CAPCOM

CAPCOMs (plural)
capcom (alternative)
Capcom (alternative)

Normally, the Capcom was a fellow astronaut. At Mission Control in Mission Elapsed Time 6:37, the man sitting at the fourth Houston seat in the second row of consoles at Mission Control was Capcom Michael Collins, who had been scrubbed from this very mission due to the occurrence of a bone spur on his spine.

2013, David West Reynolds, Wally Schirra, Gene Cernan, Apollo: The Epic Journey to the Moon, 1963-1972, Zenith Imprint, →ISBN, page 103:

“Apex One here. Do you read, Capcom?” Dad's voice said, “I read. Do you have the package?” “Roger that, Capcom. Let's do this thing.” When I'd rendezvoused with Tinkerbell, we'd done it in stages, adjusting location, velocities, and headings until I'd gotten a visual.

2014, Steven Gould, Exo: A Jumper Novel, Macmillan, →ISBN:

capsule communicator
capsule communicator#English

(US, astronautics) Clipping of capsule communicator; a NASA position, the liaison between an in-space crew and mission control.


OMS

en-noun

OMS (countable and uncountable, plural OMS's or OMSes)

(aerospace, countable) Initialism of orbital manoeuvering system: NASA terminology for orbital maneuvering rockets.


SRB

(astronautics, space science) Initialism of solid rocket booster, NASA term for booster rockets which use solid rocket fuel, which provide additional thrust to a main rocket.


ACMI lease

ACMI is an initialism of aircraft, crew, maintenance and insurance.


pushrod

pushrods (plural)
push rod (alternative)

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

On 17 August 2005, a Saab 2000, at the ramp, with controls locked, was subjected to jet blast of around 126 kt (233 km/h) from a passing B747. This resulted in the bending of the left aileron control pushrod, causing it to fail at the time of takeoff. The crew had to make an emergency landing.

2013 May 7, Bureau d'Enquêtes et d'Analyses pour la sécurité de l'aviation civile, “1.16.9.5: Known events”, in Report: Accident on 9 August 2007 off the coast of Moorea (French Polynesia) to the DHC6-300 registered F-OIQI operated by Air Moorea, archived from the original on 2021-01-31, page 55:

mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering

(mechanical engineering) A rigid reciprocating rod that, by its movement, transmits force to actuate a mechanism.

(aviation) A rod used in the transmission of flight control inputs to an aircraft's control surfaces.


UAV

(aviation) Initialism of unmanned aerial vehicle or uncrewed aerial vehicle: an aircraft with no onboard pilot, and sometimes completely unpiloted, that is capable of controlled, sustained, level flight.


LOI

en-noun

LOI (countable and uncountable, plural LOIs)

(US, space science) Initialism of lunar orbit insertion: NASA terminology for a spacecraft maneuver to enter into orbit around the Moon.


integrity

integrity (countable and uncountable, plural integrities)

/ɪnˈtɛɡɹəti/

/ɪnˈtɛɡɹɪti/

Borrowed from Middle French intégrité, from Latin integritās (“soundness, integrity”), from integer. Doublet of entirety.

der

(aviation) The ability of systems to provide timely warnings to users when they should not be used for navigation.


RAD

(NASA, space science) Initialism of Radiation Assessment Detector, a scientific instrument of the Mars Science Laboratory onboard the Curiosity rover at Mars.


GMDSS

(nautical, aviation) Initialism of Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (an international set of safety procedures, equipment types, and communication protocols).


VTVL

(astronautics) Initialism of vertical takeoff and vertical landing.


digital target

(aviation) A computer-generated symbol representing an aircraft's position, based on a primary return or radar beacon reply, shown on a digital display.


digitized target

en-noun

digitized target (plural digitized targets)

(aviation) A computer-generated indication shown on an analog display resulting from a primary radar return or a radar beacon.


flight line

(aviation) The precise movement of a civil photogrammetric aircraft along a predetermined course at a predetermined altitude during the actual photographic run.

(aviation) The area of an airfield where aircraft may be parked and serviced, including hangars, but not including taxiways or runways.


afterbody

afterbodies (plural)
after body (alternative)

After two minutes of aerodynamic breaking — now some 400 kilometres below the entry interface, and with the probe having slowed to the speed of sound — a mortar was programmed to deploy the small drogue into the slipstream, and once the drogue had slowed the probe to 430 kilometres per hour the afterbody shield was to be released so that the 2.5-metre wide dacron main parachute could be deployed.

2000, David M. Harland, chapter 6, in Jupiter odyssey: the story of NASA's Galileo mission, →ISBN, page 105:

However, turbulent flow along the vehicle afterbody can under some conditions produce a comparable or greater heat flux.

2004, Michael Douglas Griffin, James R. French, chapter 6, in Space vehicle design, →ISBN, page 299:

(astronautics) A section or piece of a launch vehicle, rocket, or spacecraft that enters the atmosphere unprotected behind the nose cone or other body that is protected for entry.


TTSN

(aviation) Initialism of total time since new: the duration of time for which an aircraft has been in active use since its manufacture.


onwing

(aviation) On the wing(s) of an aircraft.


RHU

radioisotope heater unit
radioisotope heater unit#English

(space science, robotics) Initialism of radioisotope heater unit, a device that generates heat from the natural decay of radioactive material.


cumulogranite

"That cumulogranite might've just put the fear of God into that squid pilot chasing us," the OSO reminded him.

(aviation, slang) Solid terrain, such as mountains, obscured by clouds and thus posing a risk to the pilot of an aircraft.


medical examiner

medical examiner (plural medical examiners)

medical examiners (plural)
ME (alternative)

aviation medical examiner
medical examiner

(aviation) A physician who examines pilots to ensure that they are medically fit to fly.


solar sail

(astronautics) A sail-like structure on a spacecraft consisting of very large ultrathin mirrors, with propulsion being achieved by the radiation pressure of light from a star or laser.


light sail

light sails (plural)
lightsail (alternative)


fenestron

Borrowed from French fenestron (“small window”), ultimately from Latin fenestra (“window”).

(aviation) A protected tail rotor of a helicopter, operating like a ducted fan.


