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Old November 22nd 03, 12:10 PM
Julian Scarfe
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"Chris Hoffmann" wrote in message
...
From what I've been able to find, I gather that these aren't in use in the
US anymore, and haven't been for some time. Seems they're still used in
Canada though, and are still mentioned in the FAR's. Something to do with
L/MF navigation, but I don't know what that is.

Heck, I can't even find mention of them on Gene's site, so they MUST be

long
forgotten.

Someone please give me a history lesson here. Thanks.


ICAO standard airway nomenclature used to be Red, Green, Blue and
subsequently (I think) and White and Amber. These were abbreviated to their
first letters hence, e.g. G1, Green 1, ran from Shannon across the UK east
across Europe and beyond.

In the late 1980s (IIRC) the nomenclature was changed to the phonetic
alphabet corresponding to the identifier, so G1 became Golf 1. More
recently, as RNAV became widespread and now effectively mandatory in Europe,
waypoints have multiplied like rabbits as have the routes linking them. A
different schema of L, M etc. airways was introduced for RNAV routes, which
means that now the good old airways like G1 only remain in part.

I don't know if the US ever used color airways or when V and J airways were
introduced. I'd be surprised if Canada still calls airways by their colors,
but I'd guess they follow the ICAO conventions.

Julian Scarfe