Worldwide Aviation 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 +-+ Auxilary 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 comms equipment to the airline industry
ASI +-+ Air speed indicator
ATC +-+ Air Traffic Control
AUW +-+ All UP Weight , which is the total aircraft weght 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 a 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 RadioNavigation 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, referrng 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 +-+ Minimul 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 +-+ Sateliite or South Atlantic
SELCAL +-+ Selective calling used on company networks, not the airbands
Shear +-+ A wind condition whereby the wind continualy changes, often rapidly
SID +-+ Standard Instrument Departure, used at most international airports
SIGMET +-+ Plain language weather phenomena
SoulsOnBoard +-+ 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 omnidirectional 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 co-ordinated universal time (UTC/GMT)