black box

black boxes (plural)
blackbox (alternative)

black box
black box#History
flight recorder#Terminology
gray-box testing
white box (software engineering)

* Since circa 1945 in both main senses (that is, event recorders and objects with unknown innards), which are historically related to each other; for details, see black box § History and flight recorder § Terminology.
* (type of theater): Such theaters are often painted black.

scrutinizing all utterances recorded by the black box

cockpit voice recorder
cockpit voice recorder

flight data recorder
flight data recorder

(informal, aviation) A flight recorder; the brightly colored cockpit voice recorders and flight data recorders in an aircraft designed to aid in determining the cause of an accident.


cyclic

From Ancient Greek κυκλικός (kuklikós). Possibly from cycle + -ic.

(aviation) The flight control used to control a helicopter's direction and rate of horizontal movement by tilting the lift vector of the helicopter's main rotor disk.


unable

From Middle English unable, unabel, unhable, unhabil, equivalent to un- + able.

"November three seven kilo, climb and maintain twelve thousand." "Unable, we have pressurization problems. Maintaining nine thousand."

(aviation) Indicating that a requested course of action is not possible to carry out.


tanker

Without the KC-46 tankers orbiting in friendly airspace, our fighters would've run out of fuel long before reaching the combat zone.

On Friday night, eight US Air Force KC-135 Stratotankers took off from Altus, Oklahoma, according to data from FlightRadar24. Over Kansas the tankers refueled two groups of planes, identified on air traffic control audio by their callsigns MYTEE11 FLT and MYTEE21 FLT. The callsign MYTEE has previously been associated with special activity flights by B-2 bombers, and multiple flight trackers on social media said the planes being refueled were B-2 bombers out of Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri.

2025 June 21, Thomas Bordeaux, Natasha Bertrand and Zachary Cohen, “US moves B-2 bombers as Trump weighs Iran options”, in CNN:

(aviation, usually military) An aircraft carrying a large supply of jet fuel or avgas for aerial refueling of other aircraft, plus equipment allowing the in-air transfer of fuel.

While our ground teams cut firebreaks in the brush, the tankers kept the fire in the mountains at bay with frequent drops of water and retardant.

(aviation, firefighting) An aircraft built or modified to carry water and/or fire retardant for dropping on wildfires.


tanker

en-verb

tanker (third-person singular simple present tankers, present participle tankering, simple past and past participle tankered)

tankers (present singular third-person)
tankering (participle present)
tankered (participle past)
tankered (past)

(aviation) To carry more fuel than necessary for a flight, in order to avoid having to refuel at a destination where fuel is more expensive or in short supply.


tarmac

en-noun

tarmac (countable and uncountable, plural tarmacs)

Clipping of tarmacadam, which is from tar + macadam (“crushed stones”). Originally a trademark owned by its inventor, Edgar Hooley.

(informal, aviation) The area of an airport, other than the runway, where planes park or maneuver.

писта

area of an airport, where planes park or maneuver


tarmac

en-verb

tarmac (third-person singular simple present tarmacs, present participle tarmacking or tarmacing or tarmaccing, simple past and past participle tarmacked or tarmaced or tarmacced)

tarmacs (present singular third-person)
tarmacking (participle present)
tarmacing (participle present)
tarmaccing (participle present)
tarmacked (participle past)
tarmacked (past)
tarmaced (participle past)
tarmaced (past)
tarmacced (participle past)
tarmacced (past)

"It is not unusual these days for the time spent tarmacking to exceed the time spent in the air, " said Senator John Danforth, R-Mo.

1989, Donald F. Wood, James C. Johnson, Contemporary Transportation, →ISBN, page 213:

(aviation) To spend time idling on a runway, usually waiting for takeoff clearance.


fighter-bomber

(military aviation) A military aircraft designed to operate in combined roles of attacking enemy aircraft and bombing targets; usually faster and more maneuverable than a traditional bomber.


ESA

European Space Agency
w:European Space Agency

(space science) Initialism of European Space Agency.


NAT

North Atlantic Tracks
w:North Atlantic Tracks

(aviation) Abbreviation of North Atlantic Tracks.


SAS

(aviation) Initialism of stability augmentation system.


spoiler

→ Catalan: espòiler

→ Czech: spoiler

→ French: spoiler

→ Georgian: სპოილერი (sṗoileri)

→ German: Spoiler

→ Italian: spoiler

→ Polish: spoiler

→ Portuguese: spoiler

→ Russian: спо́йлер (spójler)

→ Spanish: spoiler

→ Turkish: spoiler

→ Ukrainian: спо́йлер (spójler)

спо́йлер

automobiles: device to reduce lift and increase downforce

(aeronautics) A device to reduce lift and increase drag.


CAVOK

minimum sector altitude
minimum sector altitude

(aviation) Acronym of ceiling (or clouds) and visibility [are] OK, a weather term, specific to an airport, used when conditions at the airport include visibility of at least 6 statute miles, no clouds below 5000 feet or minimum sector altitude (whichever is higher), and no hazardous weather conditions (cumulonimbus clouds, thunderstorms, precipitation, shallow fog, or low drifting snow) near the airport.


PNR

(travel, aviation) Initialism of passenger name record: the complete details of a passenger's booking, including itinerary, contact details, and special requests; or the unique alphanumeric identifier for each booking.

passenger name record

point of no return
point of no return#English

(aviation, navigation) Initialism of point of no return.


RAF

(military, aviation) Initialism of Royal Air Force, the British RAF.


suspend

suspend (third-person singular simple present suspends, present participle suspending, simple past and past participle suspended)

suspends (present singular third-person)
suspending (participle present)
suspended (participle past)
suspended (past)

resume

antonym(s) of “to halt something temporarily, to discontinue or interrupt a function, task, position, or event”

From Old French sospendre, from Latin suspendere.

(travel, aviation) To remove the value of an unused coupon from an air ticket, typically so as to allow continuation of the next sectors' travel.


reject

From Late Middle English rejecten, from Latin rēiectus, past participle of reicere (“to throw back”), from re- (“back”) + iacere (“to throw”). Displaced native Old English āweorpan (literally “to throw out”).


washout

en-noun

washout (countable and uncountable, plural washouts)

washouts (plural)
wash-out (alternative)

huuhtoutuminen

erosion of a relatively soft surface by a sudden gush of water; channel produced by this action

(aeronautics) The aerodynamic effect of a small twist in the shape of an aircraft wing.

(negatiivinen) kohtauskulman kierto

(British, air force slang) A destroyed aeroplane.

(British, originally air force slang) A trainee who drops out of a training programme.


deadstick landing

deadstick landing (plural deadstick landings)

This term does not come from a reference to an aircraft's stick (“control stick”); rather, the stick in this term is, originally, a wooden propeller that has lost its engine power (from circa World War I). The term was extended to any aircraft (even jets) by an obvious extension of the metaphor. This term also does not involve the same metaphor as stick the landing (which see for more), although in some light aircraft, in some conditions, a highly skilled pilot might potentially stick the landing even if it is a deadstick landing.

(aviation, idiomatic) A forced landing without propulsion of an aircraft that normally operates with propulsion.


IR

IR (countable and uncountable, plural IRs)

inertial reference
inertial reference#English

(aviation) Initialism of inertial reference.


tuck

en-verb

tuck (third-person singular simple present tucks, present participle tucking, simple past and past participle tucked)

tucks (present singular third-person)
tucking (participle present)
tucked (participle past)
tucked (past)

From Middle English tuken, touken (“to torment, to stretch (cloth)”), from Old English tūcian (“to torment, vex”) and Middle Dutch tucken (“to tuck”), both from Proto-Germanic *teuh-, *teug- (“to draw, pull”) (compare also *tukkōną), from Proto-Indo-European *dewk- (“to pull”). Akin to Old High German zucchen (“to snatch, tug”), zuchôn (“to jerk”), German Low German tuken (“to tug, pluck, grab and pull towards”), Old English tēon (“to draw, pull, train”). Doublet of touch.

cog

Never take a first-generation Learjet past Mach 0.82; it'll tuck hard nose-down and you won't be able to pull out from the dive.


antifreeze

en-noun

antifreeze (countable and uncountable, plural antifreezes)

antifreezes (plural)
anti-freeze (alternative)

(aviation) Deicer, a heated glycol solution used to remove ice from the aerodynamic surfaces of airplanes, and prevent icing while on the tarmac.


tailspin

The loss of the third engine threw the plane into a tailspin.

(aviation) The rapid, uncontrollable descent of an aircraft in a steep spiral.


wheelbarrow

en-verb

wheelbarrow (third-person singular simple present wheelbarrows, present participle wheelbarrowing, simple past and past participle wheelbarrowed)

wheelbarrows (present singular third-person)
wheelbarrowing (participle present)
wheelbarrowed (participle past)
wheelbarrowed (past)

/ˈʍiːl.bæɹ.əʊ/

General American, Mary–marry–merry merger

From Middle English whelbarwe; equivalent to wheel + barrow.

(transitive, aviation) To cause the weight of an aeroplane to become concentrated around the nosewheel.


probe

For verb: borrowed from Latin probare (“to test, examine, prove”), from probus (“good”). Doublet of prove.
For noun: borrowed from Late Latin proba (“a proof”), from probare (“to test, examine, prove”); Doublet of proof. Compare Spanish tienta (“a surgeon's probe”), from tentar (“try, test”); see tempt.

сонда

any of various medical instruments used to explore wounds, organs, etc

(aeronautics) A tube attached to an aircraft which can be fitted into the drogue from a tanker aircraft to allow for aerial refuelling.

(astronautics) A small, usually uncrewed, spacecraft used to acquire information or measurements about its surroundings.

автомати́ческая межплане́тная ста́нция


windmill

en-verb

windmill (third-person singular simple present windmills, present participle windmilling, simple past and past participle windmilled)

windmills (present singular third-person)
windmilling (participle present)
windmilled (participle past)
windmilled (past)

From Middle English wyndmylne, wyndmylle, equivalent to wind + mill. Cognate with Scots wyndmyln, wyndmyl, Saterland Frisian Wíendmäälne, West Frisian wynmûne, Dutch windmolen, Afrikaans windmeul, Dutch Low Saxon windmölle (Achterhooks), wiendmeule (Drents, Veluws), German Low German Windmöhl, German Windmühle, Danish vindmølle, Norwegian Bokmål vindmølle, Norwegian Nynorsk vindmølle, vindmylne, Swedish vindmölla, Icelandic vindmylla.
(imaginary enemy): A reference to Don Quixote tilting at windmills.

The stern dropped just as the captain began to get his control room crew to react to orders again. His head struck an instrument console. What slim hopes his crew had died with him. The Politovskiy was falling backwards, her propeller windmilling the wrong way as she slid to the bottom of the sea.

1984, Tom Clancy, “The Eighth Day: Friday, 10 December”, in The Hunt for Red October, Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press, →ISBN, page 195:

When he went to switch on his rotary engine again, the Le Rhone refused to pick up. Nothing happened! The propeller simply windmilled in the slip stream. Garros knew immediately what was wrong and cursed himself for his imbecility.

2000, Walter J. Boyne, Philip Handleman, Brassey's Air Combat Reader, page 18:

The propeller windmilled in front of them. Creede tried to start the engine. It growled like something angry, died away. "We're ... gonna have to ... ride this thing ... to the ground."

