AIM Text
- Various types of air navigation aids are in use today, each serving a special purpose. These aids have varied owners and operators, namely: the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the military services, private organizations, individual states and foreign governments. The FAA has the statutory authority to establish, operate, maintain air navigation facilities and to prescribe standards for the operation of any of these aids which are used for instrument flight in federally controlled airspace. These aids are tabulated in the Chart Supplement.
- Pilots should be aware of the possibility of momentary erroneous indications on cockpit displays when the primary signal generator for a ground-based navigational transmitter (for example, a glideslope, VOR, or nondirectional beacon) is inoperative. Pilots should disregard any navigation indication, regardless of its apparent validity, if the particular transmitter was identified by NOTAM or otherwise as unusable or inoperative.
Source: FAA Aeronautical Information Manual · current edition · paragraph 1-1-1.
The short answer
This AIM section is FAA advisory guidance giving a general overview of air navigation aids, noting their varied owners and operators and the FAA's statutory authority to establish, operate, and maintain navigation facilities and set standards for those used in instrument flight in federally controlled airspace. It cautions pilots to disregard any navigation indication from a transmitter identified as unusable or inoperative.
Research Notes
Common Questions
Who owns and operates U.S. air navigation aids?
The AIM states that navigation aids have varied owners and operators: the FAA, the military services, private organizations, individual states, and foreign governments. These aids are tabulated in the Chart Supplement.
What authority does the FAA have over navigation aids?
Per the AIM, the FAA has statutory authority to establish, operate, and maintain air navigation facilities and to prescribe standards for the operation of any aids used for instrument flight in federally controlled airspace.
Should I trust a navigation indication if the transmitter is NOTAMed inoperative?
No. The AIM advises pilots to disregard any navigation indication, regardless of its apparent validity, if the transmitter was identified by NOTAM or otherwise as unusable or inoperative. Momentary erroneous indications can appear when the primary signal generator (glideslope, VOR, or NDB) is inoperative.