On this page you will find a searchable and comprehensive alphabetical list of aviation terms. You can help us make it the most comprehensive list in the world. If we have missed anything, click on the ‘send us your word’ button to send us your word, acronym or definition and we will consider adding it to our dictionary.
Any time the aircraft is moving under its own power on the ground. Directional control is achieved by using the rudder pedals while the control column is used to prevent the wind from raising a wing in strong winds.
The measure of how hot or cold something is. Temperature can greatly affect the performance of aircraft. The standard sea level temperature is 15 degrees Celsius.
A building within the airport where passengers go to depart a flight, or arrive from a flight which can be made up of several gates where the aircraft can park
A force that opposes drag and is created with engine power. If thrust is more than drag, the airspeed will increase and if it is less than drag then the airspeed will decrease.
A storm which is extremely hazardous for aircraft. Severe turbulence is associated with the massive Cumulonimbus cloud, both inside the cloud and below it. Severe icing can be experienced within the cloud as well as hail, which can damage an aircraft.
A force that attempts to rotate the aircraft, rather than the propeller. This force is noticed on take-off in a single, piston engine aircraft when throttle is increased. You will notice that the aircraft begins yawing and the correct rudder input needs to be applied to maintain centreline
Normally only done while training in the circuit, this is the process of conducting a normal landing, followed by a normal take-off, without stopping in between.
A transponder is a piece of radio equipment in the aircraft that picks up and automatically responds to an incoming signal. Also the pilot can use to input various codes which ATC can view and track. The code that the pilot inputs is either a generic code , given directly from ATC or is the standard emergency codes if required
Most often referred to when ‘trimming’ the aircraft using a trim wheel inside the aircraft. In smaller aircraft, a movable trim tab is located on the elevator and can be manually adjusted in flight to balance out small pitching forces. There can also be a fixed trim tab, normally on the rudder which can only be adjusted on the ground. In larger aircraft, the rudder will also have a movable trim tab.
The geographic North Pole which is determined by an imaginary line drawn through the Earth to find the Northernmost point. It is not in the same position as Magnetic North.
This is the ‘bumpiness’ that is experienced during a flight. This can be caused by a number of different sources and can range from light to severe. Different forms of turbulence are; Mechanical turbulence, Wind-shear turbulence, Convective turbulence and Wake turbulence.
Are controlled by a co-ordinated use of the ailerons and the rudder. As a turn begins, the weight vector is no longer directly opposite to the weight vector and we begin to lose altitude, so some backpressure (slight pitch up) needs to be applied to maintain altitude.
A gyroscopic instrument which measures the rate at which the aircraft turns as well as the direction that it is turning and gives an indication whether the turn is a balanced turn.
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