[…] the propeller blade on number-four engine windmilled in the air stream. "I wasn't too concerned about it, really," recalls Butchart. "B-29 engines are not all that dependable."

2006, James R. Hansen, First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, page 134:

(intransitive, of a rotating part of a machine) To (become disengaged and) rotate freely.

(intransitive, aviation, nautical, of a propeller or turbine rotor) To be rotated by the force of the fluid passing through (the propeller or turbine rotor).


endorsement

en-noun

endorsement (countable and uncountable, plural endorsements)

endorsements (plural)
endorsation (alternative)
indorsation (alternative Scotland)
indorsement (alternative)

Once she obtained the endorsement of her night flying hours, Joanna was approved to take the pilot's examination.

(aviation) An instructor's signed acknowledgement of time practising specific flying skills.

Nachweis

an instructor's signed acknowledgement of time practising specific flying skills


working mass

working mass (countable and uncountable, plural working masses)

(aerospace) The total mass of the burnt fuel etc. ejected from a rocket to provide thrust.


erect

en-verb

erect (third-person singular simple present erects, present participle erecting, simple past and past participle erected)

erects (present singular third-person)
erecting (participle present)
erected (participle past)
erected (past)

From Middle English erecten, from the adjective (see above).

pystyttää

to raise and place in an upright or perpendicular position

As soon as electrical power was restored, the attitude indicators' gyros would have begun to erect.

To raise and place in an upright or perpendicular position; to set upright; to raise.

(intransitive, aviation, of a gyroscopic attitude indicator) To spin up and align to vertical.


artificial horizon

en-noun

artificial horizon (plural artificial horizons)

(aviation) An instrument that displays the pitch and roll of an aircraft in flight by comparing its attitude to a gyroscopically-maintained indication of the flat horizon line.


vertiport

/ˈvɜː.tɪˌpɔːt/

(aviation) An airport for VTOL aircraft.


umbilical

Formed from Latin umbilicus (“navel”) + the suffix -al. By surface analysis, umbilic- + -al.

(astronautics) A cord connecting an astronaut to a spacecraft, or a craft to ground control prior to launch, etc.

страховочный трос

aerospace: cord connecting an astronaut to a spacecraft, etc


umbilical cord

(aerospace) The line that supplies an astronaut with oxygen and communications when outside a spacecraft.

napanuora

line connecting an astronaut to the spacecraft during spacewalk

(aerospace) Any of the various lines connecting a rocket to its launch pad before liftoff.

napanuora

any line connecting a rocket to its launch pad


umbilicus

umbilicus (plural umbilici or umbilicuses)

Borrowed from Latin umbilīcus (“navel”).

The importance of the visual analyzer is further increased when the cosmonaut is in free space with only the slight support of an umbilicus.

1966, Aerospace Technology Division, Soviet Biotechnology and Bioastronautics: Report, Library of Congress, page 10:

Penetrators will be connected by an umbilicus to an afterbody containing imaging and meteorological instruments.

1977, James W. Head, United States. National Aeronautics, Space Administration, Significant achievements in the planetary geology program, 1975-1976:

How about a 270 mile tether to an orbiting satellite? Oh, you'd like that, wouldn't you? Frank! Prepare to receive the umbilicus!

1994, Michael J. Nelson (head writer), "Girls Town", episode 601, Mystery Science Theater 3000

Ninety minutes into the twenty-six hour flight, Leonov opened the outer hatch and pushed himself out to the end of his 17-foot umbilicus — becoming the first man to walk in space.

2013, Treion Muller, Matthew Murdoch, The Webinar Manifesto: Never Design, Deliver, or Sell Lousy Webinars Again!, RosettaBooks, →ISBN:

(space science) A tube connecting an astronaut or spacecraft to the mothership, through which supplies and samples can be transferred.


hand-off

hand-off (countable and uncountable, plural hand-offs)

(aviation) The transfer of the radar identification of an aircraft from one controller to another when the aircraft enters the receiving controller's airspace and radio communications with the aircraft are transferred.


bulkhead

(aerospace) A similar partition in an aircraft or spacecraft.


yo-yo

→ Italian: yo-yo

Genericized trademark. Most likely from Ilocano yóyo, or another Philippine cognate.

(aviation, military) A dogfighting maneuver involving the attacker temporarily exchanging altitude for airspeed, or vice versa, in order to rapidly catch up with the defender or to prevent an overshoot.


garage

garage (countable and uncountable, plural garages)

→ Assamese: গেৰেজ (gerez)

→ Bengali: গ্যারেজ (gêrej)

→ Hindi: गेराज (gerāj)

→ Irish: garáiste

→ Japanese: ガレージ, グラージ

→ Malay: garaj

→ Scottish Gaelic: garaids

→ Sinhalese: ගරාජ් (garāj)

→ Urdu: گیراج (gerāj)

/ˈɡæ.ɹɑː(d)ʒ/

Borrowed from French garage (“keeping under cover, protection, shelter”), derivative of French garer (“to keep under cover, dock, shunt, guard, keep”), from Middle French garer, garrer, guerrer; partly from Old French garir, warir (from Old Frankish *warjan); and partly from Old French varer (“to fight, defend oneself, protect”), from Old Norse varask (“to defend oneself”), reflexive of vara (“to ware, watch out, defend”); both ultimately from Proto-Germanic *warjaną (“to defend, ward off”), *warōną (“to watch, protect”), from Proto-Indo-European *wer- (“to close, cover, protect, save, defend”).

der

(aviation) A shed for housing an airship or aeroplane or a launchable missile; a hangar.


MCO

(travel, aviation, dated) Initialism of miscellaneous charge order.


vario

When he took his eyes off of where he was headed, his vario showed umpteen knots.


formate

en-verb

formate (third-person singular simple present formates, present participle formating, simple past and past participle formated)

formates (present singular third-person)
formating (participle present)
formated (participle past)
formated (past)

Back-formation from formation on the basis of -ate (verb-forming suffix).

Tiger Moths from the Reserve Flying Schools at Rochester and Cambridge competed with each other at formating in the gusty conditions, Rochester just winning.

1949, The Aeroplane, volume 76, page 699:

Formating with Patty Wagstaff' s modified Baron, flown by Dale Snodgrass, was fun on a beautiful morning, though all you learn about an airplane while formating is the power response (very smooth) and the response to control pressures.

2002 July, Richard L. Collins, “Piper Seneca V: a classic light twin..”, in Flying, page 68:

Actually, the leader of the formation was supposed to maintain the eagle-eyed vigil necessary to ensure that his formation kept out of harm's way, because the pilots formating on him had to keep all their attention riveted on his aircraft; but the Air Force recognized that with inexperienced pilots leading formations it was wise to splash extra lookouts around liberally.

2003, Murray Peden, A Thousand Shall Fall: The True Story of a Canadian Bomber Pilot in World War Two, page 74:

(aeronautics) To assemble flying aircraft into formation; to fly in formation.


terrain

en-noun

terrain (countable and uncountable, plural terrains)

Unadapted borrowing from French terrain, from Latin terrenum (“land, ground”), neuter of terrenus (“consisting of earth”), from terra (“earth”).

This approach requires the aircraft to stay at an altitude of at least 3000 feet MSL until crossing the VOR in order to maintain terrain clearance.

controlled flight into terrain

TOO LOW, TERRAIN

(chiefly aviation) The surface of the earth; the ground.


AFB

AFB (countable and uncountable, plural AFBs)

Almost two and a half years of repairs paid off in January, when the Frankenjet flew for the first time, from Hill AFB to Lockheed Martin’s F-35 facility in Fort Worth, Texas.

2025 April 10, Brad Lendon, “‘Frankenjet’ stealth fighter made from two wrecked warplanes joins US Air Force fleet”, in CNN:

(military, aviation) Initialism of air force base.


ANA

(aviation) Initialism of All Nippon Airways.

(Australia, aviation, historical) Initialism of Australian National Airways.


ATV

ATV (countable and uncountable, plural ATVs)

Automated Transfer Vehicle
Automated Transfer Vehicle#English

(transport, space science) Initialism of Automated Transfer Vehicle.


missed approach

missed approach (plural missed approaches)

minimum descent altitude
minimum descent altitude

(aviation) A go-around from an instrument approach performed, for whatever reason, at a time when the aircraft is at or above the applicable decision height or minimum descent altitude.


hassle

en-verb

hassle (third-person singular simple present hassles, present participle hassling, simple past and past participle hassled)

hassles (present singular third-person)
hassling (participle present)
hassled (participle past)
hassled (past)

Unknown. Probably from US Southern dialectal hassle (“to pant, breathe noisily”), possibly from haste + -le (frequentative suffix).

Likewise, “hassling”—mock dogfighting—was strictly forbidden, and so naturally young fighter jocks could hardly wait to go up in, say, a pair of F–100s and start the duel by making a pass at each other at 800 miles an hour, […]

If you were caught 'hassling,' as we called dogfighting, your career could end. The edict against dogfighting divided our squadron into three factions.

(military, aviation, slang) To engage in a mock dogfight.


rib

From Middle English rib, ribbe, from Old English ribb (“rib”), from Proto-West Germanic *ribi, from Proto-Germanic *ribją (“rib, reef”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rebʰ- (“arch, ceiling, cover”).
Cognate with Dutch rib (“rib”), Norwegian ribbe (“sparerib”), Norwegian ribben (“rib”), Low German ribbe (“rib”), German Rippe (“rib”), Old Norse rif (“rib, reef”), Serbo-Croatian rèbro (“rib”).
(wife or woman): In reference to the creation of Eve from Adam's rib in the Bible.

ребро

shaping and supporting member in an aircraft wing

(aeronautics) Any of several transverse pieces that provide an aircraft wing with shape and strength.


VD

en-noun

VD (countable and uncountable, plural VDs)

VDs (plural)
V.D. (alternative)
V. D. (alternative)

(aviation) The design diving speed of an aircraft; the highest speed which the aircraft is planned to reach during flight testing. Always higher than VNE (the speed that must not be exceeded in service).


hypersonic

en-adj

hypersonic (comparative more hypersonic, superlative most hypersonic)

more hypersonic (comparative)
most hypersonic (superlative)

From hyper- + sonic. A doublet of supersonic.

He said there was worry among intelligence and military officials that China or Russia could be experimenting with hypersonic technology.

2021 June 3, Julian E. Barnes, Helene Cooper, “U.S. Finds No Evidence of Alien Technology in Flying Objects, but Can’t Rule It Out, Either”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(of a speed, aviation) Equal to, or greater than, or capable of achieving, five times the speed of sound.

(of a speed, aeronautics) Far enough above the speed of sound as to cause significant differences in behaviour due to chemical reactions or dissociation of the air.


rotation

en-noun

rotation (countable and uncountable, plural rotations)

/ɹoʊˈteɪʃən/

Borrowed from Latin rotatiō. By surface analysis, rotate + -ion.

(aviation) The step during takeoff when the pilot commands the vehicle to lift the nose wheel off the ground during the takeoff roll. (see also: V2)


droop

Inherited from Middle English droupen, from Old Norse drúpa (“to droop”), from Proto-Germanic *drūpaną, *drupōną (“to hang down, drip, drop”), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰrewb- (“to drip, drop”). Doublet of drip and drop.

der

(aviation) A hinged portion of the leading edge of an aeroplane's wing, which swivels downward to increase lift during takeoff and landing.

bec

aviation: a hinged portion of the leading edge


backtrack

en-verb

backtrack (third-person singular simple present backtracks, present participle backtracking, simple past and past participle backtracked)

backtracks (present singular third-person)
backtracking (participle present)
backtracked (participle past)
backtracked (past)

Speedbird One: enter and backtrack Runway 27 Left.