FQI

(aviation) Initialism of fuel quantity indicator.


plasmasonic

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

(of a speed, aeronautics) far enough above the speed of sound as to cause ionization of the air through shock heating deriving from the sonic shockwave, with resultant radio blackout, and plasma sheath surrounding the object travelling at speed


PAPA

(aviation) Acronym of Parallax Aircraft Parking Aid.


LEM

(US, space science) Originally Lunar Excursion Module, latterly Lunar Module.


LM

(astronautics) Initialism of liquid methane.


SPS

(aviation) Initialism of stall protection/prevention system.

(electricity) Initialism of solar power station.

(aerospace) Initialism of solar power satellite.

Initialism of solar power station.
Initialism of solar power satellite.

(aerospace) Initialism of satellite power system.


SPS

Service Propulsion System
w:Service Propulsion System

(US, aerospace, astronautics) Initialism of Service Propulsion System.


rocketplane

(aviation) Alternative spelling of rocket plane.


RCAF

Royal Canadian Air Force
w:Royal Canadian Air Force

(Canada, military, aviation) Initialism of Royal Canadian Air Force.


CAF

(Canada, military, aviation, historical) Initialism of Canadian Air Force, predecessor of the Royal Canadian Air Force


PCA

(aviation) Abbreviation of propulsion controlled aircraft (system/unit), an aircraft with a control system with two or more engines arrayed abreast, allowing descent, ascent, turns by adjusting the throttle control to the engines (sometimes used attributively).


afterburning

(aviation) The injection of extra fuel into a jet engine downstream of the turbines in order to achieve extra thrust.


backout

(aerospace) A reversed countdown (i.e. ascending numbers) in response to problems leading up to a launch.


trial balloon

trial balloons (plural)
trial-balloon (alternative)

Calque of French ballon d’essai (“small balloon released into the sky to determine the direction and tendency of winds in the upper air before a manned ascent in a larger balloon; (figuratively) prospective action to test acceptance”): ballon (“balloon”), essai (“trial, try; assay”).

calque

For many weeks in succession the little trial balloons thrown up to show the course of the wind were driven back upon the shores of France.

1870, F[ulgence] Marion, “The Necrology of Aeronautics”, in Wonderful Balloon Ascents: Or, The Conquest of the Skies. A History of Balloons and Balloon Voyages. From the French (Illustrated Library of Wonders), New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner & Co., →OCLC, page 183:

A small trial balloon was then sent up and its course followed by a thousand eyes. In one bound it flew against the bell-tower of the town-house, then rose again and made directly for the Northern Ocean.

1872 August, “Travels in the Air. Concluding Paper.”, in Lippincott’s Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, volume X, Philadelphia, Pa.: J[oshua] B[allinger] Lippincott and Co., →OCLC, page 147, column 2:

In the same year the brothers Montgolfier were carrying on their experiments at Annonay. Their first serviceable balloon—the outcome of various attempts—was made of linen and lined with paper. [...] The excitement caused by the new-fangled machine soon spread to Paris, where many scientific men turned their attention to the subject. Among them was M. [Jacques] Charles, who was led to experiment with hydrogen. He manufactured a small trial balloon of silk, which he covered with an elastic varnish, and he had the satisfaction of seeing it rise up in the air, until it disappeared in the clouds.

[1877], T. C. Hepworth, “Voyages in Cloudland”, in Robert Brown, editor, Science for All, London, Paris, New York, N.Y.: Cassell, Petter, Galpin & Co., →OCLC, page 55:

That day, in order to get a little recreation, Pierre drove out to the village of Vorontsovo to see a great air-balloon, which Leppich had built for the destruction of the enemy, and a trial balloon, which was to be let off on the next day.

1889, Lyof N[ikolayevich] Tolstoï [i.e., Leo Tolstoy], chapter XVIII, in Nathan Haskell Dole, transl., War and Peace […] In Four Volumes, volume III, New York, N.Y.: Thomas Y[oung] Crowell & Co. […], →OCLC, part second, page 195:

Whenever a balloon ascension is to take place M. Rampont, at the Hôtel des Postes, hastens to send off a few trial balloons for the purpose of ascertaining the course of the wind. When the direction is unfavorable the departure is postponed; on the contrary when it is favorable, orders are sent immediately to the station at which the ascension is to take place.

1892, Robert Lowry Sibbet, “Paris, December 26th, 1870”, in The Siege of Paris by an American Eye-witness … In Three Parts, Harrisburg, Pa.: Meyers Printing and Publishing House, →OCLC, 2nd part (During the Siege), page 319:

(aeronautics, historical) A small balloon released into the sky to determine the direction and tendency of winds in the upper air before a manned ascent in a larger balloon; a ballon d'essai.


ERV

en-noun

ERV (countable and uncountable, plural ERVs)

Earth return vehicle
Earth return vehicle#English

(countable, astronautics, space flight) Initialism of Earth return vehicle.


interplane

interplane strut

(aviation) Between the planes (wings) of a biplane or multiplane.


intercontinental ballistic missile

intercontinental ballistic missile (plural intercontinental ballistic missiles)

intercontinental ballistic missiles (plural)
ICBM (alternative initialism)

From intercontinental + ballistic missile.

(military, astronautics) A class of long-range missiles associated especially with carrying nuclear warheads.

междуконтинентална балистична ракета

a class of long-range missiles associated especially with carrying nuclear warheads (ICBM)

大陸間弾道ミサイル

たいりくかんだんどうミサイル

межконтинента́льная баллисти́ческая раке́та


GIB

You undoubtedly know that each F-4 Phantom jet carried two pilots in separate, tandem cockpits. Major Dennis Harper was the frontseater and was the AC or Aircraft Commander. Jim was the backseater or the GIB.

2002, Lynda Twyman Paffrath, Angels Unknown, San Mateo, C.A.: Lightbourne Books, →ISBN, page 257:

When I originally checked out in the airplane, we got a few orientation rides in the backseat to familiarize us with the systems, but I was not very knowledgeable about all their intricacies. I came to have a much better appreciation of what the GIBs had to put up with in the back.

2007, Mike McCarthy, Phantom Reflections: The Education of an American Fighter Pilot in Vietnam, Westport, C.T., Lonton: Praeger Security International, →ISBN, page 154:

(aviation, slang) Initialism of guy in back (someone who sits in the back of a jet).


LSO

landing signal officer
w:landing signal officer

(aviation, nautical, military) Initialism of landing signal officer.


