Lateral Navigation
What is lateral navigation?
Lateral Navigation (LNAV) is a type of GPS-based approach that provides side-to-side (azimuth) course guidance to keep you aligned with the runway centerline, but offers no vertical guidance to control your descent path. Because there's no glidepath, you fly to a Minimum Descent Altitude (MDA) and level off rather than following a continuous descent. Think of it as a non-precision approach: it steers you left and right, but you manage altitude yourself.
Also known as: LNAV, lateral navigation
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