(aviation) To taxi down an active runway in the opposite direction to that being used for takeoff.


surge

From Middle English surgen, possibly from Middle French sourgir, from Old French surgir (“to rise, ride near the shore, arrive, land”), from Old Catalan surgir, from Latin surgō, contraction of surrigō, subrigō (“lift up, raise, erect; intransitive rise, arise, get up, spring up, grow, etc.”, transitive verb), from sub (“from below; up”) + regō (“to stretch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃réǵeti (“to straighten; right”), from the root *h₃reǵ-; see regent. Doublet of source. Doublet of sourd.

der

(aviation) A momentary reversal of the airflow through the compressor section of a jet engine due to disruption of the airflow entering the engine's air intake, accompanied by loud banging noises, emission of flame, and temporary loss of thrust.

ryntäys

(aviation) a momentary reversal of the airflow


surge

en-verb

surge (third-person singular simple present surges, present participle surging, simple past and past participle surged)

surges (present singular third-person)
surging (participle present)
surged (participle past)
surged (past)

Use of maximum reverse thrust at low speeds can cause the engine to surge from ingesting its own exhaust.

(intransitive, aviation, of a jet engine) To experience a momentary reversal of airflow through the compressor section due to disruption of intake airflow.


flare

→ Italian: flare

Origin unknown, first recorded in the mid 16th century, probably related to Latin flagrō (“I burn”). Norwegian flara (“to blaze; to flaunt in gaudy attire”) has a similar meaning, but the English word predates it. Possibly related to Middle High German vlederen (“to flutter”), represented by modern German flattern.
The noun is derived from the verb.

unknown

Origin unknown

ярка светлина

source of brightly burning light or intense heat

Stulp

widening of an object with otherwise roughly constant width

разкрояване

widening of the lower legs of trousers and jeans

The captain executed the flare perfectly, and we lightly touched down.

In normal operations, the rate of descent (or sink rate) will be approximately constant as the airplane approaches the runway. The objective of the flare is to reduce the vertical speed to an acceptably low value at the time when contact is made with the ground. […] Typically, the airplane will slow down a little in the flare and the touchdown speed will be about 3 to 5 kt less than the speed at the screen height[…].

2018, Trevor M. Young, “Approach and Landing”, in Performance of the Jet Transport Airplane: Analysis Methods, Flight Operations, and Regulations, Hoboken, N.J., Chichester, West Sussex: John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, section 11.2.2 (Landing Flare), page 285:

(aviation) The transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.


flare

en-verb

flare (third-person singular simple present flares, present participle flaring, simple past and past participle flared)

flares (present singular third-person)
flaring (participle present)
flared (participle past)
flared (past)

unknown

Origin unknown

After a brief refueling stop in Fairbanks, Billy continued on to the cabin. As he flared the Huey [a helicopter] to land, he could see Moses running out of the cabin to greet him

2012, Wil Johnson, chapter 6, in Revenge and Restoration, [Bloomington, Ind.]: Xlibris, →ISBN, page 35:

I had one instructor that called and said he had tried everything to solo his student but the guy just couldn't get the picture of what was expected. One time around the airport the student would flare the airplane twenty feet in the air, and the next time around he would fly the nose into the ground. […] He either flared out very high, or didn't flare out at all.

2013 May 31, Steve Grizzle, “As Flight Instructor”, in The 3 ‘P’ Man: Memoirs of a Perfect Life Adventure: A Preacher, a Pilot, and a Police Officer All in One Person, Bloomington, Ind.: iUniverse, →ISBN, pages 71–72:

(ambitransitive, aviation) To (operate an aircraft to) transition from downward flight to level flight just before landing.


airship

airships (plural)
air-ship (alternative)
air ship (alternative)

From air + ship.
* (jocular British sense): is in imitation of worship "form of address for magistrates et al., possibly also an oblique reference to Colonel Blimp.

Airships are posited to be cheaper to operate over time than fixed-wing aircraft, but as there are no large fleets, this is hard to prove in practice.

(aviation) A lighter-than-air aircraft that can be propelled forward through the air as well as steered.

(US, law enforcement, aviation) A police air unit, a police helicopter.

On weekends, I liked to spend my time at the airport watching the various airships take off and land.


dihedral

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-dihedral.wav

(aeronautics) The upward slope of an aircraft's wing


dihedral

(aviation) Of wing pairs, inclined at an upward angle to each other.


anhedral

(aeronautics) the downward slope of an aircraft’s wing


Starfighter

(military, aviation) The Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, a jet fighter-interceptor.


dirigible

/ˈdɪɹɪdʒəbəɫ/

From French dirigeable, from ballon dirigeable (“steerable balloon”).

On the opposite wall, the R101 tragedy is recalled by the airship's tattered ensign in a glass case, a plaque from the Royal Airship Works and a photograph of the dirigible at her moorings.

1980, AA Book of British Villages, Drive Publications Ltd, page 101:

People had time to think up some questions, including reporters who shouted “Are you going to shoot down the balloon?” at President Biden shortly before the dirigible came down.

2023 February 4, Katie Rogers, “Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a … Chinese Spy Balloon?”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(aviation) A self-propelled airship that can be steered.

lugskip

a self-propelled airship that can be steered


trim

en-verb

trim (third-person singular simple present trims, present participle trimming, simple past and past participle trimmed)

trims (present singular third-person)
trimming (participle present)
trimmed (participle past)
trimmed (past)

From Middle English trimen, trymen, trümen, from Old English trymman (“to make firm; strengthen”), from Proto-West Germanic *trummjan, from Proto-Germanic *trumjaną (“to make fast; strengthen”), from Proto-Germanic *trumaz (“firm; strong; sound”).

tasapainottaa

to modify the angle of a ship relative to the water

(transitive, aviation, of an aircraft) To adjust the positions of control surfaces, sometimes using trim tabs, so as to modify or eliminate the aircraft's tendency to pitch, roll, or yaw when the cockpit controls are released.

уравновесявам

to adjust the positions of control surfaces, sometimes using trim tabs


trim

en-noun

trim (countable and uncountable, plural trims)

varustelutaso

the manner in which something is equipped

(uncountable, aviation, of an aircraft) The state of adjustment of control surfaces such that the desired attitude can be maintained without requiring the continuous application of force to the cockpit controls.

compensation

the state of adjustment of control surfaces such that the desired attitude can be maintained

(uncountable, aviation, by extension) The mechanism(s) used to trim an aircraft in roll, pitch, and/or yaw.


jetlag

(aviation) Alternative spelling of jet lag.


kk

(aviation, travel) confirm (originally a GDS status code, now often used as shorthand).


Alma

Atacama Large Millimeter Array
w:Atacama Large Millimeter Array

(space science) Nonstandard form of ALMA, acronym of Atacama Large Millimeter Array.


Apollo

From Latin Apollō, from Ancient Greek Ἀπόλλων (Apóllōn).

Apollo 11 landed people on the moon for the first time.

(NASA, space science) A United States space program, and the vehicles it created, used for human travel to the moon.


Atlas

en-proper noun

Atlas (countable and uncountable, plural Atlases)

From Latin Ā̆tlās, from Ancient Greek Ἄτλας (Átlas), either from ἁ- (ha-, copulative prefix) + Proto-Indo-European *telh₂- (“bear, undergo, endure”) or of Pre-Greek origin.

der

(astronautics, military, US) An SM-65, an early ICBM, soon developed into a long-lived orbital launch vehicle series.


Atlas

(astronautics, military, US) A particular model or individual specimen of the Atlas missile and launch vehicle line.


Lincoln

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-Lincoln.wav

Inherited from Middle English Lincolne, from Old English Lincolle, Lindcolen, Lindcylene, from Latin Lindum Colōnia (“the Roman settlement Lindum Colonia”), from Proto-Brythonic *llɨnn (“pool”), from Proto-Celtic *lindos (“lake, liquid”), in reference to the Brayford. In the United States, many of the places established since 1865 are named after Abraham Lincoln.

(aviation) A high-altitude, long-range bomber based on the Avro Lancaster.


P

en-noun

P (countable and uncountable, plural Ps)

(US, military, aviation) Initialism of patrol (“a patrol aircraft, a patroller”).


Sandy

Sandy (given name)
Sandy, Bedfordshire
Sandy, Carmarthenshire


Zeppelin

Zeppelins (plural)
zeppelin (alternative)

Borrowed from German Zeppelin. Named after Ferdinand von Zeppelin, whose surname derives from the German town name Zepelin. Doublet of cepelinas.

(aviation) A type of large dirigible rigid airship of the early 20th century, built by the German Luftschiffbau Zeppelin and designed to carry passengers or bombs.

zepelín

a type of large German dirigible airship of the early 20th century

(aviation, by extension, informal) A rigid airship dirigible, not restricted to Germany nor the early 20th century.


RAAF

Royal Australian Air Force
w:Royal Australian Air Force

(Australia, military, aviation) Initialism of Royal Australian Air Force.


cabin

→ French: cabine (see there for further descendants)

→ Hawaiian: kāpena

→ Japanese: キャビン (kyabin)

→ Korean: 캐빈 (kaebin)

From Middle English caban, cabane, from Old French cabane, from Medieval Latin capanna (“a cabin”); see further etymology there. Doublet of cabana and cabane.

(travel, aviation) The section of a passenger plane having the same class of service.

сало́н

section of passenger plane having same class of service


MAC

MAC (countable and uncountable, plural MACs)

(aviation) Initialism of mean aerodynamic chord.

(aviation) Initialism of mid-air collision.

merchant aircraft carrier
w:merchant aircraft carrier

(military, nautical, aviation, historical) Initialism of merchant aircraft carrier.


oleo

If the oil leaks out of the oleos, they won't be able to cushion the aircraft against a hard landing.

(aviation) A type of energy-absorbing landing gear strut in which sudden compression or extension of the strut causes a gas-filled chamber to push or pull a piston which forces oil through a small orifice, resulting in absorption of energy through viscous effects.


capsule

Borrowed from French capsule, from Latin capsula, diminutive of capsa (“box”).

(astronautics) A detachable part of a rocket or spacecraft (usually in the nose) containing the crew's living space.

kapsule

part of spacecraft containing crew's living space


affirm

From Middle English affermen, from Old French afermer, affermer, from Latin affirmare, adfirmare (“to present as fixed, aver, affirm”), from ad (“to”) + firmare (“to make firm”), from firmus (“firm”).


tiller

From Middle English teler, from Anglo-Norman telier (“beam used in weaving”), from Medieval Latin telarium, from Latin tēla (“web”).

der

(aviation, by extension) A steering wheel, usually mounted on the lower portion of the captain's control column, which is used to steer the aircraft's nosewheel or tailwheel to provide steering during taxi.


FD

(aviation) Initialism of flight director.


RV

RVs (plural)
RV's (plural)
R.V. (alternative)
R.V. (alternative)
R. V. (alternative)
R/V (alternative)
r.v. (alternative)

(astronautics) Initialism of reentry vehicle.


