Aviation Dictionary: R
Send us your wordClick here
| RA | Rain |
| RA | Resolution advisory |
| Radar | A radio detection device that provides information on range,azimuth and elevation of objects |
| Radio | A transmitting and receiving device that allows pilots to communicate with other pilots, ATC or any other ground based person who has a device of their own. The correct frequency needs to be selected on both radios in order for communication between both parties involved. |
| RAF | Relative airflow |
| RAIM | Receiver autonomous integrity monitoring |
| Ramp Weight | This is MTOW plus additional taxi fuel which allows you to taxi from your parked position to your take-off position, so that by the time you take-off, you have the maximum fuel available for your flight if MTOW fuel is required. |
| Rate 1 Turn | A standard turn of 3 degrees/sec. A full 360 degree turn will take 2 minutes. |
| Recreational Aviation Australia (Limited) | A self administering Australian organisation on behalf of CASA that is responsible for FTS Flight training schools operating in the Recreational Flight Training Sector, and flying standards for its members. |
| Recreational Pilot Certificate (RPC) | Allows you to fly a Recreational Light Sport Aircraft up to 600kg. |
| Recreational Pilot Licence (RPL) | You are not allowed to be paid for flying but you can take a passenger if you have a Passenger Endorsement and this allows you to fly single engine aircraft up to 1500kg |
| REIL | Runway end identification lights. Very high intensity light projectors located on either side of the runway centreline. |
| Relative AirFlow | It is the airflow that is created from a moving object, flowing in the opposite direction the that objects direction of travel |
| Retractable undercarriage | Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft and may be used for either takeoff or landing. Some aircraft have retractable undercarriages, which fold away during flight to reduce drag. |
| Restricted Area | An airspace area that you may not enter unless prior approval has been gained by the designated administering authority. |
| RFM | Rotorcraft flight manual |
| Rich | This is referred to as a higher fuel content in the fuel to air mixture in a piston aircraft. |
| Right Hand Circuit | All turns conducted in the circuit are right hand |
| Right of Way | The law which says who needs to give way in the event of a potential collision. When two aircraft are heading directly towards each other, both aircraft will make a right hand turn to avoid the oncoming traffic. Powered aircraft will give way to non-powered aircraft. |
| RMI | Remote magnetic indicator |
| RNAV | Route navigation. A method of navigation which permits aircraft to follow any desired path within the coverage of navigation aids or self-contained aids. |
| RNP | Required navigation performance |
| ROC | Rate of climb |
| ROD | Rate of descent |
| Roll | A movement around the longitudinal axis that is controlled by the ailerons |
| Rolling | This is either the movement around the longitudinal axis or can be referred to as the beginning of the take-off where the aircraft starts moving. |
| Rotary aircraft | Not a fixed wing aircraft but one that uses rotor blades, i.e. a helicopter. |
| RPL | Recreational Pilot Licence |
| RPM | Revolutions per minute |
| RRPM | Rotor rpm |
| RT | Radio transmission |
| Rudder | The vertical control surface on the tail plane and controls the yaw of the aircraft around the normal axis. |
| Runway | The surface that aircraft use to take-off or land. Different materials are used for runway surfaces, the most common being bitumen or grass. Runways are graded based on their strength and ability to hold the weight of aircraft without breaking or sinking. This grade is shown on the aerodrome charts which also gives the size of the runway and the runway designator, along with other important information. |
| RVR | Runway visual range. Equipment installed at an aerodrome which gives the visibility values based on the equipment. The equipment consists of 3 transmissometers located adjacent to the TDZ (touchdown zone), MID (mid-point) and END (stop-end) |
| RVSM | Reduced vertical separation minima |
| Region of reverse command | The 'region of reverse command', often called the back side of the power curve, is a part of flight where the usual relationship between power and airspeed reverses. In normal flight, adding power makes the aircraft accelerate and reducing power slows it down. However, at very low airspeeds and high angles of attack, this relationship flips: adding power may not increase speed, and reducing power can lead to a sharp loss of performance. This reversal happens because of how drag changes with airspeed. As an aircraft slows down, it must increase its angle of attack to maintain lift. A higher angle of attack greatly increases induced drag, which is the drag caused by producing lift. Induced drag rises rapidly as airspeed decreases, while parasite drag (from the airframe and fittings) falls with speed. At very low speeds, the rise in induced drag dominates, creating a ‘back side’ of the drag curve where more power is needed just to maintain level flight. |
7 Day
FREE
Trial
Get access to the complete catalogue of your chosen subscription level for 7 days. After your free trial, your paid subscription automatically commences. Cancel anytime.
Get FREE TrialOur
Partners
