Questions tagged [terminology]
For questions about words, phrases and definitions that are specific to aviation or used in a different way in aviation.
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What does "CATs three and four" mean?
I heard this line in Top Gun (1986) film:
Airboss: Ready Willard and Simkin off CATs three and four.
What does "CATs three and four" mean?
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What is the correct terminology for the ICON A5's wing configuration?
The ICON A5 would seem to be a "conventional" (if we stretch the limits of the term) high-wing monoplane.
But what about these things right here:
The protrusions from the hull, circled in ...
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How to "address" a flight plan to additional stations
Airspace around the Swiss village of Davos is restricted as part of the World Economic Forum every year. The amendment to the Austrian AIP instructs pilots who would still like to cross the affected ...
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Difference between Maintenance planning document(MPD) and Maintenance Manual (AMM)
Could someone explain to a layman, relatively new to Aviation maintenance, the difference between the Maintenance planning document(s) (MPD) and the Maintenance manual (AMM). Is one a subset of the ...
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What is the difference between MOCA and OCA?
Can someone explain me the difference between minimum obstacle clearance altitude and obstacle clearance altitude? I read definitions in Doc 8168 but i don't really see the difference. I would be ...
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What's the difference between itinerary and segment? [duplicate]
I know that a segment is defined as the full flight from the airport where passenger A initially boarded on the airplane to his/her last destination. A segment could be composed of multiple legs. ...
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Are the terms "FMGS" and "MCDU" just Airbus-terms, or are there technical reasons behind the terminology?
I often see commotions online regarding the terminology. Are they just Airbus vs Boeing terms, or are there technical reasons behind them? In everyday speech FMC, FMS, FMCS, FMGS, CDU, MCDU can all be ...
user14897
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What does the abbreviation "SCMOH", related to an engine overhaul, mean?
Scrolling through controller.com. I noticed this, "121.3 SCMOH". Does anyone know what this means?
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What do the 3-character aircraft type codes mean?
On some aircraft lists, including Eurocontrol's Aircraft Performance Database, aircraft have a 3 character code as their type. For example, an Airbus A320neo has a type of "L2J", a Boeing ...
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What is the name of the effect that causes a plane in a dive to go up?
What's the name of the effect that causes the aircraft to automatically pull out of a dive and buffet up due to aerodynamic lift produced at high speeds?
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In terms of aerodynamics, what is a polar?
Many aerodynamics discussions (including several on this site) talk about "polars" without ever explaining what they actually are.
As with any technical term common to a field, once the ...
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What is a "fixed wing" aircraft?
I’ve been trying out different hobbies over the last year, and plane spotting is my current one.
I’ve heard some terms being thrown around about planes like the ones at the Airport - what is a Fixed ...
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Unclear about how you can have high RPM but no power
I did see this question: Manifold pressure vs power vs rpm
But I'm still a bit unclear about the following. I've only flown cherokee pa28s, so I might not have empirical knowledge of the following.
I ...
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What is the difference between the series and parallel yaw-damper systems for the 707?
Some excerpts from the Pan Am 707 AOM indicate that the 707 can have one of two different yaw-damper systems, "series" and "parallel", with differing capabilities:
YAW DAMPER
The ...
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What is Automatic Radial Centering on a VOR indicator?
As the title says - some steam VOR indicators got an ARC indicator lamp. According to the POH of an aircraft featuring such a VOR indicator this means Automatic Radial Centering. What is that ? I ...
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What is the difference between "cruise" and "en-route"?
I have a little misunderstanding about the two concepts: Cruise and En-route.
Could you guys help me to compare the similarities and differences between these two concepts, maybe in some aspect like ...
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What is the definition of Height Above Threshold (HAT)?
I could use some help settling a disagreement about the definition of HAT.
So my company uses the word HAT to mean “height of the aircraft above TDZE…at any given distance…at any given time”
So as an ...
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What is the difference between "origin date" and "departure date"?
In different sources e.g. OAG's API:s (Application Programming Interface), there are both (scheduled) "departure date" and "origin/origination date". In general (so not ...
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What does "time at temperature" mean in the maintenance manual of the J79 engine?
I was reading the maintenance manual of the General Electric J79 and saw these two charts:
and
What does "time at temperature" mean?
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What is the metal sheet in front of the engine called on a Cessna 182 or similar?
I need to know the name of that metal sheet covering the front of the engine in small Cessnas (specifically the Cessna 182), just behind the propeller. I mean the one where the cowl plugs are put into:...
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What does the term "Thru Pax" mean?
I am trying to find the meaning for a group of words used by professionals in the airline industry and this was one of them.
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Is there a name for the fast decline + pull to climb pattern?
I'm a hobby photographer and I've noticed some patterns in the bird flights, so I tried to poke a bit into the aviation terminology for it. Phalacrocorax carbo does this movement similar to the ...
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Pilots use of the term "with" then a letter when talking to ground [duplicate]
In ground comms when taxiing a pilot may say for example:
"Kennedy ground, DELTA412 HEAVY, is in KILO-FOX, short of ALPHA with PAPA".
I get that this means they waiting a KF exit of the ramp ...
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What does the expression "Normally with hull loss" mean?
This is a question from a non-english speaking person.
I encountered the expression "Normally with hull loss" in this safety categorization:
(image source: EASA CS-25)
Why is that not only &...
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Why is turbine inlet temperature called "TET"?
I assume that at some point giggling engineering students caused their instructor to change "turbine inlet temperature" from TIT to TET, but I wonder if anyone knows the real reason and ...