FOP

en-noun

FOP (countable and uncountable, plural FOPs)

(aviation, travel) Initialism of form of payment.


PT

PT (countable and uncountable, plural PTs)

(US, military, aviation) Initialism of patrol trainer (“a trainer that is also a patrol aircraft”)


AAL

(aviation) Initialism of above aerodrome level.


ADR

ADR (countable and uncountable, plural ADRs)

/eɪ diː ˈɑː/

(aviation) Initialism of air data reference.


CAA

Civil Aviation Authority
Civil Aviation Authority#English

(aviation, government) any of several particular civil aviation authorities:

(of Norway, UK) Initialism of Civil Aviation Authority.

CAAP

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines

Civil Aviation Agency
Civil Aviation Agency#English

(of Ethiopia, Latvia, Slovenia) Initialism of Civil Aviation Agency.

Civil Aviation Administration
Civil Aviation Administration#English

(of China, Norway, Sweden, Vietnam) Initialism of Civil Aviation Administration.


CAA

civil aviation authority
civil aviation authority#English

national aviation authority
national aviation authority

(government, aviation) Initialism of civil aviation authority, the national aviation authority (NAA) for civil aviation.


uplift

en-verb

uplift (third-person singular simple present uplifts, present participle uplifting, simple past and past participle uplifted)

uplifts (present singular third-person)
uplifting (participle present)
uplifted (participle past)
uplifted (past)

извисявам

to raise something or someone to a higher level

(aviation, travel) To be accepted for carriage on a flight.


uplock

The left and right wing landing gear uplock assemblies had separated from their attachment points on the fuselage structure. The interior skin and associated ribs on the left and right wing gear inboard doors were damaged in the vicinity of their striker plates and the striker plates also were damaged. The doors were damaged in the area where the tires are located when the gears are retracted.

1986 March 29, National Transportation Safety Board, “1.12 Wreckage and Impact Information”, in Aircraft Accident Report: China Airlines Boeing 747-SP, N4522V, 300 Nautical Miles Northwest of San Francisco, California, February 19, 1985, archived from the original on 2022-07-10, pages 12–13:

(aviation) A mechanism that secures an aircraft's landing gear in the retracted position, helping to prevent an uncommanded gear deployment during flight.


LOC

en-noun

LOC (countable and uncountable, plural LOCs)

WARNING: If CSS is not selected immediately for some 2 EO RTLS contingency abort situations, the vehicle may pitch up and out of control, due to the low thrust-to-weight situation and relatively high dynamic pressure. When a second engine fails, the vehicle will pitch up and try to maintain its trajectory at a lower thrust to weight. However, the dynamic pressure may be too high to maintain this attitude at this angle of attack and the flight control system will quickly become saturated, resulting in LOC.

2007 February 14, NASA, “4.5.4 RTLS Two-Engine-Out CSS Required”, in Contingency Aborts 21007/31007, archived from the original on 2021-02-26, page 46:

(aviation) Initialism of loss of control.


PTT

PTT (countable and uncountable, plural PTTs)

w:Flight simulator#Flight simulators and flight training devices

(aviation) Initialism of part task trainer (See Flight simulator at Wikipedia).


RFC

(aviation, military, historical) Initialism of Royal Flying Corps (previous title of the Royal Air Force)


CRC

(aviation) Initialism of continuous repetitive chime, the "cricket" aural warning intentionally designed to be extremely difficult for pilots to ignore.


FTA

FTA (countable and uncountable, plural FTAs)

(aviation) Abbreviation of flight test article (such as a test aircraft, a prototype).


SSA

(European Union, space science) Initialism of Space Situational Awareness, a programme of ESA.


avionics

(aviation) The science and technology of the development and use of electrical and electronic devices in aviation.

avionica

the science and technology of the development and use of electrical and electronic devices in aviation

(aviation) The devices used in avionics.


ACC

ACC (countable and uncountable, plural ACCs)

area control center
area control center#English

(aviation) Initialism of area control center.


JPL

Jet Propulsion Laboratory
w:Jet Propulsion Laboratory

(space science, US) Initialism of Jet Propulsion Laboratory.


scramjet

(aeronautics) A jet engine capable of propelling an aircraft at hypersonic speeds, in which combustion of the fuel/air mixture occurs at supersonic speeds.


ACS

ACS (countable and uncountable, plural ACSs or ACSes or ACS's)

ACSs (plural)
ACSes (plural)
ACS's (plural)

attitude control system
attitude control system#English

(aerospace) Initialism of attitude control system.


LAT

(firefighting, aviation) Acronym of large air tanker, a class of waterbomber.


FAA

Again he bats back and forth the pages of the thick clipped sheaf of close-typed pages that comprise the results of the FAA investigation into Naomi’s fatal encounter with the northwest slope of Mount Dunkelblum.

2007, Michael Chabon, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union, 4th Estate (2010), page 244:

Great River Energy utilized the FAA’s Notice Criteria Tool² to determine if it would be required to file notice to the FAA prior to construction.

2024 August 19, “LAKETOWN 115-kV TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT IN CARVER COUNTY, MN”, in Great River Energy, page 25:

Federal Aviation Administration
w:Federal Aviation Administration

(aviation) Initialism of Federal Aviation Administration (agency regulating U.S. aviation).

(military, nautical, aviation) Initialism of Fleet Air Arm (carrier-borne air force of the U.K.'s Royal Navy).


ATF

ATF (countable and uncountable, plural ATFs)

(aviation) Initialism of aviation turbine fuel; jet fuel

(US, military, aviation) Initialism of advanced tactical fighter.


CAM

(aviation) Initialism of cockpit area microphone.


AOA

abort once around
abort once around#English

(astronautics) Initialism of abort once around.


IRS

inertial reference system
inertial reference system#English

(aviation) Initialism of inertial reference system.


ACE

Advanced Composition Explorer
w:Advanced Composition Explorer

(astronautics) Initialism of Advanced Composition Explorer, a NASA spacecraft.


TPM

TPM (countable and uncountable, plural TPMs)

ticket point mileage
ticket point mileage#English

(aviation, travel) Initialism of ticket point mileage.


CPA

CPA (countable and uncountable, plural CPAs)

closest point of approach
closest point of approach#English

(nautical, aviation) Initialism of closest point of approach.


ATO

ATO (countable and uncountable, plural ATOs)

(aviation) Acronym of assisted take-off.

(astronautics) Acronym of abort to orbit.


MSA

MSA (countable and uncountable, plural MSAs)

(aviation) Initialism of minimum safe altitude.


RH

RH (countable and uncountable, plural RHs)

(US, army, aviation) Initialism of reconnaissance helicopter.


PSR

primary surveillance radar
w:primary surveillance radar

(aviation) Initialism of primary surveillance radar.

(aviation, navigation) Initialism of point of safe return.


SS

en:NATO code for certain surface-to-surface missile systems

(military, astronautics) NATO prefix-code for surface-to-surface missiles developed by the Soviet Union


ISS

International Space Station
International Space Station#English

(space science) Initialism of International Space Station.


CAS

CAS (countable and uncountable, plural CASes)

calibrated airspeed
calibrated airspeed#English

(aviation) Initialism of calibrated airspeed.

(aviation) Acronym of collision avoidance system.

(military, aviation) Acronym of close air support.


MRO

MRO (countable and uncountable, plural MROs)

(chiefly aeronautics) Initialism of maintenance, repair, and overhaul.


MRO

(NASA, space science, US) Initialism of Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.


ATP

ATP (countable and uncountable, plural ATPs)

airline transport pilot
w:airline transport pilot

(aviation) Initialism of airline transport pilot.


RSS

RSSes (plural)
R.S.S. (alternative)
R. S. S. (alternative)

(aerospace) Initialism of reusable spaceship.

range safety system
range safety system#English

(astronautics) Initialism of range safety system.


tallyho

1772, UK, probably alteration of French taïaut (interjection used in deer-hunting), from Middle French tahou, tayo, from Old French taho, ta ho, tielau (interjection given to hounds to return) (second half of 13th century), composed of ta (particle used to prod animals) + ho ! (“halt!, hold!”). More at ho.

uder

(Air Traffic Control): Speedbird 123, New York, traffic at two o’clock, seven miles, a Boeing 737, west-bound, at 4000 feet.”

(Pilot): New York, Speedbird 123, tallyho.


polyhedral

en-adj

polyhedral (comparative more polyhedral, superlative most polyhedral)

more polyhedral (comparative)
most polyhedral (superlative)
polyedric (alternative)
polyedrical (alternative)
polyedrous (alternative)
polyhedric (alternative)
polyhedrical (alternative)
polyhedrous (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-polyhedral.wav

(aeronautics, of a fixed-wing aircraft) Having multiple dihedral angles along the wingspan.


Ouija board

Ouija boards (plural)
ouija board (alternative)

/ˈwiːd͡ʒə bɔɹd/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Ouija board.wav

(aviation) A tabletop model of the individual aircraft and their locations on a carrier.


ballistic missile

en-noun

ballistic missile (plural ballistic missiles)

(military, astronautics) A missile that is initially guided, but then follows a ballistic (freely falling) trajectory.


go ballistic

en-verb

go ballistic (third-person singular simple present goes ballistic, present participle going ballistic, simple past went ballistic, past participle gone ballistic)

goes ballistic (present singular third-person)
going ballistic (participle present)
went ballistic (past)
gone ballistic (participle past)

The idiomatic usage derives from the second-generation of jet fighters, armed with guided missiles, in the late 1950s into the 1960s, with the informal military sense of fully-powered non-ballistic missiles going ballistic when losing control and assuming a free-fall trajectory, sense 3. But in subsequent usage the term has often become associated with the intentionally ballistic, suborbital trajectories of long-range, typically nuclear-armed missiles, sense 2.

SRAM is a very flexible weapon. It has a ballistic trajectory. It can be launched and go ballistic into its target for a long range... and it can go short range at very low levels.

1978, United States Senate, Part 8 of Fiscal year 1978 authorization for military procurement, research and development, and active duty, selected reserve, and civilian personnel strengths: hearings before the Committee on Armed Services, United States Senate, Ninety-fifth Congress, first session, on S. 1210

(aerospace) for a usually rocket-powered, predominantly non-glide projectile or aerial vehicle, such as a ballistic missile, to travel to its target partly via unpowered ballistic or quasi-ballistic flight, usually following burnout of its rocket motor


PCR

en-noun

PCR (countable and uncountable, plural PCRs)

(aviation) Initialism of pitch control rod.


SAM

Sample Analysis at Mars
w:Sample Analysis at Mars

Mars Science Laboratory
w:Mars Science Laboratory

(space science, NASA) Acronym of Sample Analysis at Mars (a scientific instrument of the Mars Science Laboratory on board the Curiosity rover on Mars.)


AST

AST (countable and uncountable, plural ASTs)

(aviation) Initialism of advanced supersonic transport.


AAS

(astronautics) Initialism of American Astronautical Society, an independent scientific and technical group in the United States.


AAS

AAS (countable and uncountable, plural AASs)

(aviation) Initialism of Advanced Automation System, a system for radar control of transoceanic air corridors.


TCA

TCA (countable and uncountable, plural TCAs)

terminal control area
terminal control area#English

(aviation) Initialism of terminal control area.

traffic conference area
traffic conference area#English

(aviation, travel) Initialism of traffic conference area.


