On RNAV route labeling, what does the letter Q indicate?

• A. Low altitude RNAV route
• B. Medium altitude RNAV route
• C. Visual RNAV route
• D. High altitude RNAV route

Answer: (D)

The main idea here is that RNAV route labels use different prefixes to show the airspace level they’re designed for. The letter indicates an upper, high-altitude route. Specifically, Q routes are the high-altitude RNAV routes in the enroute structure, typically used in the upper airspace from about 18,000 feet MSL up to the flight levels (up to roughly FL600). They rely on RNAV/GNSS navigation and are designed to provide more direct, efficient routing than conventional VOR-based airways in the upper levels of flight.

Low-altitude RNAV routes use a different prefix (commonly T), not Q, and visual or “V” information isn’t the designation used for RNAV routing. So the Q designation correctly identifies a high-altitude RNAV route.