Experiments were carried out for studying the resolution of 4 in (10 cm) X 4 in (10 cm) X 16 in (40 cm), NaI(Tl) detectors used in high sensitivity airborne gamma ray spectrometric surveys. Change of resolution with source-detector geometry emphasized the inadequacy of the existing specifications for resolution, in explaining the detector response. A new additional specification for resolution measurement namely ''overall resolution'' is proposed. Measurement and applications of overall resolution of the detector are discussed.