SSR

secondary surveillance radar
w:secondary surveillance radar

(aviation) Initialism of secondary surveillance radar.

en:special service requirement, special service request

special service requirement
special service requirement#English

special service request
special service requirement#English

(aviation, travel industry) Initialism of special service requirement or special service request.


RTO

RTO (countable and uncountable, plural RTOs)

rejected takeoff
rejected takeoff#English

(aviation) Initialism of rejected takeoff.


HGV

hypersonic glide vehicle
w:hypersonic glide vehicle

(aviation, aerospace, military) Initialism of hypersonic glide vehicle.


waterline

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-waterline.wav

(aviation) A horizontal line indicating the shape of an airfoil.


AND

en-adj

AND (comparative more AND, superlative most AND)

more AND (comparative)
most AND (superlative)

(aviation) Initialism of airplane nose down.


AGL

The company shard specific data from today’s flight on social media, revealing that the New Shepard capsule that carried Katy Perry, Gayle King and their crewmates to space hit 346,802 feet above ground level (AGL) and 350,449 above mean sea level (MSL).

2025 April 14, Jackie Wattles, Ashley Strickland and Taylor Nicioli, “Blue Origin launches star-studded crew on space tourism rocket”, in CNN:

(aviation) Initialism of above ground level: designating a measured distance from the ground to a higher level, i.e. altitude.


jetliner

jetliners (plural)
jet liner (alternative)
jet-liner (alternative)

From jet + liner; Blend of turbojet + airliner.


run up

en-verb

run up (third-person singular simple present runs up, present participle running up, simple past ran up, past participle run up)

runs up (present singular third-person)
running up (participle present)
ran up (past)
run up (participle past)

(aviation, transitive) To warm up and test an airplane before a flight.


punch out

punch out (third-person singular simple present punches out, present participle punching out, simple past and past participle punched out)

punches out (present singular third-person)
punching out (participle present)
punched out (participle past)
punched out (past)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-punch out.wav

With the engine on fire he had to punch out and hit the silk.

(intransitive, aviation) To eject from an airplane.


POS

en-noun

POS (countable and uncountable, plural POSes or POSs)

(navigation, aviation) Initialism of position and orientation system.


Canuck

Canucks (plural)
canuck (alternative)
Canack (alternative)
Cannack (alternative)
Canuc (alternative)
canuc (alternative)
Canuk (alternative)
Conuck (alternative)
Cunnuck (alternative)
Kanuck (alternative)
Kanuk (alternative)
K'nuck (alternative)

American Dialect Society
Greenwood Publishing Group
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Leiden University
University of Alabama Press

Origin uncertain, often hypothesized to derive from the name or speech of an early Canadian minority, later broadened to denote all Canadians:
* Since 1975, many scholars have come to think the name is from Hawaiian kanaka (“man”), a self-appellation of indentured colonial canoemen and Hawaiian sailors working off the Pacific Northwest, Arctic, and New England coasts, from French canaque (“indigenous Melanesian inhabitant of New Caledonia, Kanak”); or, more likely, American whalers’ pidgin, then re-interpreted as Can(adian) + a suffix. (More below on that [specific] putative suffix.) Compare English Kanak and German Kanake.
* Some dictionaries suggest it is derived from the first syllable of Canada, or its etymon Laurentian kanata (“village”), or a related word kanuchsa meaning “villager” in either Laurentian or another Iroquoian language; with the second syllable connected to Inuktitut inuk (“man; person”), from Chinook (“Aboriginal people of the U.S. Pacific Northwest”), or another First-Nation language ending like -oc, -uc, or -uq.
* Fanciful and unlikely suggestions include German genug von Canada (literally “enough of Canada”) (allegedly uttered by German mercenaries during the American War of Independence), French quelle canule (“what a bore”) (allegedly uttered by the French during a siege of Quebec), or the surname Connaught /ˈkɑ.nəxt/ (supposedly a French-Canadian nickname for the Irish).

noncog

(aviation, military, historical) The Avro Canada CF-100 fighter-interceptor aircraft, in use between 1952 and 1981.


airway

But British Airways Flight 112 made the trek in under five hours, setting a new record for the fastest subsonic commercial flight across the Atlantic Ocean.

2020 February 9, Alina Selyukh, “British Airways Sets Record, Crossing The Atlantic In Under 5 Hours In Strong Winds”, in NPR:

(aviation) A flight path used by aeroplanes.


toboggan

en-verb

toboggan (third-person singular simple present toboggans, present participle tobogganing or tobogganning, simple past and past participle tobogganed or tobogganned)

toboggans (present singular third-person)
tobogganing (participle present)
tobogganning (participle present)
tobogganed (participle past)
tobogganed (past)
tobogganned (participle past)
tobogganned (past)
tobogin (alternative)
toboggin (alternative)

/təˈbɑːɡ.ən/

The noun is attested since 1829, the verb since 1846. Both derive from French tabaganne, which derives from an Algonquian word, probably Mi'kmaq tepaqan or Abenaki dabôgan, influenced by similar words in other Eastern Canadian Algonquian languages. The sense of "hat" is recorded since 1929 and is short for toboggan cap (1928), a cap suitable for wearing while tobogganing.

Aircraft returning to refuel at about three o'clock have tobogganed down to their spats in the mud whilst early in the morning one could bounce a crowbar on the frozen ground.

How did a piston engine tanker refuel a faster jet bomber? It "tobogganed" - the refueling connection would be made high up and then the bomber and tanker flew "downhill" together enabling the tanker to pick up more speed.

2005, The Mobility Forum: The Journal of the Air Mobility Command, page 21:

(aviation, intransitive) To fly sharply downward so as to build up speed to facilitate in-flight refueling of a faster aircraft.


squawk

First attested in 1821. Unknown, but probably of imitative origin (compare dialectal Italian squacco (“small-crested heron”)).

(aviation) A four-digit transponder code used by aircraft for identification or transmission of emergency signals.

We think instructors should stress the importance of writeups on all maintenance squawks after the completion of each flight. More important, something should be done by the aircraft operator to correct such squawks.

(aviation) An issue or complaint related to aircraft maintenance.


squawk

squawk (third-person singular simple present squawks, present participle squawking, simple past and past participle squawked)

squawks (present singular third-person)
squawking (participle present)
squawked (participle past)
squawked (past)
squawk (infinitive)
squawk (first-person present singular)
squawked (first-person past singular)
squawk (present second-person singular)
squawkest (archaic present second-person singular)
squawked (past second-person singular)
squawkedst (archaic past second-person singular)
squawks (present singular third-person)
squawketh (archaic present singular third-person)
squawked (past singular third-person)
squawk (plural present)
squawked (past plural)
squawk (present subjunctive)
squawked (past subjunctive)
squawk (imperative present)
squawking (participle present)
squawked (participle past)

After discovering that the hydraulic system is faulty, the pilots squawked 7700 and declared mayday.

(aviation) To set or transmit a four-digit transponder code. (Normally followed by the specific code in question.)


pull out

pull out (third-person singular simple present pulls out, present participle pulling out, simple past and past participle pulled out)

pulls out (present singular third-person)
pulling out (participle present)
pulled out (participle past)
pulled out (past)

After releasing its bomb, the plane pulled out of its dive.

(aviation, intransitive, of an aircraft) To transition from a dive to level or climbing flight.


loiter

loiter (third-person singular simple present loiters, present participle loitering, simple past and past participle loitered)

loiters (present singular third-person)
loitering (participle present)
loitered (participle past)
loitered (past)

From Middle English loitren, from Middle Dutch loteren ("to shake, wag, wobble"; > modern Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle, ramble”)), ultimately connected with a frequentative form of Proto-Germanic *lūtaną (“to bend, stoop, cower, shrink from, decline”), see lout. Cognate with Dutch leuteren (“to dawdle”), Alemannic German lottern (“to wobble”), German Lotterbube (“rascal”). More at lout, little.

gl

"to shake, wag, wobble"; > modern Dutch <i class="Latn mention" lang="nl">leuteren</i> (“to dawdle, ramble”)

der

(military, aviation) For an aircraft to remain in the air near a target.


AT

en-noun

AT (countable and uncountable, plural ATs)

(aviation, navigation) Initialism of aerotriangulation.

air tanker
air tanker#English:_Q17485593

(firefighting, aviation) Abbreviation of air tanker.


Schwalbe

(aviation, military) The World War II Messerschmitt Me-262 jet fighter.


avionic

(aviation) of, or relating to avionics (aviation electronics)


sortie

PIE word
 *upó
The noun is borrowed from French sortie (“act of exiting; exit, way out; (military) sally, sortie”), the feminine past participle of sortir (“to exit, go out”), from Old French sortir, from Latin sortīrī, the present active infinitive of sortior (“to cast or draw lots; to choose, select; to distribute, divide; to obtain, receive; to share”), from sors (“something used to determine chances, a lot; casting or drawing of lots; decision by lot; a share”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ser- (“to bind, tie together; a thread”)), possibly influenced by surrēctus (“arisen, having been caused to arise; gotten up, having been gotten up”), the perfect passive participle of surgō (“to arise, get up, rise”), from subrigō (“to lift up; to straighten”), from sub- (prefix meaning ‘beneath, under’) + regō (“to direct, guide, steer; to govern, rule; to manage, oversee”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₃reǵ- (“to right oneself, straighten; just; right”)).
The verb is derived from the noun.

scramble

emergency defensive air force mission to intercept attacking enemy aircraft

Their aircraft had no belly gunners and were at the mercy of Luftwaffe fighters that attacked from below. Whenever they lifted off on a mission, they departed with the knowledge that this sortie could easily be their last.

2019 May 8, Aron Heller, “These Jewish World War II Veterans Would Be Legends, if People Knew Their Stories”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

They are vastly outnumbered: Russia is believed to fly some 200 sorties per day while Ukraine flies five to 10.

2022 March 22, Maria Varenikova, Andrew E. Kramer, “How Ukraine’s Outgunned Air Force Is Fighting Back Against Russian Jets”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(military, also attributively and figuratively)

(aviation) An operational flight carried out by a single military aircraft.

sortie

(astronautics) An operational flight carried out by a spacecraft involving a return to Earth.


meatball

→ Japanese: ミートボール

→ Korean: 미트볼 (miteubol)

During a pitching deck recovery a pilot must average out the meatball oscillations at the ramp in an attempt to maintain his airplane on the desired glide slope.


airspeed

Holonym: air data

(aviation) The speed of an aircraft relative to the air through which it is flying.


airspeed indicator

en-noun

airspeed indicator (plural airspeed indicators)

(aviation) An instrument that displays an aircraft's current airspeed.


grounded

en-adj

grounded (comparative more grounded, superlative most grounded)

more grounded (comparative)
most grounded (superlative)

From Middle English grounded, i-grounded, equivalent to ground + -ed.

(aviation, of an airman or aircraft) Not allowed to fly.


gunship

I'm sending down five more dropships, combat EMVs, and a thopter gunship.

1997 September 7, Dan Simmons, The Rise of Endymion, New York: Bantam, →ISBN, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 363:

(aviation) An armed helicopter tasked to attack the enemy.


depth charge

The trailblazing Oaxacan chef Alejandro Ruiz […] has spiked this black-bean sauce with a hidden depth charge of flavor: patches of foliage from a local avocado tree. The leaves electrify the sauce with an unexpected thrum of black licorice.

