VOR navigation on an IFR flight.
Derivation
VOR stands for VHF Omnidirectional Range, a ground-based navigation station. A 'checkpoint' is a known location used to confirm something is correct. Together, a VOR receiver checkpoint is a known spot used to confirm the receiver is reading the VOR correctly.
Why Pilots Care
Confirms the VOR receiver meets FAA accuracy standards so navigation information can be trusted during flight.
Intuition Check
Do not read “checkpoint” here as a route point you must fly over. In this context, it means a known test point or published test method used to verify the aircraft’s VOR receiver accuracy.
Example Sentence 1
Before her IFR cross-country, she taxied to the painted VOR receiver checkpoint on the ramp, tuned the listed frequency, and confirmed the indicated radial matched the published value.
Example Sentence 2
Before an IFR flight the instructor had the student verify the VOR at the receiver checkpoint listed in the Chart Supplement.