vector
VEK-ter
/ˈvektər/
A navigational directional heading issued by air traffic control to a pilot, or a quantity having both magnitude and direction.
In aviation ATC parlance, 'to vector' means giving specific compass headings to guide an aircraft through airspace.
The story behind the word. From Latin 'vector' (one who carries or conveys), from 'vehere' (to carry). Nineteenth-century mathematics adopted it for directed quantities, which air traffic controllers later adapted as radar heading instructions carrying planes along safe tracks.
Word relationships
- directional instruction: Directional instruction is a descriptive general phrase, while vector is the exact mathematical and aviation term.
Commonly confused with
- heading: Heading is the compass orientation of the plane; a vector is the controller's instruction assigning a specific heading.
Word family
- vectored (verb (past)): Guided along a given heading.
Collocations
- radar vector
- vector for traffic
- vector to final
- provide vectors
Example sentences
- "Radar controllers gave the airliner a radar vector to turn left around the thunderstorm line." Air traffic routing
- "The controller provided continuous vectors until the plane broke through cloud cover." Historical aviation account
Memory hook
A VECTOR CONVEYS your direction across space. ATC heading direction.
When not to use
Do not confuse with simple distance or position; a vector requires both direction and speed/distance context.
Fun facts
- Vectoring allows air traffic controllers to weave dozens of incoming flights into a single, perfectly spaced line for landing.
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