MDA

MDA (countable and uncountable, plural MDAs)

minimum descent altitude
minimum descent altitude#English

(aviation) Initialism of minimum descent altitude.


MSR

Mars Sample Return mission
w:Mars sample return mission

(space science, US, NASA) Initialism of Mars Sample Return mission.


SLV

(astronautics) Abbreviation of space launch vehicle.

(astronautics) Abbreviation of satellite launch vehicle.


TGO

(ESA, Roscosmos, space science) Initialism of Trace Gas Orbiter, an atmosphere research orbiter send in 2016 by the ESA/Roscosmos collaborative project to Mars (ExoMars).


TEL

(automotive, aviation, organic chemistry) tetraethyllead (or tetraethyl lead, tetra-ethyl lead); a gasoline additive to boost octane rating

(astronautics, military) Initialism of transporter erector launcher.


gas generator

(aerospace) A mechanical device that uses a chemical reaction to produce a gas as an output.


chemical rocket

chemical rocket (plural chemical rockets)

(astronautics) a rocket that uses a chemical reaction of its propellants to generate its gaseous exhaust


flow control

(aviation, US) The practice of holding aircraft on the ground in anticipation of congestion at destination airspace and airports.


flightworthy

en-adj

flightworthy (comparative more flightworthy, superlative most flightworthy)

more flightworthy (comparative)
most flightworthy (superlative)


F/O

(military, aviation) Abbreviation of flying officer.


CCM

en-noun

CCM (countable and uncountable, plural CCMs)

(aeronautics) Initialism of Cabin Crew Member (“cabin crew, flight attendant”).


on base

The Piper was on base for a landing on runway 9.

(aviation) Flying the base leg of an approach.


RTF

(aviation) Initialism of return to flight.


short finals

(aviation) The last section of an aircraft's approach to a runway.


Saturn V

From Saturn + V (“five”, Roman numeral), being the fifth major moon going outward from the planet, after Mimas, Enceladus, Tethys, and Dione.

(astronautics) A US moonshot rocket from the 1960s and 70s

(astronautics) Centaur upper-stage rocket


localizer

localizers (plural)
localiser (alternative)
localizor (alternative)

instrument landing system
instrument landing system

(aviation) The component of an instrument landing system that provides runway centerline guidance to aircraft, but not glideslope information.


APU

auxiliary power unit
auxiliary power unit#English

(aviation) Initialism of auxiliary power unit.


RPP

(aviation, Canada) Initialism of recreational pilot permit.


autorotation

autorotation (countable and uncountable, plural autorotations)

(aviation) The rotation of the blades of a helicopter driven solely by the action of ascending air

autorotazione

rotation of the blades of a helicopter by ascending air


deadstick

en-verb

deadstick (third-person singular simple present deadsticks, present participle deadsticking, simple past and past participle deadsticked)

deadsticks (present singular third-person)
deadsticking (participle present)
deadsticked (participle past)
deadsticked (past)
dead stick (alternative)
dead-stick (alternative)

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

(aviation) To land an aircraft without power.


deadstick

dead stick (alternative)
dead-stick (alternative)

(aviation) Describing the landing of an aircraft with no power from the engines.


semirigid

semirigids (plural)
semi-rigid (alternative)

Semirigids were less expensive to build than rigids, and could be laid flat when deflated, making them much more convenient to store or transport long distances, while a semirigid's internal structural reinforcement allowed it to be built larger than a nonrigid and to fly faster without buckling or telescoping.

(aviation) An airship or dirigible which maintains its shape using a combination of internal pressure and a rigid structural framework.


GSA

(aviation, travel) Initialism of general sales agreement, a contact between an airline and a travel company to provide customer service in a region where the airline does not have an office.


EAS

470 kts is a known engineering constraint. The FCS is certified to 333 kts. However, a Loss of Control (LOC) will probably not occur unless the EAS is in excess of 470 kts, which will lead to an LOC due to over-gained and under-damped FCS gains.

2007 February 14, NASA, “1.4.2 Black Zones”, in Contingency Aborts 21007/31007, archived from the original on 2021-02-26, page 13:

equivalent airspeed
equivalent airspeed#English

(aviation) Initialism of equivalent airspeed.


Sukhoi

From Russian Сухо́й (Suxój), from сухо́й (suxój, “dry”).

(aviation) A Russian aircraft manufacturer.


SEAT

(US, aviation, firefighting) Acronym of single-engine air tanker.


go-around

After the autopilot was disconnected, the aircraft drifted above the glide path, and twice the captain coached the first officer to get the aircraft down to the glide path. The first officer reduced thrust in response to the captain’s first mention to get the aircraft down, and he reduced thrust to idle at about 80 feet agl. Moments later, the captain, aware that the aircraft was left of the centre line but not knowing the distance travelled down the runway, and not sure that a safe landing could be made, ordered a go-around, which the first officer acknowledged. The thrust levers were advanced, the first officer selected the go-around mode for the flight director, and he started to increase the pitch of the aircraft to the command bar indications, 10 degrees nose up. About one second after the first officer acknowledged the go-around, the stick shaker (stall warning) activated.

1999 April 15, Transportation Safety Board of Canada, “1.1 History of the Flight”, in Aviation Investigation Report A97H0011, Loss of Control on Go-around (Rejected Landing), Air Canada Canadair CL-600-2B19 C-FSKI, Fredericton Airport, New Brunswick, 16 December 1997, archived from the original on 2024-05-25, page 1:

(aviation) An abort of a final approach where the pilot circles the airport to make another attempt at landing.


combined cycle

(aeronautics) using multiple propulsion techniques in an interlinked synergistic way to give improved performance


stationkeeping

If you are using the night vision goggles they can aid in formation flight/stationkeeping.

1974, United States Army Aviation Digest, volume 20, page 15:

(aviation) The flying of aircraft in formation.


wingsuit

(aviation) A special jumpsuit, used in extreme sports like a parachute, which adds surface area to the wearer's body to create lift.


tailwheel

(aviation) A wheel attached to the tail of an aircraft that supports it when on the ground.


derotation

en-noun

derotation (countable and uncountable, plural derotations)

(aviation, rare) The lowering of an aircraft's nose gear to the runway following touchdown on the main gear during landing.


zero-zero

Test vehicles used during this extensive programme were a launching stand for the zero-zero ejections...

