In aviation, a mile refers to a nautical mile, equivalent to 1.852 kilometers or about 1.15 statute miles. It is the foundational unit for navigation, air traffic separation, and calculating airspeed in knots. Because it corresponds to one minute of latitude, it allows pilots and navigators to easily correlate chart distances with geographic coordinates.
Turn left heading two three zero, intercept the localizer at fifteen miles.
If an air traffic controller gives a distance, it is always in nautical miles. Statute miles are only used for visibility measurements on the ground.
Also heard as
- nautical mile
- NM
Do not mix it up with
- Airspeed: Airspeed is measured in knots (nautical miles per hour), not statute miles per hour.
Related terms
Airspeed
The velocity of an aircraft relative to the air mass it is flying through.
Approach
The final phase of a flight where an aircraft aligns with the runway for landing.
DME
Distance measuring equipment is a radio navigation technology that calculates the slant range between an aircraft and a ground station.