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What is inflated wind speed?
According to NOAA, inflated wind speed is "the true wind speed (in knots) adjusted to improve forecasts of higher wind speeds. Wind speeds greater than the mean wind speed observed are increased, ...
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How does the FAA define "Endorsement"?
I've looked in Part 61.1 and Part 1.1 (definitions), and looked for it in Advisory Circular 61-65H, "Certification: Pilots and Flight and
Ground Instructors", and a definition of "...
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What is the origin of the following aviation slang terms?
I'm researching some aviation slang terms. I have difficulty in finding the origin of the following words and phrases. I would be grateful if you can help me. The words and the phrases and their ...
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What is an executive pilot?
I've been reading the transcripts from the July 17 and 18 1962 "Qualifications for Astronauts" hearings before the special subcommittee on the selection of astronauts that was organized to ...
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Why does NASA say $v^2$ is velocity squared rather than speed squared?
Lift and drag forces scale as the square of the relative flow speed, $v$. But speed is the magnitude of the velocity vector; that is, speed is the square root of the sum of the squared velocity ...
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In a jet engine, what is the significance of the stagnation pressure/temperature?
I'm reading a paper on jet engines that repeatedly mentions the stagnation pressure and temperature. What does this mean? Is it the point where the jet engine stalls in performance/efficiency/thrust, ...
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What is the difference between equilibrium and steady flight?
If I'm flying a regular Cessna 172 and its perfectly trimmed and flying in circles holding the same altitude, is the aircraft in equilibrium? Or steady flight?
(The definition of equilibrium flight ...
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What is a "runaway supercharger"?
During World War 2, my uncle was a navigator for a B-17G bomber based in the UK. On return from a bombing run over Frankfurt, the crew was forced to bail out over Belgium at 3000 feet altitude. My ...
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What is "ACO transition"?
In MSFS2020, I frequently hear terms like "Cleared to ACO transition" and I can set an ACO in my flight plan. What exactly is an ACO and its obviously not a unique point because they seem ...
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What are RW values in Venule increments?
In US AIP differences from ICAO:
12.3.1.7 d/e/f
U.S. controllers do not give wind speed, visibility, or RVR values in metric terms. RVR values are given in 100- or 200-foot increments while RW values ...
user14897
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What is the correct definition of "spanwise" and "chordwise" with a swept wing?
What is the correct definition of "spanwise" and "chordwise" with a swept wing? For example, in the context of "spanwise airflow" and "chordwise airflow"?
a) ...
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What is “Weather and Chaff” information provided to pilots by ATC?
This one appears in an entry under "Additional Services" in the FAA Pilot/Controller Glossary and claims that ATC provides a wide range of additional services to pilots, including "...
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What is the full-form of ATA?
I was going through FCOM of A320 and came to know that FCOM chapters are called as ATAs. So first of all what is its full- form and secondly why do we call the chapters ATAs ?
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Fly a fixed wing single propeller airplane like a helicopter?
Has anyone tried to "helicopter" an airplane? And succeeded? And posted this video on the internet where I can find it?
What I'm talking about with what I would call a "helicopter&...
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What is the difference between a service manual and a maintenance manual?
What is the difference between service manual and maintenance manual? Because sometimes I found one, sometimes I found another, the content is similar but not the same. What are the differences and ...
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What are differences between vortex, swirl, eddies and wake?
These terms seem to have the same meanings. Can anyone differentiate them?
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What does scheduled departure time exactly mean?
I am trying to understand the (sometimes subtle) differences between various terminologies concerning flight schedules. What I find difficult to understand is how exactly the scheduled departure time ...
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How are the wings of a mono- bi- or triplane referred to with regard to position?
Apologies if this is an elementary question. If I look at a diagram for parts of a plane, they don't distinguish verbally between left/right. If I try Googling for, say, "right wing" or &...
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Why are flight instructors in the US called CFIs?
I live in EASA-land (Europe), here we call our flight instructors simply that, "FIs". That they hold an instructors certificate is simply implied. Why are flight instructors in FAA-land (US) ...
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Is there a standard term for "3D groundspeed"?
Does the term "groundspeed" always refer only to the magnitude of the horizontal component of an aircraft's velocity vector with respect to the earth, or does it sometimes include the ...
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What, if any, would be the most correct term for the aerodynamic flight control surfaces of SpaceX's Starship?
SpaceX's Starship uses a unique flight control scheme during descent that I have not seen anywhere except with skydivers: it falls straight down belly-first using four aerodynamic control surfaces at ...
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What exactly do "attempt" and "cycle" mean in these starter duty limitations?
Can someone please explain me this A320 Starter Duty Limitation in simple terms?
E.g. for the CFM56 Starter:
No running engagement when N2>20%
4 cycles of max 2 mins
Pause between
start attempts . ...
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What is the origin of the "Pickle" switch for release of ordnance?
I am looking for proper proof of the theory that it is called so due to the Norden sight of the B17, which was said to assist the bomber in putting a bomb into a pickle jar, and hence it stuck.
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What classification of aerial vehicle would a manned quadcopter or octocopter be?
US here, if it makes a difference (w.r.t. FAA regulation, etc.).
There's a new upcoming class of aerial vehicles, similar to drones, however they are gigantic and they are manned -- that is, manned (...
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Degree of motion terminology for special aviation movements
I perfectly understand yaw, pitch and roll. I'm wondering what a few special terms are for other unusual movements, such as those executed by a helicopter, drone or even perhaps something like a ...
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