JO 7110.65 Air Traffic ControlJO 7110.65BB · Change 3 · Effective 7/9/2026
Chapter 2 · Section 5
Route and NAVAID Description
3 Paragraphs2-5-1–2-5-3
2-5-1 AIR TRAFFIC SERVICE (ATS) ROUTES
Describe ATS routes as follows:
VOR/VORTAC/TACAN airways or jet routes. State the word “Victor” or the letter “J” followed by the number of the airway or route in group form.
EXAMPLE
“Victor Twelve.” “J Five Thirty-Three.”
VOR/VORTAC/TACAN alternate airways. State the word “Victor” followed by the number of the airway in group form and the alternate direction.
EXAMPLE
“Victor Twelve South.”
Colored/L/MF airways. State the color of the airway followed by the number in group form.
EXAMPLE
“Blue Eighty-One.”
Named Routes. State the words “North American Route” or “Bahama Route” followed by the number of the route in group form.
EXAMPLE
“North American Route Sixty-Seven Bravo.” “Bahama Route Fifty-Five Victor.”
Air Traffic Service (ATS) routes. State the letter(s) of the route phonetically, followed by the number of the route in group form.
EXAMPLE
“Romeo Twenty.” “Alfa Fifty.” “Golf Sixty-one.” “Alfa Seven Hundred.”
Military Training Routes (MTRs). State the letters “I-R” or “V-R” followed by the number of the route in group form.
EXAMPLE
“I-R Five Thirty-one.” “V-R Fifty-two.”
Published RNAV routes.
High Altitude - State the letter “Q” followed by the route number in group form.
EXAMPLE
“Q One Forty-five.”
Low Altitude - State the letter of the route phonetically, followed by the number of the route in group form.
EXAMPLE
“Tango Two Ten.”
2-5-2 NAVAID TERMS
Describe NAVAIDs as follows:
State the name or phonetic alphabet equivalent (location identifier) of a NAVAID when using it in a routing.
EXAMPLE
“V6 Victor Whiskey Victor (Waterville) V45 Jackson”
When utilized as the clearance limit, state the name of the NAVAID followed by the type of NAVAID if the type is known.
PHRASEOLOGY
CLEARED TO (NAVAID name and type)
EXAMPLE
“Cleared to Grand Rapids VOR”
Describe radials, arcs, courses, bearings, and quadrants of NAVAIDs as follows:
VOR/VORTAC/TACAN/GPS Waypoint. State the name of the NAVAID or GPS Waypoint followed by the separate digits of the radial/azimuth/bearing (omitting the word “degrees”) and the word “radial/azimuth/bearing.”
EXAMPLE
“Appleton Zero Five Zero Radial.”
Arcs about VOR‐DME/VORTAC/TACAN NAVAIDs. State the distance in miles from the NAVAID followed by the words “mile arc,” the direction from the NAVAID in terms of the eight principal points of the compass, the word “of,” and the name of the NAVAID.
EXAMPLE
“Two Zero mile arc southwest of Kirksville VOR”
Quadrant within a radius of NAVAID. State direction from NAVAID in terms of the quadrant; i.e., NE, SE, SW, NW, followed by the distance in miles from the NAVAID.
EXAMPLE
“Cleared to fly northeast quadrant of Phillipsburg VORTAC within Four Zero mile radius.”
REFERENCE
FAA Order JO 7110.65, Para 4-4-1, Route Use. P/CG Term - Quadrant.
Nondirectional beacons. State the course to or the bearing from the radio beacon, omitting the word “degree,” followed by the words “course to” or “bearing from,” the name of the radio beacon, and the words “radio beacon.”
EXAMPLE
“Three Four Zero bearing from Randolph Radio Beacon.”
MLS. State the azimuth to or azimuth from the MLS, omitting the word “degree” followed by the words “azimuth to” or “azimuth from,” the name of the MLS, and the term MLS.
EXAMPLE
“Two Six Zero azimuth to Linburgh Runway Two Seven MLS.”
Navigation Reference System (NRS) Waypoint. State the single letter corresponding to the ICAO Flight Information Region (FIR) identifier, followed by the letter corresponding to the FIR subset (ARTCC area for the conterminous U.S.), the latitude increment in single digit or group form, and the longitude increment.
EXAMPLE
“Kilo Delta Three Four Uniform.” “Kilo Delta Thirty Four Uniform.”
2-5-3 NAVAID FIXES
Describe fixes determined by reference to a radial/localizer/azimuth and distance from a VOR‐DME/VORTAC/TACAN/ILS‐DME as follows:
When a fix is not named, state the name of the NAVAID followed by a specified radial/localizer/azimuth, and state the distance in miles followed by the phrase “mile fix.”
EXAMPLE
“Appleton Zero Five Zero radial Three Seven mile fix.” “Reno localizer back course Four mile fix.”
When a fix is charted on a SID, STAR, en route chart, or approach plate, state the name of the fix.
Use specific terms to describe a fix. Do not use expressions such as “passing Victor Twelve” or “passing J Eleven.”