VOR checkpoint sign

What a VOR checkpoint sign is

A VOR aerodrome checkpoint sign marks a designated spot on the airport surface where a pilot can check the aircraft's VOR receiver against a known, published value before flight. The checkpoint itself is a painted circle on the pavement; the sign beside it tells the pilot what the receiver should read when the aircraft is parked on the checkpoint. Standing there, the crew tune the VOR and confirm the indicated bearing matches the published figure, within tolerance — a quick pre-flight confidence check on the navigation equipment.

The sign is an information sign — a black inscription on a yellow background — and, following ICAO Figure 5-33 (EASA Figure N-7), it carries:

• VOR — the abbreviation identifying this as a VOR checkpoint;
• the VOR radio frequency (e.g. 116.3);
• the VOR bearing to the nearest degree (e.g. 147°), the radial the checkpoint sits on; and
• the DME distance in nautical miles (e.g. 4.3 NM) to a collocated DME, where one exists.

It is the one aerodrome sign that regularly appears in a two-line layout, since the four values do not fit comfortably on a single line.

ICAO, EASA and FAA

The VOR aerodrome checkpoint sign is standardised across all three major frameworks, and they agree on its appearance — a black inscription on a yellow background:

• ICAO Annex 14 Volume I, §5.4.4, defines the VOR aerodrome checkpoint sign. §5.4.4.3 fixes the colours ("an inscription in black on a yellow background"), and §5.4.4.4 recommends the inscriptions follow one of the Figure 5-33 alternatives (VOR abbreviation, frequency, bearing, and optional DME distance).
• EASA CS ADR-DSN.N.790 mirrors ICAO: N.790(b)(1) gives the black-on-yellow colours and N.790(b)(2) the Figure N-7 inscription alternatives.
• The FAA describes the sign in advisory circular AC 150/5340-18H (Standards for Airport Sign Systems), §1.12.2, which adds dimensional detail: an overall mounting height between 24 in (61 cm) and 30 in (76.2 cm), with the station identification and course numerals at least 7 in (17.8 cm) high and the other letters and numerals at least 3 in (7.6 cm) high, so the key values stand out on a low, close-read sign.

How it reads

• An information sign: black inscription on a yellow background.
• The VOR abbreviation, the frequency, the bearing (radial) and, where a DME is collocated, the DME distance — following ICAO Figure 5-33 / EASA Figure N-7, often on two lines.
• Under the FAA, station identification and course numerals ≥ 7 in (17.8 cm); other characters ≥ 3 in (7.6 cm); overall mounting height 24–30 in (61–76.2 cm).

Draw it in Wingframe

Wingframe draws the VOR aerodrome checkpoint sign to ICAO, EASA and FAA geometry — the black-on-yellow face, the Figure 5-33 / N-7 inscription alternatives and the FAA character heights — so the sign you design matches the standard it will be built and inspected against. See what Wingframe can do.