Both cockpits were enclosed under a large canopy and both crew sat on zero-zero ejector seats.

1988, René J. Francillon, McDonnell Douglas aircraft since 1920:

To lessen these forces, as well as achieve zero-zero seat capability—the ability to eject while sitting motionless on the ground—rocket sustainers were added.

2002, Walter J. Boyne, Air warfare: an international encyclopedia: Volume 1, page 190:

(aviation, military) Pertaining to the ejection of the occupant of an aircraft from a grounded stationary position (i.e. zero altitude and zero airspeed).

Category IIIc ILS would enable landings in true zero-zero conditions (where the pilots can see nothing, not even the surface of the runway they're on), but the problem of blind taxiing - a necessary capability in order to make use of ILS-IIIc - remains unsolved.

(aviation) Pertaining to weather conditions of zero ceiling and zero visibility (i.e., opaque cloud all the way down to ground level), or to aircraft operations in such conditions.


CSM

command and service module
command and service module#English

(aerospace) Initialism of command and service module.


LHX

light helicopter
light helicopter#English

(US, military, aviation) Initialism of light helicopter - experimental.


JSF

(aviation, military, US) Initialism of Joint Strike Fighter.


F/A

(US, military, aviation) fighter and attack aircraft (prefix)


VNE

(aviation) Initialism of velocity never exceed.


paper ticket

(travel, aviation) A conventional airline ticket, consisting of a coupon for each flight together with other administration coupons.


readback

Deverbal from read back, as in read that back to me, please.

(aviation, telecommunications) The repetition of a message one has received, in order to acknowledge it and to demonstrate accurate comprehension (especially of commands).


no-fly list

no-fly lists (plural)
no fly list (alternative)

The no-fly list created by U.S. authorities, which singles out passengers who are potential terrorist threats, is the target of frequent criticism that it's incomplete and unreliable.

2005 April 18, Timothy J. Burger, “Extending the No-Fly Zone”, in Time:

(law, aviation) A confidential list containing the names of people who are not permitted to board an aircraft, prepared by government authorities in various jurisdictions and distributed to commercial airlines.


planform

(aviation) The shape and layout of a fixed-wing aircraft's fuselage and wing.


phugoid

The adjective is a learned borrowing from Ancient Greek φῠγή (phŭgḗ, “fleeing, flight; escape; retreat”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰewg- (“to flee”)) + English -oid (suffix meaning ‘having the likeness of, resembling’, forming adjectives and nouns). The word was coined by the British aerodynamicist and engineer Frederick W. Lanchester (1868–1946) in his book Aerodonetics (1908), the author mistaking the meaning of φῠγή (phŭgḗ) to be “flight” in the sense of “the act of flying”: see the quotations.
The noun is derived from the adjective.

nb...

􂀿...􂁀 With Appendices on the Theory and Application of the Gyroscope, on the Flight of Projectiles, etc.

The Phugoid theory deals with the longitudinal stability, and the form and equations of the flight path of an aerodone.

1908, F[rederick] W[illiam] Lanchester, “The Phugoid Theory—The Equations of the Flight Path”, in Aerodonetics: Constituting the Second Volume of a Complete Work on Aerial Flight […], London: Archibald Constable & Co. […], →OCLC, § 18 (Introductory), page 37:

(aeronautics, aviation) Of the motion of an aircraft, missile, or other flying object: continuously oscillating in a vertical plane due to the object pitching up and climbing, thus slowing down; then pitching down and descending, thus speeding up.

fugoidi-

of the motion of an aircraft, missile, or other flying object: continuously oscillating in a vertical plane


phugoid

As the amplitude of the phugoid is increased beyond the limits of the semicircle, there is a rapid shortening of the time period as shown by the manner in which the time curve falls away almost immediately after that critical form of flight path is passed. […] [I]f we select phugoids of greater and greater velocity, for a given aerodone the form of the tumbler curve approximates more and more closely to a circle of radius #61;2H#95;n.

1908, F[rederick] W[illiam] Lanchester, “The Phugoid Theory—The Flight Path Plotted”, in Aerodonetics: Constituting the Second Volume of a Complete Work on Aerial Flight […], London: Archibald Constable & Co. […], →OCLC, § 35 (The Time Period and Form of the Phugoid Path. Special Cases (continued).), page 63:

As well as physical debris, the report drew on recent analysis by Australian defense scientists of burst frequency signals from Flight 370 to satellites that indicated the aircraft had been descending fast, likely in an automated series of swooping dives called fugoids.

2016 November 2, Rob Taylor, “Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 likely in steep dive before crash”, in The Wall Street Journal, New York, N.Y.: Dow Jones & Company, →ISSN, →OCLC, archived from the original on 2023-03-26:

(aeronautics, aviation) The motion of an aircraft, missile, or other flying object continuously oscillating in a vertical plane due to the object pitching up and climbing, thus slowing down; then pitching down and descending, thus speeding up.


Pixie

(informal, aviation, travel) Air Niugini


RMI

radio magnetic indicator
radio magnetic indicator#English

(aviation) Abbreviation of radio magnetic indicator.


RMI

Remote Micro Imager
w:Curiosity (rover)#Instruments

(space science, NASA) Abbreviation of Remote Micro Imager.


OTA

en-noun

OTA (countable and uncountable, plural OTAs)

(travel, aviation) Initialism of online travel agency/agent.

(aviation) Initialism of on-time arrival.


TLI

trans-lunar injection
trans-lunar injection#English

(space science) Initialism of trans-lunar injection.


GTO

geostationary transfer orbit
geostationary transfer orbit#English

(space science) Abbreviation of geostationary transfer orbit.


LLO

LLO (countable and uncountable, plural LLOs)

(space science) Initialism of low lunar orbit.


low cost carrier

low cost carrier (plural low cost carriers)

low cost carriers (plural)
low-cost carrier (alternative)
LCC (alternative)

(aviation, travel) An airline that sells very inexpensive tickets but which does not provide (or charges for) typical services like meals or the carriage of baggage.

格安航空会社

かくやすこうくうがいしゃ


STOLport

(aviation) An airport designed for STOL or short-field operations.


