Whats In a Route?

In the not-too-distant past, routes were so simple, werent they? It seemed like all you had to know was the difference between low-altitude Victor airways, and high-altitude Jet routes. These VOR-based routes shaded in black on enroute charts were joined by blue-shaded RNAV-based routes over a decade ago. Low altitude T-routes, high altitude Q-routes, and low altitude helicopter TK-routes have become quite common, and will likely eventually outnumber VOR-based routes. (Where an RNAV route is co-located with a VOR-based route, it is sometimes called a joint route.)

Editorial Staff

Monday, August 10, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Air navigation routes have evolved significantly, transitioning from simple VOR-based Victor/Jet airways to a predominant network of RNAV routes (T, Q, TK routes) which are expected to eventually outnumber older types.
Beyond common US VOR/RNAV routes, older NDB-based colored airways persist in specific US regions, while international travel introduces a wider array of route types including regional systems like Bahama Routes and Puerto Rican Local Routes, and general Air Traffic Services (ATS) routes.
The complexity of air routes is anticipated to increase further with emerging technologies like ADS-B routes, which are already in use internationally and being explored for domestic offshore applications.

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What’s In a Route?

In the not-too-distant past, routes were so simple, weren’t they? It seemed like all you had to know was the difference between low-altitude Victor airways, and high-altitude Jet routes. These VOR-based routes shaded in black on enroute charts were joined by blue-shaded RNAV-based routes over a decade ago. Low altitude T-routes, high altitude Q-routes, and low altitude helicopter TK-routes have become quite common, and will likely eventually outnumber VOR-based routes. (Where an RNAV route is co-located with a VOR-based route, it is sometimes called a joint route.)