Terminology
AACC | Area Approach Control Centre | |
ACARS | Aeronautical Communications Addressing and Reporting System which is a digital datalink between aircraft and ground stations | |
Affirmative | Yes | |
AFTN | Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network the telex link between international ground stations | |
AGL | Above Ground Level (measured in feet) | |
AIREP | A spoken position report with weather information | |
Airspeed | Aircraft wind prior to it being affected by winds aloft. If there is a headwind of 20 knots, and the plane is flying at an airspeed of 300 knots, the groundspeed will be 280 knots. (Pilots actively chase tail winds to push the aircraft faster) | |
Airway | Designated flight route that an aircraft is required to follow. (This will be replaced with Air Navigation Systems across the globe) | |
Alternate | An airport nominated by a pilot if his aircraft can't land at its original landing site. | |
AM | Amplitude modulation, and is the transmission mode employed by civil and military aircraft on the aviation bands | |
APU | Auxiliary power unit, used to power lights, air con etc and to help start the jet turbines on Boeings etc | |
ARINC | Aeronautical Radio Incorporated, suppliers of communications equipment to the airline industry | |
ASI | Air speed indicator | |
ATC | Air Traffic Control | |
AUW | All UP Weight , which is the total aircraft weight at any stage during flight | |
Block | An allocated area of air space, such as block Flight Level 350. Which means the aircraft can operate at 35, 000 feet. | |
Bogey | Military slang for target aircraft | |
Bunt | Pilot slang for throwing the plane into a steep dive to avoid collision or other hazard | |
Carrier | Commercial passenger airline | |
CAT | Clear Air Turbulence | |
CAVOK | Ceiling and Visibility unlimited (The sky is clear and OK) | |
CB | Cumulonimbus clouds (thunderstorm clouds!) | |
Charlie | Copied/received transmission OK | |
CTA | Area being controlled by Air Traffic Control | |
CW | Morse code, used mostly for identification purposes on navigation aids. | |
Diagonal | Represents a "/ " in transmission of information | |
ELT | Emergency Repeater beacon | |
Endurance | The time an aircraft burn fuel to remain aloft | |
ETA | Estimated Time of Arrival | |
ETD | Estimated Time Of Departure | |
FIR | Flight Information Region | |
FIS | Flight Information Services | |
FRM | Fault Reporting Manual, book which pilot keeps logging planes faults that will need attention upon landing | |
GCA | Ground Controlled Approach (Used in military, where ATC talks plane down) | |
Go Round | An aborted landing | |
GPS | Global Positioning System | |
GPU | Ground Power Unit, provides aux power when plane on ground or due to faults in APU | |
Groundspeed | Is the aircraft speed over a ground reference point. It is Airspeed + tailwind or Airspeed - headwind | |
Heavy | An aircraft with an AUW above 300,000 pounds. | |
HF | High frequency radio, shortwave | |
IAS | Indicated air speed | |
IATA | International Air Transport Association | |
ICAO | International Civil Aviation Organisation | |
IFR | Instrument Flight Rules | |
ILS | Instrument landing system | |
IMC | Instrument Meteorological Conditions and means the weather is so bad you can only fly off instruments, as visibility is nil. | |
InMarSat | International Marine Satellite | |
INS | Internal navigation system. | |
Inter | Intermittently, or every so often | |
IRS | Inertial Radio Navigation system, which uses ground based aids to check the accuracy of navigational plotting | |
KHz | Means kilohertz | |
Knot | 1 Nautical mile per hour which is 1.151 statute mph | |
Latitude | is meridian and expressed as degrees East & West | |
LDOC | Long distance operational control | |
Longitude | meridians North & South, expressed as degrees | |
Localiser | Electronic aid that aligns aircraft with runway | |
LSALT | Lowest Safest Altitude | |
Mach | Is the speed of sound (at ground level approx 670 mph/ 1,072km/h) | |
Medivac | Medical Evacuation flight | |
MET | Meteorology the weather | |
Miss Approach | An aborted landing | |
MLS | Microwave landing system | |
MTOW | Maximum take-off weight | |
MWARA | Major World Air Route Area, referring to HF radio ground stations | |
NAT | North Atlantic | |
NAVAID | Navigational aid, radio type | |
NDB | Low frequency non-directional beacon | |
Negative | Simply means no | |
No Joy | No Communications Established | |
NOSAR | No search and rescue required | |
NOSIG | No significant weather to report | |
NOTAM | Notice to airmen, a significant message for pilots to take notice of | |
OCA | Oceanic Control Area | |
OCTA | Outside controlled airspace, low in the sky, where Cessna and other light planes are found visually. | |
OKTAS | Cloud layers expressed in eights of the sky. 4 OKTAS means 4/8 of the sky is cloud covered | |
OMEGA | A GSN radio navigation system on HF | |
On Top | Aircraft on top of cloud layers | |
OPS | Operations | |
Overshoot | An aborted landing, either practice or emergency related | |
PAR | Precision approach Radar, equipment used to guide military aircraft into designated airport | |
PAX | Passengers | |
POB | Persons on board (not including crew) | |
QNH | Altimeter sub-scale, giving elevation if the aircraft was on the ground at that precise point. | |
RAAF | Royal Australian Air Force | |
Reserves | Minimal fuel requirements required on arrival | |
RNC | Radio Navigation Chart | |
Roger | Yes | |
RomeoDeltaAlpha | Re-dispatch acceptable to flight crew | |
RomeoDeltaUniform | Re-dispatch message unacceptable to flight crew | |
RPT | Regular public transport aircraft | |
SAR | Search & Rescue | |
SARTIME | Time before search action commences for missing aircraft | |
SAT | Satellite or South Atlantic | |
SELCAL | Selective calling used on company networks, not the airbands | |
Shear | A wind condition whereby the wind continually changes, often rapidly | |
SID | Standard Instrument Departure, used at most international airports | |
SIGMET | Plain language weather phenomena | |
Souls Onboard | Means ALL people aboard the aircraft | |
Squawk Code | A code assigned to each aircraft, which allows it to dial up and onto the radar system, where it can be identified and watched by ATC | |
STAR | Standard Terminal Arrival Route | |
STUD | Military airfield frequency family number. STUD 4 might be the tower | |
TACAN | Military tactical air navigation | |
TOPS | Cloud tops | |
TOW | Take Off Weight | |
UM | Unaccompanied minor, a kid going it alone | |
Undershoot | Short of the runway threshold | |
Uniform | Military way of referring to UHF band | |
Upper | Upper Side Band | |
U/S | Unserviceable/broken | |
USB | Upper Side Band | |
VASIS | Visual Approach Slope Indicator System | |
VECTOR | Directional steering dictated to pilots by ATC | |
VFR | Visual Flight Rules | |
VICTOR | Military way of referring to VHF band | |
VOLMET | Flying weather | |
VOR | Airports VHF omni directional radio range | |
Waypoint | airway reporting point, which is an imaginary place over the ocean | |
Wheels Up | An emergency landing where the aircrafts wheels can't be extended | |
WILCO | I Will Comply | |
ZFW | Zero fuel weight, an aircrafts dry operating weight | |
Zulu | Is coordinated universal time (UTC/GMT) |
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