PAT

PAT (countable and uncountable, plural PATs)

priority air traffic
priority air traffic#English

(US, military, aviation) Initialism of priority air traffic.


VTHL

(astronautics) Initialism of vertical takeoff and horizontal landing.


HTOL

(aviation) Initialism of horizontal takeoff and landing.


ADS

(aviation) Initialism of automatic dependent surveillance.


VSS

(aviation, space science) Virgin SpaceShip — spaceship prefix for Virgin Galactic spacelines


VMS

(aviation, space science) Initialism of Virgin Mothership, used by Virgin Galactic spacelines.


mogas

mogas (countable and uncountable, plural mogases or mogasses)

(aviation) Automotive gasoline suitable for use in some piston-engined gasoline powered aircraft.


autogas

autogas (countable and uncountable, plural autogases or autogasses)

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

(US, Canada, aviation) Automotive gasoline suitable for use in piston-engined gasoline-powered aircraft.


ekranoplan

ekranoplans (plural)
ekranoplane (alternative)

Borrowed from Russian экранопла́н (ekranoplán), itself derived from экра́н (ekrán, “screen”) as used in экранный эффе́кт (ekrannyj effékt, “ground effect”), from French écran, + the root of French planer (“to glide, to hover”).

ground-effect vehicle
ground-effect vehicle

(aviation, nautical) a ground-effect vehicle


ekranoplane

(aviation, nautical) Alternative spelling of ekranoplan.


WIG

(aviation, nautical) Initialism of wing-in-ground.


WISE

(aviation, nautical) Acronym of wing-in-surface effect.


WISE

Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer
w:Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer

(space science, US) Acronym of Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (“a NASA infrared-wavelength astronomical space telescope that performed an all-sky astronomical survey with images in 3-22 μm wavelength bands”).


wave off

en-verb

wave off (third-person singular simple present waves off, present participle waving off, simple past and past participle waved off)

waves off (present singular third-person)
waving off (participle present)
waved off (participle past)
waved off (past)

(aviation, nautical, military) Of an aircraft carrier landing signal officer, to signal a pilot to go around.


(military, aviation, US) Misspelling of P-3.


groundcrew

groundcrews (plural)
ground crew (alternative)

(aviation) The crew that handles and maintains aircraft on the ground.


MIG

(aviation) Misspelling of MiG (aircraft).


ADF

(aviation) Initialism of automatic direction finder.


PTOL

(aviation) Acronym of point takeoff and landing.


plating carrier

en-noun

plating carrier (plural plating carriers)

From the plates, shaped like a credit card with a raised airline name, formerly used when paper tickets were issued.

(aviation, travel industry) The airline that a ticket has been issued on behalf of.


shipset

(aerospace) The full complement of parts of a system required to equip an individual aerospace vehicle.


dive bomber

(aviation, historical) A bomber aircraft that dives directly at its target in order to drop a bomb with greater accuracy.


FOHE

(aviation) Initialism of fuel oil heat exchanger: a heat exchanger that uses hot oil to heat fuel, used to prevent sensitive fuel-line components from freezing or being clogged with ice.


ACARS

(aviation) Acronym of aircraft communications addressing and reporting system.


NTR

nuclear thermal rocket
w:nuclear thermal rocket

(astronautics) Initialism of nuclear thermal rocket.


probe-and-drogue

(aeronautics) Pertaining to a method of aerial refuelling whereby a probe from the receiving aircraft fits into a trailing hose with drogue attachment from a tanker aircraft.

(astronautics) Pertaining to a method of docking spacecraft.


coterminal

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

(aviation) One of a number of terminals or airports which are interchangeable for the purposes of ticketing.


lazy eight

lazy eights (plural)
lazy 8 (alternative)

(aviation) An aerobatic maneuver consisting of 1/4 looping up, wingover (left or right), 1/2 looping down+up, wingover (right or left), 1/4 looping down.


FLPP

w:Future Launchers Preparatory Programme

(space science) Initialism of Future Launchers Preparatory Programme.


UAT

UAT (countable and uncountable, plural UATs)

(aviation) Abbreviation of universal access transceiver.


SST

SST (countable and uncountable, plural SSTs)

Here he found a selection of French crèmes fraîches at prices implying transport via SST.

2001, Jonathan Franzen, The Corrections:

supersonic transport
w:supersonic transport

(aviation) Initialism of supersonic transport.


SST

Spitzer Space Telescope
w:Spitzer Space Telescope

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


C of A

certificate of airworthiness
certificate of airworthiness#English

(aviation) Initialism of certificate of airworthiness.


VLOC

(aviation) Abbreviation of VOR/Localizer.

(aviation, travel) Abbreviation of vendor locator.


ULCC

ultra low cost carrier
ultra low cost carrier#English

(aviation) Abbreviation of ultra low cost carrier.


CWT

(aviation) Initialism of center wing tank (a fuel tank located in the fuselage between an aircraft's wings).


NOTAM

Translingual: NOTAM

French: NOTAM

(aviation) Abbreviation of notice to airmen or (gender-neutral) notice to air missions, to inform pilots of hazards.


AFF

(aviation, parachuting) Initialism of accelerated freefall.


rockoon

(aviation, astronautics) A rocket, powered by solid fuel, that is not lit while on the ground but first carried into the upper atmosphere by a gas-filled balloon, then separated from the balloon and automatically ignited to allow it to achieve a higher altitude.


PAPI

PAPI (countable and uncountable, plural PAPIs)

precision approach path indicator#English

(countable, aviation) Acronym of precision approach path indicator.


MCA

MCA (countable and uncountable, plural MCAs)

minimum crossing altitude
w:minimum crossing altitude

(aviation) Initialism of minimum crossing altitude.


SLD

supercooled large droplet
supercooled large droplet#English

(meteorology, aviation) Initialism of supercooled large droplet.


sailcraft

sailcraft (countable and uncountable, plural sailcraft or sailcrafts)

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

But a discussion paper published in 2006 by the Brookings Institution called for a much bigger commitment, with government prizes ranging from $15 million for an Earth-Moon solar sailcraft race to as much as $100 million a year for improvements in African agriculture. Mr. McCain’s own proposal for spurring development of alternative energy sources was foreshadowed by a bill introduced last year in Congress that would establish a prize for breakthroughs in the development of hydrogen power.

