Going direct still requires a fix in each Center’s airspace, but finding the right one is often difficult. There’s a solution for high-flyers that might be available to everyone someday.
GO DIRECT, FIX-BY-FIX
The original structure of the National Airspace System (NAS), with its VORs, airways and intersections, has served us well for decades. But its rapidly becoming outdated in this age of direct navigation between most any two places on the globe. A more structured system already exists: Its called the National Reference System (NRS).
Key Takeaways:
- The National Reference System (NRS) is a modern, grid-based system of 1600 waypoints across the U.S., designed to enable more direct navigation and update the outdated VOR-based National Airspace System.
- NRS waypoints, identified by 5-character codes, are primarily for high-altitude (Class A) airspace and, while challenging for ad-hoc use due to their obscure names, they facilitate significant fuel savings for pre-planned direct routes across multiple control centers, especially in the western U.S.
- Currently utilized by airlines and high-flyers, broader adoption of NRS waypoints by general aviation in Class A could encourage the FAA to consider expanding their availability to lower altitudes in the future.
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