Pilot/Controller Glossary

4/3/14

PCG P−4

more ARTCC areas and are designed to achieve

balanced traffic flows among high density terminals.

IFR clearances are issued on the basis of these routes

except when severe weather avoidance procedures or

other factors dictate otherwise. Preferred IFR Routes

are listed in the Airport/Facility Directory. If a flight

is planned to or from an area having such routes but

the departure or arrival point is not listed in the

Airport/Facility Directory, pilots may use that part of

a Preferred IFR Route which is appropriate for the

departure or arrival point that is listed. Preferred IFR

Routes are correlated with DPs and STARs and may

be defined by airways, jet routes, direct routes

between NAVAIDs, Waypoints, NAVAID radials/

DME, or any combinations thereof.

(See CENTER’S AREA.)

(See INSTRUMENT DEPARTURE

PROCEDURE.)

(See PREFERENTIAL ROUTES.)

(See STANDARD TERMINAL ARRIVAL.)

(Refer to AIRPORT/FACILITY DIRECTORY.)
(Refer to NOTICES TO AIRMEN PUBLICATION.)

PRE-FLIGHT PILOT BRIEFING−

(See PILOT BRIEFING.)

PREVAILING VISIBILITY−

(See VISIBILITY.)

PRIMARY RADAR TARGET− An analog or digital

target, exclusive of a secondary radar target,

presented on a radar display.

PRM−

(See ILS PRM APPROACH and PRECISION

RUNWAY MONITOR.)

PROCEDURE TURN− The maneuver prescribed

when it is necessary to reverse direction to establish

an aircraft on the intermediate approach segment or

final approach course. The outbound course,

direction of turn, distance within which the turn must

be completed, and minimum altitude are specified in

the procedure. However, unless otherwise restricted,

the point at which the turn may be commenced and

the type and rate of turn are left to the discretion of the

pilot.

(See ICAO term PROCEDURE TURN.)

PROCEDURE TURN [ICAO]− A maneuver in

which a turn is made away from a designated track

followed by a turn in the opposite direction to permit

the aircraft to intercept and proceed along the

reciprocal of the designated track.

Note 1: Procedure turns are designated “left” or

“right” according to the direction of the initial turn.

Note 2: Procedure turns may be designated as

being made either in level flight or while
descending, according to the circumstances of
each individual approach procedure.

PROCEDURE TURN INBOUND− That point of a

procedure turn maneuver where course reversal has

been completed and an aircraft is established inbound

on the intermediate approach segment or final

approach course. A report of “procedure turn

inbound” is normally used by ATC as a position

report for separation purposes.

(See FINAL APPROACH COURSE.)
(See PROCEDURE TURN.)
(See SEGMENTS OF AN INSTRUMENT

APPROACH PROCEDURE.)

PROFILE DESCENT− An uninterrupted descent

(except where level flight is required for speed

adjustment; e.g., 250 knots at 10,000 feet MSL) from

cruising altitude/level to interception of a glideslope

or to a minimum altitude specified for the initial or

intermediate approach segment of a nonprecision

instrument approach. The profile descent normally

terminates at the approach gate or where the

glideslope or other appropriate minimum altitude is

intercepted.
PROGRESS REPORT−

(See POSITION REPORT.)

PROGRESSIVE TAXI− Precise taxi instructions

given to a pilot unfamiliar with the airport or issued

in stages as the aircraft proceeds along the taxi route.
PROHIBITED AREA−

(See SPECIAL USE AIRSPACE.)
(See ICAO term PROHIBITED AREA.)

PROHIBITED AREA [ICAO]− An airspace of

defined dimensions, above the land areas or territorial

waters of a State, within which the flight of aircraft

is prohibited.
PROMINENT OBSTACLE– An obstacle that meets

one or more of the following conditions:

a.

An obstacle which stands out beyond the

adjacent surface of surrounding terrain and immedi-

ately projects a noticeable hazard to aircraft in flight.

b.

An obstacle, not characterized as low and close

in, whose height is no less than 300 feet above the