Glossary of Aviation Terms
If you’re not quite sure what an aviation or general flying term or phrase means, check out the following descriptions of common terms and phrases below.
A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
A -
- ANO - Air Navigation Order
- UK Air Law as passed by parliament.
- ASI - Airspeed Indicator
- ATA - Actual Time of Arrival
- ATC - Air Traffic Control
- Air Traffic Control direct and give permissions to aircraft within Controlled Airspace.
- ATPL - Air Transport Pilots Licence
- The highest flying licence, required by Captains of commercial airline aircraft.
- Avgas - Aviation Gasoline
B -
C -
- CAA - Civil Aviation Authority
- The CAA was set up in the 1970s to regulate and administer flying in the UK. Prior to this, licences were issued by the Board of Trade.
- CAS - Controlled Airspace
- Controlled Airspace is airspace around certain areas of the country that require specific permission from Air Traffic Control to fly within. E.g. around Heathrow airport or certain areas of military significance.
- CAT - Clear Air Turbulence.
- CPL - Commercial Pilot's Licence
D -
- DA - Decision Altitude
- DH - Decision Height
- DI - Direction Indicator
- DME - Distance Measuring Equipment,
- Radio navigation equipment that determines an aircraft's distance from a given ground station.
- DR - Dead Reckoning
E -
- EAS - Equivalent Airspeed
- EGT - Exhaust Gas Temperature
- ELT - Emergency Locator Transmitter
- ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival
- ETD - Estimated Time of Departure
- ETE - Estimated Time Enroute
F -
- FAA - Federal Aviation Authority
- The American equivalent of the CAA.
- FAP - Final Approach Point
- FI - Flight Instructor
- FL - Flight Level
G -
- GA - General Aviation
- General flying, i.e. not military or commercial.
- GPS - Global Positioning System
- An electronic device that can pinpoint your position within meters, taking its information from a range of satellites.
H -
I -
- IAS - Indicated Airspeed
- IFR - Instrument Flight Rules
- ILS - Instrument Landing System
- A radar system that allows suitably equipped aircraft to find a runway and land in low cloud (down to 200 feet).
J -
K -
M -
- MEP - Multi-Engine Piston
- MSL - Mean Sea Level
- The average height of the surface of the sea for all tides.
- MTOW - Maximum Take Off Weight
- All aircraft have a maximum authorised take off weight. Some licences or ratings (e.g.: NPPL) also restrict pilots to aircraft under a given MTOW.
N -
O -
- OAT - Outside Air Temperature
- OCA - Obstacle Clearance Atlitude
- OVC - Overcast
- Overcast, 8 octas cloud cover.
P -
- PET - Point of Equal Time
- PIC - Pilot In Command
- PNR - Point of No Return
- POB - Persons on Board
- PPL - Private Pilot's Licence
Q -
- QDM - Magnetic Bearing To Facility
- QDR - Magnetic Bearing From Facility
- QFU - Magnetic Orientation Of Runway
R -
- RL - Runway (edge) Lights
- RoC - Rate Of Climb
- RoD - Rate Of Descent
- RPM - Revolutions Per Minute
- RT - Radio Telephony
- RVR - Runway Visual Range
S -
- SB - Service Bulletin
- SCT - Scattered
- Scattered, 3 - 4 octas cloud cover.
- SEP - Single Engine Piston
- An aircraft powered by a single propeller, piston engine.
- SKC - Sky Clear
- SM - Statute Mile
- SSE - Simple Single Engine
- An SEP aircraft weighing 2 tonnes or less.
- STOL - Short Take Off and Landing
- SWP - Settling With Power
T -
- TAS - True Airspeed
- True air speed is calculated by adjusting the indicated air speed according to temperature, density, and pressure.
- TOM - Take Off Mass
U -
V -
- VCFG - Fog In Vicinity
- VFR - Visual Flight Rules
- VMC - Visual Meteorological Conditions
- Essentially clear weather.
- VSA - By Visual Reference to the ground
- VSI - Vertical Speed Indicator
- An instrument that displays the rate of climb or descent in feet per minute (fpm). This is also referred to as the Rate Of Climb Indicator.
- VSP - Vertical Speed
- VTOL - Vertical Take Off and Landing
- VV - Vertical Visibility
W -
X -
Y -
- Yaw - The sideways movement of an aircraft
- Yaw is the side to side movement of an aircraft on its vertical axis, as in skewing.
- Yoke - The control wheel of an aircraft
- The control wheel of an aircraft, analogous to a car steering wheel.