2008 June 29, George Johnson, “Eureka! Where Do I Cash the Check?”, in New York Times:

(astronautics) A spacecraft endowed with sail for propulsion purposes.


OPV

optionally piloted vehicle
optionally piloted vehicle#English

(military, aviation, US) Initialism of optionally piloted vehicle.


optionally piloted vehicle

optionally piloted vehicle (plural optionally piloted vehicles)

(US, military, aviation) An aircraft that may be manned or unmanned, able to function in either mode without modification.


antiair

anti-air (alternative)
anti air (alternative)

(military, aviation) Synonym of antiaircraft.


GEM

Graphite-Epoxy Motor
w:Graphite-Epoxy Motor

(astronautics) Acronym of Graphite-Epoxy Motor.


death spiral

“We call this getting yourself in a square corner, when you run out of ideas and experience at the same time,” said Mr. Barr, a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War. “[…] Even for a good pilot, that could produce a death spiral.”

1999 July 21, Mike Allen, Matthew L. Wald, “Maneuver by Kennedy's Plane Suggests He Was Disoriented”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:

(aviation) The downward, corkscrew-motion of a disabled aircraft which is unrecoverably headed for a crash.

syöksykierre

motion of an aircraft headed for a crash


graveyard spiral

graveyard spiral (plural graveyard spirals)


LHD

LHD (countable and uncountable, plural LHDs)

amphibious assault ship
amphibious assault ship

(nautical, military, aviation) Initialism of landing, helicopter, dock: A type of amphibious assault ship that has a dock for handling landing crafts, and a deck for handling helicopters.


SRV

suborbital reusable vehicle
suborbital reusable vehicle#English

(aviation) Initialism of suborbital reusable vehicle.


slow roll

slow rolls (plural)
slow-roll (alternative)
slowroll (alternative)

(aviation) A maneuver in which the aircraft makes a complete rotation around its roll axis while maintaining a straight and level flight path.


water landing

(aviation) An emergency landing in water, especially by aircraft not designed to land on water.


emergency landing

emergency landing (plural emergency landings)

(aviation) A sudden landing of an aircraft, made in case of an on-board emergency or another reason requiring an immediate landing.

迫降

landing made in an emergency — see also crash landing


final approach

final approach (plural final approaches)

(aviation) The last part of a landing before touchdown, involving a descending flight path directly in the direction of the runway.


tailstrike

(aviation) Unintended contact of the rear of an aircraft's fuselage with the ground during a takeoff or landing.


gravity drop

(aviation) The deployment of an aircraft's landing gear by the use of gravity.


belly landing

(aviation) A landing of an aircraft without the landing gear being deployed.


floatstick

(aviation) A device used to measure the fuel level on modern aircraft.


SLS

Space Launch System
Space Launch System#English

(space science, transport) Initialism of Space Launch System.

Space Launcher System
Space Launcher System#English

(space science, transport) Initialism of Space Launcher System.


crossfeed

crossfeeds (plural)
cross-feed (alternative)
xfeed (alternative)

(aviation, astronautics) The supplying of one fuel tank of an aircraft or rocket with fuel from another, or of an engine with fuel from a tank connected to a different engine.


crossfeed

en-verb

crossfeed (third-person singular simple present crossfeeds, present participle crossfeeding, simple past and past participle crossfed)

crossfeeds (present singular third-person)
crossfeeding (participle present)
crossfed (participle past)
crossfed (past)
cross-feed (alternative)
xfeed (alternative)

(aviation, astronautics) To supply one fuel tank of an aircraft or rocket with fuel from another, or an engine with fuel from a tank connected to a different engine.


Space Launch System

(transport, space science) A Shuttle-derived heavy launch vehicle being designed by NASA to replace the Space Shuttle.


explosive decompression

en-noun

explosive decompression (countable and uncountable, plural explosive decompressions)

(aviation, medicine) A situation where the ambient air pressure suddenly drops faster than the air in the lungs can escape, creating a risk of barotrauma to the lung tissue.


NPOESS

w:National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System

(space science) Initialism of National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System.


NPP

NPOESS Preparatory Project
w:NPOESS Preparatory Project

(space science) Initialism of NPOESS Preparatory Project.


decision height

decision height (plural decision heights)

(aviation) The height at which a pilot performing a precision approach must decide whether to land on the runway or to perform a go-around maneuver.


overgross

en-verb

overgross (third-person singular simple present overgrosses, present participle overgrossing, simple past and past participle overgrossed)

overgrosses (present singular third-person)
overgrossing (participle present)
overgrossed (participle past)
overgrossed (past)

/ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈɡɹəʊs/

Not a problem. Not enough weight to overgross the plane.

1999, Dana Stabenow, So Sure of Death, page 32:

Unalakleet was the only good fuel stop available as my outbound load from Kotzebue for that long leg was already far overgrossing my poor 145 h.p. Cessna 172.

2010, CloudDancer, Clouddancer's Alaskan Chronicles, Volume III: The Tragedies, →ISBN:

(aviation, transitive) To load (a plane) with too much weight, thereby impairing its ability to fly.


rejected takeoff

en-noun

rejected takeoff (plural rejected takeoffs)

(aviation) A takeoff of an aircraft which is aborted by the pilot.


rudderpost

(aviation) A vertical support on an aircraft's tail section, that connects the rudder to the vertical stabilizer.


unfeather

en-verb

unfeather (third-person singular simple present unfeathers, present participle unfeathering, simple past and past participle unfeathered)

unfeathers (present singular third-person)
unfeathering (participle present)
unfeathered (participle past)
unfeathered (past)

unfeather the propeller

(aviation) To disengage the controls that rotate the blades of a propeller perpendicular to the axis of the propeller.


thrust reverser

en-noun

thrust reverser (plural thrust reversers)

(aviation) A feature of modern aircraft that diverts the exhaust of the aircraft engines forward to function as a brake.


evacuation slide

evacuation slide (plural evacuation slides)

In case of an emergency, evacuation slides will inflate.

(aviation) An inflatable slide used to evacuate passengers from an aircraft.

hätäliukumäki

an inflatable slide used to evacuate passengers from an aircraft


overweather

/ˌəʊvə(ɹ)ˈwɛðə(ɹ)/

This quest for greater knowledge to be utilized in connection with its aircraft of the near future is to be sought through TWA's new experimental overweather laboratory plane.