2014 October 25, Jeff Gordinier, “In search of the perfect taco”, in T: The New York Times Style Magazine (international edition), page 100:

(military, nautical, aviation) A form of bomb, launched from a ship or dropped from an aircraft, that is designed to detonate at a certain depth underwater for the purposes of attacking a submerged enemy, especially a submarine.

глыбі́нная бо́мба

bomb designed to detonate at a certain depth underwater


depth charge

en-verb

depth charge (third-person singular simple present depth charges, present participle depth charging, simple past and past participle depth charged)

depth charges (present singular third-person)
depth charging (participle present)
depth charged (participle past)
depth charged (past)
depth-charge (alternative)

After the freighter was torpedoed, its escorting destroyers depth charged the submarine for two hours, but failed to sink it.

(transitive, military, nautical, aviation) To attack (a target, usually a submarine) with depth charges.


bandit

en-noun

bandit (plural bandits or (archaic) banditti)

bandits (plural)
banditti (archaic plural)

Borrowed from Italian bandito (“outlawed”), a derivative of Italian bandire (“to ban”), from Late Latin bandīre, an alteration (due to Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌽𐌳𐍅𐌾𐌰𐌽 (bandwjan, “to signal”)) of Late Latin bannīre (“to ban”), from Frankish *bannan (“to ban”). Doublet of bandito.

(military, aviation) An aircraft identified as an enemy, but distinct from "hostile" or "threat" in that it is not immediately to be engaged.


air-to-air

The attack also afforded Helena to a front-seat view of literal air-to-air melee combat, as one Wildcat pilot of the Cactus Air Force, who was swooping in to help break up the attack, found himself out of machine-gun ammo; instead, he dropped his landing gear, positioned himself above the nearest bomber, and begun beating it to death, in midair, using his landing gear as clubs. After a bit of evasive action that the fighter easily kept up with, the repeated slamming broke something important, and the bomber spiralled down into the sea.

2021 March 10, Drachinifel, 5:50 from the start, in Guadalcanal Campaign - The Big Night Battle: Night 1 (IJN 3(?) : 2 USN), archived from the original on 2022-10-17:

(aviation, of an act or action) With the participants being two or more aircraft in flight.

(aviation, military, of a missile) Fired from an aircraft in flight at another one.

vzduch-vzduch

fired from an aircraft in flight at another one


DME

(aviation) Initialism of distance measuring equipment.


excursion

Borrowed from Latin excursio (“a running out, an inroad, invasion, a setting out, beginning of a speech”), from excurrere (“to run out”), from ex (“out”) + currere (“to run”).

bor

(aviation) An occurrence where an aircraft runs off the end or side of a runway or taxiway, usually during takeoff, landing, or taxi.


braked

On most aircraft, the mainwheels are braked, but the nosewheel or tailwheel is not.

mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering

(mechanical engineering, rail transport, aviation, of a wheel) Equipped with brakes (the vehicle-stopping devices).


airbrake

airbrakes (plural)
air brake (alternative)

The BAe 146 and Fokker 100's tailcone-mounted airbrakes allow them to slow down quickly for steep approaches without experiencing the lift degradation seen with spoiler-only aircraft.

(aviation) A movable control surface that extends to increase drag without affecting lift (unlike a spoiler); a device that provides aerodynamic braking.


gyrocopter

(aviation) An autogyro, similar to a helicopter.


anteorbital

(astronautics) Referring to the period before orbit is achieved.


CRM

en-noun

CRM (countable and uncountable, plural CRMs)

(aviation) Initialism of crew/cockpit resource management.


Emirates

United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates

(aviation) One of the two flag carrier airlines of the United Arab Emirates


HALO

HALO (countable and uncountable, plural HALOs)

Weather balloons at maximum altitude are considered HALOs.

(aviation) Acronym of high altitude, low orbiting.


launch window

(astronautics) The specific time period during which a rocket or spacecraft may be launched in order to achieve its mission.


COTS

(NASA, space science) Acronym of Commercial Orbital Transportation Services, a program for delivery to the International Space Station by private companies.


Winchester

French: Bicêtre

Hungarian: vincseszter

Russian: винчестер (vinčester)

From Middle English Wynchester, Winchestre, from Old English Wintanċeaster, from Latin Venta Belgārum (literally “Venta of the Belgae”), perhaps ultimately from Proto-Celtic *wentā (“town, place”), Proto-Indo-European *h₁wen- (“place (?)”) + Old English ċeaster, from Latin castra (“camp”).
The bottle is named for the former customary units of the English city. The rifle is named named after American businessman Oliver Winchester (1810–1880). The computer disk is named for the rifle.


airfield

(aviation) An open field designated for the taking off and landing of aircraft, but which, unlike an airport, does not necessarily have terminals or paved runways.

vliegveld

place where airplanes can take off and land


cockade

On the bank of the river in French territory lies a wrecked plane bearing the cockade of the French service.

1920, “Nerve-Strain”, in James Norman Hall, Charles Nordhoff, editors, The Lafayette Flying Corps, volume 2, Houghton Mifflin Company, page 103:

(aviation) An emblem of concentric circles of different colours, identifying the country to which an aircraft belongs.

amblem

aviation: An emblem of concentric circles of different colours


CATO

(aviation) Acronym of catapult assisted takeoff.

(astronautics) Acronym of catastrophe at takeoff.


ceo

en-noun

ceo (countable and uncountable, plural ceos)

(aviation) Alternative letter-case form of CEO.


elevon

(aviation) A movable surface at the trailing edge of a tailless airplane (such as the space shuttle) that provides pitch and roll control.


HST

Hubble Space Telescope
w:Hubble Space Telescope

(space science, US, NASA) Initialism of Hubble Space Telescope.


VTOL

Acronym of vertical takeoff and landing.

Radio for VTOL, heavy lift gear. We're not leaving him here.

2007 September 25, Bungie, Halo 3, spoken by Avery Johnson (David Scully), Microsoft Game Studios, Xbox 360, level/area: Arrival:

(aviation) A fixed-wing aircraft that is capable of ascending into the air straight up as opposed to needing to accelerate horizontally first.


Airbus

(aviation) A European multinational commercial aircraft manufacturer.


Airbus

Airbus (plural Airbuses or Airbusses or (humorous) Airbii)

Airbuses (plural)
Airbusses (plural)
Airbii (humorous plural)

The new plane was the first Airbus in the airline's fleet.

(aviation) An aircraft produced by the Airbus consortium.


DIA

(US, aviation) Initialism of Denver International Airport.


air corridor

some were planning to fly into London from Europe, though, like many of us, they could only try their best to keep up with the government’s air corridor whack-a-mole.

2020 August 29, Rebecca Nicholson, “Tom Cruise: another groundbreaking role for cinema's cheerleader”, in The Guardian:

(aviation) A predefined route, or series of routes, in which a commercial or military aircraft must fly.


air hostess

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-air hostess.wav

(UK, aviation) A female flight attendant; a stewardess.


ramp

From French rampe, from Middle French rampe, deverbal of ramper, from Old French ramper (“to crawl, climb, scale up”), from Frankish *hrampōn (“to contract oneself, wrinkle, rumple, crumple, curve”), from Proto-Germanic *hrimpaną (“to shrivel, shrink”). Cognate with German Rampf (“retraction, curvature, shrinkage, spasm”). Doublet of romp.
Akin also to Old English ġehrimpan (“to wrinkle, rimple, rumple”), Old High German rimpfan (German rümpfen (“to wrinkle up”)). Compare Danish rimpe (“to fold" (archaic), "to baste”), Icelandic rimpa. More at rimple.

cog

(aviation) A mobile staircase that is attached to the doors of an aircraft at an airport.

(aviation) A large parking area in an airport for aircraft, for loading and unloading or for storage (see also apron and tarmac).

(aviation) A surface inside the air intake of a supersonic aircraft which adjusts in position to allow for efficient shock wave compression of incoming air at a wide range of different Mach numbers.


Dakota

Dakotas (plural)
Dacota (alternative)
Dacotah (alternative)
Dahcotah (alternative)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-Dakota.wav

(military, aviation) Out of air-to-ground ordinance.


antiskid

To help keep from using up the limited pressure stored by the brake accumulator, antiskid is not available with both engines out.


turbulence

en-noun

turbulence (countable and uncountable, plural turbulences)

From Middle English turbulence (“turbidity, cloudiness”), from Late Latin turbulentia (“trouble, disquiet”). By surface analysis, turbulent + -ence.

der

(uncountable, aviation) Specifically, a state of agitation or disturbance in the air which is disruptive to an aircraft.


FDR

en-noun

FDR (countable and uncountable, plural FDRs)

FDRs (plural)
F.D.R. (alternative)
F. D. R. (alternative)

flight data recorder
flight data recorder#English

(aviation) Initialism of flight data recorder.


delta wing

From the triangular shape of the majuscule Greek letter delta (Δ).

(aeronautics) An aircraft wing having a swept-back shape in the form of an isosceles triangle; used mostly on supersonic aircraft


flaperon

(aviation, aeronautics, aircraft) An aircraft control surface at the trailing edge of a wing that acts as an aileron (controlling movement around the longitudinal axis) and a flap (changing the chord line of the wing, thus affecting the angle of attack).


angle of attack

angle of attack (plural angles of attack)

(aeronautics) The angle between the chord line of an airfoil and the airflow over it; one of the determiners of the amount of lift produced by an airfoil.


avgas

avgas (countable and uncountable, plural avgases or avgasses)

avgases (plural)
avgasses (plural)
av-gas (alternative)

Cylinder cracks are nothing new, however, and there is no reason to expect autogas-burning engines to have a higher incidence of head cracking than avgas-users

1988, Kas Thomas, Fuel and oil systems: basic and advanced light plane maintenance:

In the area of autogas volatility, a Reid vapor pressure of 9.0 to 15 is very common, compared to the vapor pressure of avgas, which is 5.5 to 7

1994, Michael J. Kroes with Thomas W. Wild, Aircraft powerplants:

Autogas can be obtained for a fraction of the cost of avgas, but its use is not without controversy.

2006, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, The AOPA pilot: voice of general aviation, volume 49:

(aviation) Gasoline fuel for piston-engined aircraft.


bang out

en-verb

bang out (third-person singular simple present bangs out, present participle banging out, simple past and past participle banged out)

bangs out (present singular third-person)
banging out (participle present)
banged out (participle past)
banged out (past)

The pilot promptly banged out and the aircraft flew almost as far as the airfield, eventually crashing into a farmer's field.

2010, Tony Doyle, Flying at the Edge, →ISBN, page 253:

(intransitive, aviation, slang) To eject.


midair

en-noun

midair (countable and uncountable, plural midairs)

(countable, aeronautics) A collision between two or more aerospace vehicles in flight.


close out

en-verb

close out (third-person singular simple present closes out, present participle closing out, simple past and past participle closed out)

closes out (present singular third-person)
closing out (participle present)
closed out (participle past)
closed out (past)

One week later, the new Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C) was loaded on Discovery and the payload bay doors were cleared and closed out.

2008, R. Michael Gordon, The Space Shuttle Program: How NASA Lost Its Way, page 192:


NEO

en-noun

NEO (countable and uncountable, plural NEOs)

NEOs (plural)
N.E.O. (alternative)
N. E. O. (alternative)
neo (alternative)

(aviation) Acronym of new engine option.


