Pilot/Controller Glossary: N

SeeNATIONAL AIRSPACE SYSTEM

SeeNORTH ATLANTIC HIGH LEVEL AIRSPACE

The common network of U.S. airspace; air navigation facilities, equipment and services, airports or landing areas; aeronautical charts, information and services; rules, regulations and procedures, technical information, and manpower and material. Included are system components shared jointly with the military.

Airspace over United States territory located within the North American continent between Canada and Mexico, including adjacent territorial waters outward to about boundaries of oceanic control areas (CTA)/Flight Information Regions (FIR).

SeeFLIGHT INFORMATION REGION

A daily (except weekends and Federal holidays) publication of flight information appropriate to aeronautical charts, aeronautical publications, Notices to Airmen, or other media serving the purpose of providing operational flight data essential to safe and efficient aircraft operations.

An interagency agreement which provides for the effective utilization of all available facilities in all types of search and rescue missions.

SeeSPECIAL USE AIRSPACE

SeeNAVIGATIONAL AID

VOR, VORTAC, and TACAN aids are classed according to their operational use. The three classes of NAVAIDs are:

1. T- Terminal.
2. L- Low altitude.
3. H- High altitude.

Airspace at and above the minimum flight altitudes prescribed in the CFRs including airspace needed for safe takeoff and landing.

Refer to14 CFR part 91

The NRS is a system of waypoints for use within the United States for flight planning and navigation without reference to ground based navigational aids. These waypoints are located in a grid pattern along defined latitude and longitude lines and are available for use at or above FL180 by aircraft capable of point‐to‐point navigation.

A set of aircraft and flight crew requirements needed to support performance-based navigation operations within a defined airspace. There are two kinds of navigation specifications:

1. RNP specification. A navigation specification based on area navigation that includes the requirement for performance monitoring and alerting, designated by the prefix RNP; e.g., RNP 4, RNP APCH.
2. RNAV specification. A navigation specification based on area navigation that does not include the requirement for performance monitoring and alerting, designated by the prefix RNAV; e.g., RNAV 5, RNAV 1.

Any visual or electronic device airborne or on the surface which provides point‐to‐point guidance information or position data to aircraft in flight.

SeeAIR NAVIGATION FACILITY

(See NAVIGATION SPECIFICATION [ICAO].)

SeeNATIONAL BEACON CODE ALLOCATION PLAN AIRSPACE

SeeNONDIRECTIONAL BEACON

“No,” or “permission not granted,” or “that is not correct.”

Used by pilots to inform ATC that:

1. Previously issued traffic is not in sight. It may be followed by the pilot's request for the controller to provide assistance in avoiding the traffic.
2. They were unable to contact ATC on a particular frequency.

SeeNATIONAL FLIGHT DATA DIGEST

The time between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight, as published in the Air Almanac, converted to local time.

SeeICAO term NIGHT

The hours between the end of evening civil twilight and the beginning of morning civil twilight or such other period between sunset and sunrise as may be specified by the appropriate authority.

A radar approach/vector provided in case of a malfunctioning gyro‐compass or directional gyro. Instead of providing the pilot with headings to be flown, the controller observes the radar track and issues control instructions “turn right/left” or “stop turn” as appropriate.

📖Refer toAIM (opens in new tab) ↗

SeeNO GYRO APPROACH

The NTZ is a 2,000 foot wide zone, located equidistant between parallel runway or SOIA final approach courses, in which flight is normally not allowed.

Author‐izes aircraft to land or takeoff at the airport controlled by the tower or to transit the Class D airspace. The primary function of a nonapproach control tower is the sequencing of aircraft in the traffic pattern and on the landing area. Nonapproach control towers also separate aircraft operating under instrument flight rules clearances from approach controls and centers. They provide ground control services to aircraft, vehicles, personnel, and equipment on the airport movement area.

That segment of a North American Route between the inland navigation facility and a designated North American terminal.

Any surveillance system, such as primary radar, that is not dependent upon the presence of any equipment on the aircraft or vehicle to be tracked.

SeeCOOPERATIVE SURVEILLANCE

SeeRADAR

An L/MF or UHF radio beacon transmitting nondirectional signals whereby the pilot of an aircraft equipped with direction finding equipment can determine his/her bearing to or from the radio beacon and “home” on or track to or from the station. When the radio beacon is installed in conjunction with the Instrument Landing System marker, it is normally called a Compass Locator.