1936, Flying Magazine, volume 19, number 6, page 35:

(aviation) Flying high enough to avoid storms and turbulence.


CSG

CSG (countable and uncountable, plural CSGs)

carrier strike group
carrier strike group#English

(military, nautical, aviation) Abbreviation of carrier strike group.

carrier surface group
carrier surface group#English

(military, nautical, aviation) Abbreviation of carrier surface group.

carrier surface assertion group
carrier surface assertion group#English

(military, nautical, aviation) Abbreviation of carrier surface assertion group.


special service requirement

special service requirement (plural special service requirements)

(aviation, travel industry) A request for special treatment for a passenger such as a special diet or mobility assistance, sent from an agent to an airline, to which a reply will be returned.

OSI

Similar, but not replied to by the airline


higher intermediate point

higher intermediate point (plural higher intermediate points)

(travel, aviation, fare construction) A place on an itinerary to which there is a higher fare than the destination or next fare break point.


higher intermediate fare

higher intermediate fare (plural higher intermediate fares)

(aviation, travel industry, fare construction) An airfare that is higher at a midpoint than the destination or next fare break point.


currency adjustment factor

currency adjustment factor (plural currency adjustment factors)

(travel industry, aviation) (Formerly, no longer in use) An IATA defined amount used to adjust Fare Construction Units in international airfare calculations.


NOTAR

(aviation) Acronym of no tail rotor, a helicopter anti-torque system which replaces the use of a tail rotor.


double open jaw

double open jaw (plural double open jaws)

(travel, aviation) A fare construction on a single return ticket where the origin and destination of the first flight are both different from the origin and destination on the return flight.


open jaw

(travel, aviation) A fare construction where the destination is not the same as the origin point for the return, or where the origin differs from the return destination.


MAP

MAP (countable and uncountable, plural MAPs)

missed approach point
missed approach point#English

(aviation) Initialism of missed approach point.


ground-effect vehicle

ground-effect vehicle (plural ground-effect vehicles)

(aviation, nautical) An aircraft that uses aerodynamic ground effect to attain level flight near the surface of water.


transient luminous event

transient luminous event (plural transient luminous events)

Transient luminous events can be another source of ionization in the upper atmosphere.

2010, Rafael Escribano Torres, Isabel Tanarro Onrubiay, Spectroscopy of the atmospheres, CSIC, page 34:

During World War II (and probably before), high flying pilots were reported to have observed unexplained aerial phenomena (UAP), often now called transient luminous events (TLE’s), particularly in the vicinity of thunderstorms.

2012, Don Lipman, “Red sprites, blue jets, and elves What are these mysterious, elusive phenomena?”, in The Washington Post:

Known as Transient Luminous Events (TLEs), these unusual features were first spotted by accident in 1989.

2018, Mary Halton, “Hunting mystery giant lightning from space”, in BBC News:

(astronomy, meteorology, aviation) Any of a variety of upper atmospheric optical phenomena associated with thunderstorms.


control tower

As he taxied out to the far side of the field, 38-year-old Captain Benton R. ("Lucky") Baldwin was cleared for takeoff. The control tower gave him his choice of two runways—No. 13 or No. 18.

1947 June 9, “National Affairs: Holocaust at LaGuardia”, in Time:

(aviation) An airport building from which the air traffic control unit monitors and directs the movement of aircraft on and around the airport.


nosegear

(aviation) An undercarriage or landing gear located underneath the nose of an aircraft.


QRH

(aviation) Abbreviation of quick reference handbook.


ALS

ALS (countable and uncountable, plural ALSs or ALSes)

(aviation, countable) Initialism of approach lighting system.


wheelbarrowing

(aviation) The loss of control caused by excessive forward pressure on the elevator control of an aeroplane with a nosewheel during takeoff or landing.


supermaneuverability

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

(aviation) The quality of aircraft defined as a threshold of attitude control exceeding that which is possible by pure aerodynamic maneuverability.


slam dunk approach

slam dunk approach (plural slam dunk approaches)

slam dunk approaches (plural)
slam-dunk approach (alternative)
slamdunk approach (alternative)

(aviation) a final approach whereupon the airplane intercepts the ILS glideslope from above, instead of as normally from below


slamdunk approach

slamdunk approach (plural slamdunk approaches)

slam dunk approach
slam dunk approach#English

(aviation) Alternative spelling of slam dunk approach.


slam-dunk approach

slam-dunk approach (plural slam-dunk approaches)


dogship

It is now planned to have complete drawing release for the pilot production AMCS units before the first missile is fired from any aircraft. (Initial firings will be from an A3 dogship).

1970, United States. Congress. Senate. Government Operations, TFX Contract Investigation:

The Sperry Gyroscope Company's DC-3 “dogship” proved the concept in test flights at the Sperry plant in Long Island, New York.

2005, Malcolm J. Abzug, E. Eugene Larrabee, Airplane Stability and Control, page 103:

After this, the Mikoyan OKB undertook a redesign of the fuel system; the changes were to be verified on the third production MiG-31, '201 Blue' (f/n 0102-01), a long-serving 'dogship'.

2011, Yefim Gordon, Dmitriy Komissarov, Flight Craft 8: Mikoyan MiG-31: Defender of the Homeland, page 16:

(aviation, informal) An experimental model of an aircraft.


industry discount

industry discount (plural industry discounts)

(aviation) A discounted air fare for airlines staff.


global indicator

global indicator (plural global indicators)

(aviation) A two-letter indicator used in fare construction to indicate the basic routing that the fare applies to.


NUC

neutral unit of construction
w:neutral unit of construction

(aviation, travel) Initialism of neutral unit of construction.


Automated Transfer Vehicle

Automated Transfer Vehicle (plural Automated Transfer Vehicles)

(transport, space science) An expendable unmanned resupply spacecraft developed by the European Space Agency.


SIGMET

Abbreviation of Significant Meteorological Information.

(meteorology, aviation) A weather advisory concerning the safety of all aircraft.


cocarde

Unadapted borrowing from French cocarde.

(aviation) Alternative form of cockade, an emblem on an airplane's wing indicating its nationality.