TSO

Technical Standard Order
w:Technical Standard Order

(aviation) Initialism of Technical Standard Order; minimum performance standard issued by the United States Federal Aviation Administration for materials, components and processes used in civil aircraft.


rendezvous

rendezvous (plural rendezvous or (rare) rendezvouses)

rendezvous (plural)
rendezvouses (plural rare)
randezvous (alternative archaic)
rendez-vous (alternative)

→ Welsh: rondefŵ

→ Welsh: randibŵ

/ˈɹɒndɪˌvuː/

/ˈɹɒndeɪ̯ˌvuː/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Naomi Persephone Amethyst (NaomiAmethyst)-rendezvous.wav

Borrowed from French rendez-vous (“appointment”), noun derived from second person plural imperative of se rendre (“to go to”), literally, “[you (imperative)] go to, get yourself to [a place]”.

m-g

􂀿you (imperative)􂁀 go to, get yourself to 􂀿a place􂁀

lit

(astronautics) A set of orbital maneuvers during which two spacecraft arrive at the same orbit and approach to a very close distance.


prop wash

en-noun

prop wash (countable and uncountable, plural prop washes)

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-prop wash.wav

The plane's large rear doors swallowed up my friend in superfast time, its departure sandblasting everyone in red prop wash as it vaporised down the main street and into the afternoon's dust-bowl sky.

2005, Paul Carter, Don't Tell Mum I Work on the Rigs, Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin, page 23:

(aviation, nautical) The disturbed mass of air or water pushed aft (or forward when in reverse) by the propeller of an aircraft or propeller-driven watercraft.

We sent the new recruit to obtain a bucket of prop wash.

(aviation, nautical, humorous, in military or other social organizations involving aircraft or boats) A mythical substance supposedly used to wash propellers.


T-tail

The C-5 Galaxy is the mightiest of all T-tails.

horizontal stabilizer
horizontal stabilizer

(aviation) A type of aircraft that has the horizontal stabilizer situated atop, or near the top of, the vertical stabilizer.


let-down

let-down (countable and uncountable, plural let-downs)

let-downs (plural)
letdown (alternative)

The flight received a radar letdown from air traffic control.

(aviation) The clearance of an aircraft to descend through clouds to clear air below, or the process of granting such a clearance.


trim tab

(aviation, nautical) A control surface set within or attached to a larger control surface that provides trim to obtain a desired attitude without constant inputs to the primary control surfaces (e.g., ailerons and rudders).


unload

en-verb

unload (third-person singular simple present unloads, present participle unloading, simple past and past participle unloaded)

unloads (present singular third-person)
unloading (participle present)
unloaded (participle past)
unloaded (past)

Boeing's article stressed prioritizing roll control during recovery from nose-down bank upsets unless the airplane was in a stall condition; if the airplane was stalled, Boeing recommended recovering from the stall before recovering from the upset. The article described the nose-down upset recovery technique as follows: "Reduce angle of attack. This unloads the wing, allows the airplane to accelerate, which reduces rudder deflection and improves lateral control ability. […]"

1999 March 24, National Transportation Safety Board, “1.18.10.2.3 1997 Through 1998—Information and Changes Disseminated by Boeing”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Uncontrolled Descent and Collision with Terrain, USAir Flight 427, Boeing 737-300, N513AU, Near Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, September 8, 1994, archived from the original on 2022-06-04, pages 205–206:

(transitive, aviation) To reduce the vertical load factor on (an airplane's wing or other lifting surface), typically by pitching downwards toward the ground to decrease angle of attack and reduce the amount of lift generated.


tombstone engineering

“As pilots in the USAF, we used the term ‘Tombstone Engineering’ to describe a known potential catastrophic flight event that could have been avoided through additional design and funding, but ended in the death of pilots and/or aircrews, thus forcing that design change/aircraft modification. Emergency procedures, especially the warnings, in our flight manuals are literally written in blood…,” Coffindaffer said.

2024 March 19, Mary Baily, “Digital Access”, in Sand Mountain Reporter:

(aviation, slang) The practice of letting accidents or failures (perhaps occasioning death, but not necessarily) identify engineering problems.


gremlin

Oxford English Dictionary
Roald Dahl
The Gremlins

Uncertain; the following etymologies have been suggested:
* A variant of goblin.
* From Irish gruaimín (“gloomy little person”); or from Dutch gremmelen (“to soil, stain; to spoil”), or griemelen, grimmelen (“(obsolete) to abound, teem; to swarm”), but according to the Oxford English Dictionary there is little evidence for such derivations.
The word was popularized, especially in the United States, by the children’s novel The Gremlins (1943) by the British author Roald Dahl (1916–1990), in which gremlins sabotage Royal Air Force aircraft in revenge for the destruction of their forest home to make way for an aircraft factory; the creatures later join forces with the British to fight the Nazis.

der

(originally British, aviation, Royal Air Force slang)

Like Abominable Snowmen, gremlins have never actually been seen; but nobody who works with electronic gear doubts the existence of these mischievous and elusive entities. There are too many malfunctions and failures that can have no other explanation.

1963, Arthur C Clarke, chapter 8, in Glidepath, New York: Simon and Schuster, pages 72-73:

Crucial time was saved by the fact Nexus didn't require a Transport & Works Act. Nevertheless, other gremlins kept raising their heads.

2023 November 29, Richard Foster, “Tyne & Wear Metro goes with the flow”, in RAIL, number 997, page 34:

An imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined, for example, to damage or dismantle machinery.

гремлин

imaginary creature reputed to be mischievously inclined to damage or dismantle machinery


ground proximity warning system

en-noun

ground proximity warning system (plural ground proximity warning systems)

ground proximity warning systems (plural)

(aeronautics) A device which warns the pilot that their aircraft may be in danger of collision with the ground.


GPWS

ground proximity warning system
ground proximity warning system#English

(aviation) Initialism of ground proximity warning system.


GPU

(aviation) Initialism of ground power unit (a ground mobile unit that supplies electrical power to an aircraft while on the ground, without needing to power up the engines or APU).


drogue

Uncertain; probably related to drag in some way.

(aeronautics) A conical parachute used as a brake for some kinds of aircraft, or as a means of extracting and deploying a larger parachute, or to slow a rapidly-moving vehicle to a speed where it can safely deploy a larger parachute.

(aeronautics) A conical basket or device used variously as a target for gunnery practice, and as a docking point for aerial refuelling.

panier-entonnoir (for refuelling)

aeronautics: conical device pulled by aircraft


hypergolic

/hʌɪpɚˈɡɒlɪk/

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-hypergolic.wav

From Ancient Greek ὑπέρ (hupér) + ἔργον (érgon, “work”) + -ol + -ic, after the model of German Hypergol and hypergolisch. Equivalent to hypergol + -ic.

Although the LF₂-LH₂ cryogenic combination is hypergolic, the toxicity of the fuel and the products of combustion have made the use of this system impractical. In general, the commonly used hypergolic propellants are considered conventionally storable, that is, they do not need special refrigeration equipment to keep them liquid.

2016, Pasquale M. Sforza, Theory of Aerospace Propulsion, 2nd ed., Elsevier (Butterworth-Heinemann), page 565

(chemistry, aeronautics, of a reactant, fuel, or propellant) Igniting spontaneously upon contact with an oxidizer.

hypergolisch

igniting spontaneously on contact with an oxidiser

The chemical reaction range of hypergolic mixtures varies from slow and barely visible to an instantaneous and highly visible explosive force.

1994, Stephen K. Hall, Chemical Safety in the Laboratory, CRC Press, page 65:

(chemistry, aeronautics, of a reaction) Involving such a hypergolic agent.


injection

injection (countable and uncountable, plural injections)

/ɪnˈd͡ʒɛk.ʃən/

Nicolas Bourbaki
Éléments de mathématique

Borrowed from Middle French injection, from Latin iniectio. The mathematical sense is from French injection, introduced by Nicolas Bourbaki in their treatise Éléments de mathématique.

It had been determined that one of the whip turnstile antennas had broken off from Explorer 1 shortly after injection into orbit, so these were eliminated.

2015, Henry L. Richter, America's Leap Into Space:

(space science) The act of putting a spacecraft into a particular orbit, especially for changing a stable orbit into a transfer orbit, e.g. trans-lunar injection.


angle of incidence

angle of incidence (plural angles of incidence)

(aeronautics) The angle, usually fixed, between the chord line of a wing or horizontal stabilizer and the axis of the fuselage, measured at the root.

kohtauskulma

angle between a wing or horizontal stabilizer and the axis of fuselage


PAR

precision approach radar
w:precision approach radar

(aviation) Initialism of precision approach radar.


inboard

The Airbus A380 only has thrust reversers on its inboard engines.

(nautical, aviation) Positioned nearer to the centre line of a vessel.


flutter

en-verb

flutter (third-person singular simple present flutters, present participle fluttering, simple past and past participle fluttered)

flutters (present singular third-person)
fluttering (participle present)
fluttered (participle past)
fluttered (past)

From Middle English floteren, from Old English floterian, flotorian (“to float about, flutter”), from Proto-Germanic *flutrōną, frequentative of Proto-Germanic *flutōną (“to float”), equivalent to float + -er (frequentative suffix). Cognate with West Frisian flodderje (“to flutter, beat”), Dutch flodderen (“to flutter, wave”), Low German fluttern, fluddern (“to flutter”), German flittern (“to sparkle, glitter”). More at float.

cog

(intransitive, aerodynamics) To undergo divergent oscillations (potentially to the point of causing structural failure) due to a positive feedback loop between elastic deformation and aerodynamic forces.


flutter

en-noun

flutter (countable and uncountable, plural flutters)

The possibility was studied that there might be some unknown phenomenon at work that could cause a reduction in structural stiffness with age. Such a reduction in stiffness could result in a reduced flutter speed and lead to flutter. In 2004, Airbus conducted GVT in support of its MRTT program. The testing was conducted on an aged A310 aircraft (MSN 523) that had accumulated over 28 000 flight hours. This test aircraft had the same design of VTP and rudder as the occurrence aircraft. GVT results found that fin bending and rudder rotation frequencies of the MRTT test aircraft were consistent with those obtained during the original A310-300 certification. No indication was found to suggest that stiffness had reduced with age.

2007, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, “1.12.12 Age-Related Structures and Materials Degradation”, in Aviation Investigation Report A05F0047, Loss of Rudder in Flight, Air Transat Airbus A310-308 C-GPAT, Miami, Florida, 90 nm S, 06 March 2005, archived from the original on 2021-07-23, page 40:

(uncountable, aerodynamics) An extremely dangerous divergent oscillation caused by a positive feedback loop between the elastic deformation of an object and the aerodynamic forces acting on it, potentially resulting in rapid structural failure.


neo

(aviation) Alternative letter-case form of NEO.


offload

en-verb

offload (third-person singular simple present offloads, present participle offloading, simple past and past participle offloaded)

offloads (present singular third-person)
offloading (participle present)
offloaded (participle past)
offloaded (past)
off-load (alternative)

(transitive, aviation, travel) To deny a person on a standby list due to lack of space.