SeeAUTOMATIC DIRECTION FINDER

SeeCOMPASS LOCATOR

Taxiways and apron (ramp) areas not under the control of air traffic.

SeeNONPRECISION APPROACH PROCEDURE

A standard instrument approach procedure in which no electronic glideslope is provided; e.g., VOR, TACAN, NDB, LOC, ASR, LDA, or SDF approaches.

Precedes other terms and generally means without the use of radar, such as:

1. Nonradar Approach. Used to describe instrument approaches for which course guidance on final approach is not provided by ground-based precision or surveillance radar. Radar vectors to the final approach course may or may not be provided by ATC. Examples of nonradar approaches are VOR, NDB, TACAN, ILS, RNAV, and GLS approaches.

SeeFINAL APPROACH COURSE

SeeFINAL APPROACH‐IFR

SeeINSTRUMENT APPROACH PROCEDURE

SeeRADAR APPROACH

1. Nonradar Approach Control. An ATC facility providing approach control service without the use of radar.

SeeAPPROACH CONTROL FACILITY

SeeAPPROACH CONTROL SERVICE

1. Nonradar Arrival. An aircraft arriving at an airport without radar service or at an airport served by a radar facility and radar contact has not been established or has been terminated due to a lack of radar service to the airport.

SeeRADAR ARRIVAL

SeeRADAR SERVICE

1. Nonradar Route. A flight path or route over which the pilot is performing his/her own navigation. The pilot may be receiving radar separation, radar monitoring, or other ATC services while on a nonradar route.

SeeRADAR ROUTE

1. Nonradar Separation. The spacing of aircraft in accordance with established minima without the use of radar; e.g., vertical, lateral, or longitudinal separation.

SeeRADAR SEPARATION

Portions of a proposed route of flight where a user can flight plan the most advantageous flight path with no requirement to make reference to ground-based NAVAIDs.

SeeNORTH PACIFIC

Aircraft that cannot or do not communicate by radio when radio communication is required are referred to as “NORDO.”

SeeLOST COMMUNICATIONS

The NOZ is the operating zone within which aircraft flight remains during normal independent simultaneous parallel ILS approaches.

A numerically coded route preplanned over existing airway and route systems to and from specific coastal fixes serving the North Atlantic. North American Routes consist of the following:

1. Common Route/Portion. That segment of a North American Route between the inland navigation facility and the coastal fix.
2. Noncommon Route/Portion. That segment of a North American Route between the inland navigation facility and a designated North American terminal.
3. Inland Navigation Facility. A navigation aid on a North American Route at which the common route and/or the noncommon route begins or ends.
4. Coastal Fix. A navigation aid or intersection where an aircraft transitions between the domestic route structure and the oceanic route structure.

The NRP is a set of rules and procedures which are designed to increase the flexibility of user flight planning within published guidelines.

That volume of airspace (as defined in ICAO Document 7030) between FL 285 and FL 420 within the Oceanic Control Areas of Bodo Oceanic, Gander Oceanic, New York Oceanic East, Reykjavik, Santa Maria, and Shanwick, excluding the Shannon and Brest Ocean Transition Areas. ICAO Doc 007 North Atlantic Operations and Airspace Manual provides detailed information on related aircraft and operational requirements.

An organized route system between the Alaskan west coast and Japan.

Varying from what is expected or published. For use in NOTAMs only.

SeeNOT STANDARD

SeeNOTICE TO AIRMEN

A notice containing information concerning the establishment, condition or change in any aeronautical facility, service, procedure or hazard, the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations.

1. I Distribution- Distribution by means of telecommunication.
2. II Distribution- Distribution by means other than telecommunications.

A notice containing information (not known sufficiently in advance to publicize by other means) concerning the establishment, condition, or change in any component (facility, service, or procedure of, or hazard in the National Airspace System) the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations.

1. NOTAM (D)- A NOTAM given (in addition to local dissemination) distant dissemination beyond the area of responsibility of the Flight Service Station. These NOTAMs will be stored and available until canceled.
2. FDC NOTAM- A NOTAM regulatory in nature, transmitted by USNOF and given system wide dissemination.

SeeICAO term NOTAM

SeeNON-RESTRICTIVE ROUTING

SeeNAVIGATION REFERENCE SYSTEM

A traffic advisory issued by ATC to advise pilots that targets on the radar scope are too numerous to issue individually.

SeeTRAFFIC ADVISORIES