(transitive, aviation, travel) To change a passengers' ticket status from "checked in" to "open", allowing further changes. (This applies regardless of whether the passenger has boarded the aircraft or not).


hydro

en-noun

hydro (countable and uncountable, plural hydros)

From prefix hydro-, from Ancient Greek ὕδωρ (húdōr, “water”). Canadian sense "electricity" from the fact that hydroelectricity is the prevalent source of electricity in much of Canada and many electric companies have the word "Hydro" in their names.

(countable, aviation, obsolete) Abbreviation of hydroaeroplane.


nacelle

PIE word
 *néh₂us
Borrowed from French nacelle (“rowing boat, skiff; gondola (of a hot-air balloon, etc.); structure on an aircraft to house an engine”), Middle French nacelle (“rowing boat, skiff”), from Old French nacele, from Late Latin naucella, nāvicella (“small boat or ship”), from Latin nāvis (“a ship”) (from Proto-Indo-European *néh₂us (“a boat”)) + -ella (diminutive suffix).
Cognates
* Anglo-Norman naucele, naucle (“small boat”)
* Late Latin nacella (“small boat”)

bor

The compartment that holds passengers on a dirigible, hot-air balloon, or other aerostat; a gondola.

A separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house, originally, an engine, and now also cargo or crew.

باسنة

separate streamlined enclosure mounted on an aircraft to house an engine, cargo, or crew

(aviation)
(archaic) The cockpit of an aircraft.


fly-in

(aviation) An informal gathering of private pilots and their aircraft at a prearranged airfield.


unspool

en-verb

unspool (third-person singular simple present unspools, present participle unspooling, simple past and past participle unspooled)

unspools (present singular third-person)
unspooling (participle present)
unspooled (participle past)
unspooled (past)

During this 14-second period, the airplane accelerated to about 173 KIAS, and the first officer retarded the throttles. By 1805:15, despite the instructions in the Delta L-1011 Pilot Operating Manual (POM), which states, “do not unspool the engines,” all three engines were either at, or very near, flight idle EPR and remained at that thrust level until 1805:22.

1986 August 15, National Transportation Safety Board, “1.16.3 Airplane Performance”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Delta Air Lines, Inc., Lockheed L-1011-385-1, N726DA, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Texas, August 2, 1985, archived from the original on 2021-03-13, page 38:

(aviation) To reduce the thrust of a jet engine to idle in flight.


OST

The most important source of space law is the 1967 Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies (OST).¹⁶ […] The OST is a product of the Cold War era when the United States and the Soviet Union—the only states with spacefaring capability—were bitter rivals, each fundamentally distrustful of the other.

2014, John G Sprankling, “Rights in Airspace and Outer Space”, in The International Law of Property, Oxford University Press, →ISBN, page 176:

(law, space science) Initialism of Outer Space Treaty: a treaty that represents the basic legal framework of international space law, signed in 1967.


instrument landing system

en-noun

instrument landing system (plural instrument landing systems)

instrument landing systems (plural)
as ILS (abbreviation)

(aviation) A collection of radio navigation aids (always including a localizer and glideslope, and often one to three marker beacons as well) used by pilots for approach guidance to a specific airport runway, especially when visibility is limited.


ILS

instrument landing system
instrument landing system#English

(aviation) Initialism of instrument landing system.


NLS

(space science, US) Initialism of National Launch System.


re-entry

re-entry (countable and uncountable, plural re-entries)

re-entries (plural)
reentry (alternative)
reëntry (alternative)

(aerospace) The return of a spacecraft into the Earth's atmosphere.

再入

the return of a spacecraft into the atmosphere


stealth bomber

(military, aviation) A bomber (military aircraft) with a smaller than usual radar signature, due to its body shape, outer coating, and thermal dissipation.


autopilot

autopilot (countable and uncountable, plural autopilots)

I set the autopilot to due south, so I could get some rest.

(aviation, nautical) A mechanical, electrical, or hydraulic system used to guide a vehicle without assistance from a human being.


landing gear

landing gear (countable and uncountable, plural landing gears)

Modern landing gear usually has a tricycle configuration.

Boeing had a problem of too much landing gear

1954, “Where Do All the Wheels Go on a B-52?”, in American Aviation, volume 18, page 42:

The comparison between the tricycle and tail-skid type of landing gears is a case in point.

1968, Astronautics & Aeronautics, volume 6, page 4:

(uncountable, countable, aviation) The wheels, tyres, brakes, shock absorbers etc of an aircraft; its undercarriage.

Large modern commercial aircraft have a nose landing gear and two main landing gears.

(countable, aviation) Any of the assemblies which support an aircraft when it is on the ground.


docking

From Middle English dockyng. By surface analysis, dock + -ing.

(astronautics) The process of connecting one spacecraft to another.


pull up

en-verb

pull up (third-person singular simple present pulls up, present participle pulling up, simple past and past participle pulled up)

pulls up (present singular third-person)
pulling up (participle present)
pulled up (participle past)
pulled up (past)

Terrain, terrain! Pull up! Pull up!

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see pull, up.

(intransitive, aviation) To raise the nose of an aircraft.


breakout

en-noun

breakout (countable and uncountable, plural breakouts)

Deverbal from break out. The video game genre is named after Breakout, the first game of this kind, released in 1976 by Atari.

(aviation) The point at which visibility returns after passing through clouds.


pogo

pogo oscillation
pogo oscillation#English

(astronautics) Ellipsis of pogo oscillation, a dangerous condition where fluctuations in the thrust and acceleration produced by a rocket engine generate variations in the flow of fuel to the engine, amplifying the fluctuations of thrust and acceleration in a positive feedback cycle that can eventually tear the vehicle apart.


pogo stick

An acronym of the surnames of German inventors Max Pohlig and Ernst Gottschall, trademarked.

An internal cargo handling winch and “pogo stick” are provided for handling cargo inside the main cargo area.

1959, Aviation Storekeeper 3 & 2, United States. Bureau of Naval Personnel, page 394:

(aviation, informal) Synonym of tailstand.


liftoff

liftoffs (plural)
lift-off (alternative)

we have liftoff [in narration of launches]

(aerospace) The point in the launch of a rocket or an aircraft where it leaves contact with the ground.

излитане

the point in the launch of a rocket or an aircraft where it leaves contact with the ground


strap-on

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(astronautics) Of a booster rocket, that is mounted on the outside of a launch vehicle (typically around the first stage) to provide an additional boost at lift-off, ultimately separating after the first few minutes of ascent.


strap-on

→ Greek: στραπόν (strapón)

→ Russian: страпо́н (strapón)

→ Swedish: strap-on

→ Turkish: strapon

→ Ukrainian: страпо́н (strapón)

As a standalone booster, according to Pentagon officials, it could be used to put the smaller reusable spaceplane into orbit. But its more innovative use will be as strap-ons for the larger shuttle.

1987 March, James Schefter, “The Other Shuttles”, in Popular Science, volume 230, number 3, →ISSN, page 76:


(aviation) zero-zero, a term meaning no ceiling and no visibility


touch-and-go landing

touch-and-go landing (plural touch-and-go landings)

(aviation) A landing on a runway immediately followed by a takeoff without an intervening full stop.


AOC

(aviation) Initialism of air operator's certificate.


helipad

(aviation) A small landing place for helicopters, denoted by a large "H".


cockpit voice recorder

cockpit voice recorder (plural cockpit voice recorders)

(aviation) A flight recorder which records the audio environment in the flight deck of an aircraft.

rečevój registrátor peregovórov v kabíne ekipáža

речево́й регистра́тор перегово́ров в каби́не экипа́жа

rečovýj rejestrátor perehovóriv u kabini ekipážu

речови́й реєстра́тор перегово́рів у кабіні екіпа́жу


flight data recorder

flight data recorder (plural flight data recorders)

(aviation) A device which records various performance parameters of an aircraft; designed to survive severe impact and fire to help in finding the causes of an accident.

飛行記錄器 /飞行记录器

a device which records various performance parameters of an aircraft


pyrogen

(astronautics) Any substance characterized by great flammability, typically used to coat electric matches.


blue room

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Phyllis Ash was working a flight where the smooth routine was suddenly interrupted by a ten-year-old boy who went to the "blue room" (toilet) and proceeded to get his penis stuck in his zipper.

1980, Robert J. Serling, From the captain to the colonel, page 423:

[…] they intended to use the “blue room”, or lavatory.

2019, Colin C. Law, A Flight Attendant's Essential Guide, page 4:

(aviation, slang) The toilet/washroom on a passenger aircraft.


roll rate

(aeronautics) The rate at which an aircraft can change its roll attitude, typically expressed in degrees per second


banking

banking (countable and uncountable, plural bankings)


bird dog

en-verb

bird dog (third-person singular simple present bird dogs, present participle bird dogging, simple past and past participle bird dogged)

bird dogs (present singular third-person)
bird dogging (participle present)
bird dogged (participle past)
bird dogged (past)
bird-dog (alternative)
birddog (alternative)

United States Department of Defense Air Land Sea Application Center

(aviation, military, slang) A multiservice tactical brevity code requesting configuration of sensors.


nosedive

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(aviation) A drop in altitude with the nose of the craft angled downwards.

pystysyöksy

aviation: drop in altitude with nose angled downwards


greaser

From grease + -er. Applied to mechanics because they frequently become greasy during the course of their work. Applied to toughs because they frequently greased their hair, and, like greaseball, to Italians for the same reason. Applied to Mexicans because, at the time the phrase originated, they commonly worked greasing the axles of carts.


DH

(aviation) Initialism of decision height.


calm wind

(US, aviation) Wind that is slower than 3 knots.


SSP

(aerospace) Abbreviation of space solar power or space-based solar power.


nonrev

Short for nonrevenue, as they do not pay for their tickets.

(aviation, travel, informal) Pertaining to nonrevenue travel taken by airline employees.


nonrev

nonrevs (plural)
non rev (alternative)
non-rev (alternative)

(aviation, travel, informal) An airline employee flying as a passenger.


LDA

en-noun

LDA (countable and uncountable, plural LDAs)

localizer type directional aid
w:localizer type directional aid

(aviation) Initialism of localizer type directional aid.


DSN

(space science, NASA) Initialism of Deep Space Network.


switchback

The noun is derived from switch (“to turn (a train) from one railway track to another using a switch”, verb) + back (“so as to reverse direction and return”, adverb).
The verb is derived from the noun.

compound

(aviation) A flight path consisting of a series of steep ascents and descents, generally flown as a stunt.


greenhouse cockpit

en-noun

greenhouse cockpit (plural greenhouse cockpits)

(slang, aviation) A distinctive style of cockpit with numerous windows, rather than simply the front windscreen, as seen on such types as the Lancaster and Stirling bombers.


RTL

(aviation) Initialism of rudder travel limiter.


boneyard

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B-52s in a boneyard

a 440 V-8 from the boneyard

Or what is conveyed to those unversed in railway matters by reports following a shed visit that "the frame of Claud Hamilton lay in the boneyard and had many endearing messages of farewell chalked on it"?

1951 April, R. S. McNaught, “Railway Enthusiasts”, in Railway Magazine, number 600, page 269:

The “Boneyard” is a place of antiques and historic symbolism, a burial ground for aircraft.

1999, Naval Aviation News, volumes 82-83, page 37:

Beginning in December 1969, the entire fleet was retired to the “boneyard” at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona.

2017, William A. Flanagan, Aviation Records in the Jet Age:

(aviation, automotive, slang) A dumpsite for obsolete or unusable aircraft etc; a junkyard.