Kármán line

Named after Hungarian-American engineer Theodore von Kármán (1881–1963), who calculated this limit.

named-after

Karman line (alternative)
von Karman line (alternative)
von Kármán line (alternative)

As well as being important for aircraft and spacecraft, the Kármán line is useful for lawyers—the laws that govern space are not the same as the laws that govern Earth's atmosphere!

2020, Stephen Hawking, Lucy Hawking, Unlocking the Universe, Penguin UK, →ISBN:

The boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space, known as the Kármán line, has been a source of controversy for years.

2021 July 11, Sarah Betancourt, “Virgin Galactic to launch space plane with Richard Branson onboard”, in The Guardian:

As for what was worn during the Paris festivities, the dress code wasn’t specifically themed as Marie Antoinette – necklines did plunge deep, in the late 18th-century style, but hemlines had been guillotined somewhere near the Kármán line.

2025 May 20, Marina Hyde, “Was this a hen do or a humanitarian mission to liberate Paris? Either way, give Lauren Sánchez an award”, in The Guardian, →ISSN:

(aeronautics, astronomy) The altitude at which the atmosphere becomes too thin to support aerodynamic flight.


broken bird

He threw off his helmet, released himself from the belts, straps, hoses and wires and climbed down from the broken bird.

1999, Peter J. Azzole, Hell to Pay, iUniverse, →ISBN, page 58:

(aviation) An unflyable aircraft, particularly one that has been grounded or downed.


technical stop

The aircraft completed a nine hour flight to Athens, where a technical stop was made for refuelling. A Transit Check was completed and the aircraft departed for Jeddah in less than one hour. The aircraft arrived in Jeddah at about 0840 hours on 3 July.

1993 June, Presidency of Civil Aviation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, “1.17.8.4 Flight Schedule”, in McDonnell-Douglas DC-8-61, C-GMXQ, accident at King Abdulaziz International Airport, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on 11 July 1991, archived from the original on 2022-05-14:

w:International Civil Aviation Organization

(aviation) A stop performed for purposes other than loading or unloading traffic, such as refuelling, maintenance, or repairs.


SCA

Shuttle Carrier Aircraft
w:Shuttle Carrier Aircraft

(aeronautics) Initialism of Shuttle Carrier Aircraft.


Tripehound

From tripehound, from the similar sound to triplane. Referring to the informal name given by British and allied WW1 airmen to the German Fokker triplane.

(aviation, slang, dated) A Sopwith Triplane.


rollaboard

rollaboards (plural)
roll-aboard (alternative)

Convinced overhead bins will bust open, rollaboards will rain down like enemy fire and oxygen masks will drop, I clutch the armrests and begin to sweat like Roy Jones Jr. in the 12th round of a prizefight.

(aviation) A wheeled suitcase that is carry-on luggage.


rollaboard

(aviation) (of luggage) having wheels for use as carry-on luggage


ASAR

advanced synthetic aperture radar
w:Synthetic Aperture Radar

(space science) Initialism of advanced synthetic aperture radar.


FIT

en-noun

FIT (countable and uncountable, plural FITs)

(uncountable, aviation, travel industry) Initialism of fully inclusive tour.

(uncountable, aviation, travel industry) Initialism of fully independent travel.


NGST

New Generation Space Telescope
w:Next Generation Space Telescope

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


JWST

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


MPO

Mercury Planetary Orbiter
w:Mercury Planetary Orbiter

(space science) Initialism of Mercury Planetary Orbiter.


JUICE

Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer
w:Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer

(space science, ESA) Acronym of Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer.


LTE

LTE (countable and uncountable, plural LTEs)

(aeronautics) Initialism of loss of tail rotor effectiveness (by a helicopter).


VMC

VMC (countable and uncountable, plural VMCs)

(aviation) Initialism of visual meteorological conditions.


VMC

Venus Monitoring Camera
w:Venus Monitoring Camera

(space science, ESA) Initialism of Venus Monitoring Camera.


VEX

(space science, ESA) Initialism of Venus Express.


VIRTIS

w:Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer

(space science, ESA) Initialism of Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer.


PFS

Planetary Fourier Spectrometer
w:Planetary Fourier Spectrometer

(space science, ESA) Initialism of Planetary Fourier Spectrometer.


soft launch

(aeronautics) The launch of a missile in such a way that the rocket motor ignites outside of the launch tube, ejecting the missile non-explosively.


cannular

(aviation, of the combustor of a jet engine) Having multiple individual burner cans within a single annular pressure vessel.


SPB

super pressure balloon
super pressure balloon#English

(aviation) Initialism of super pressure balloon.


CCDev

Commercial Crew Development
w:Commercial Crew Development

(space science, US) Initialism of Commercial Crew Development.


(space science, US) Initialism of Commercial Crew and Cargo Program Office.


absolute ceiling

absolute ceiling (plural absolute ceilings)

absolute ceilings (plural)
ceiling (alternative)

(aviation) The maximum altitude above sea level that an aircraft or missile can maintain horizontal flight under normal conditions.

絕對升限 /绝对升限

the maximum altitude above sea level that an aircraft or missile can maintain horizontal flight under normal conditions


unberth

en-verb

unberth (third-person singular simple present unberths, present participle unberthing, simple past and past participle unberthed)

unberths (present singular third-person)
unberthing (participle present)
unberthed (participle past)
unberthed (past)

(transitive) To bring (a ship etc.) out of its berth.

(astronautics) To remove a spaceship from a dock/berth/mount/mooring with the assistance of a device that moves the spaceship away from its fixed location.


BPR

(aviation) Abbreviation of bypass ratio.


RBSP

Radiation Belt Storm Probes
w:Radiation Belt Storm Probes

(space science, US) Initialism of Radiation Belt Storm Probes, a spacecraft for NASAs LWS program.


LWS

(space science) Initialism of Living with a star.


GRAIL

w:Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory

(space science, NASA) Initialism of Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory.


absolute altitude

en-noun

absolute altitude (countable and uncountable, plural absolute altitudes)

(aviation) The vertical distance between the airplane and the surface below.


ECSS

w:European Cooperation for Space Standardization

(space science) Initialism of European Cooperation for Space Standardization.


second officer

(aviation) The flight engineer of an aircraft.


flight engineer

flight engineer (plural flight engineers)

(aviation) A member of the flight crew in certain (mainly older) aircraft who monitors and operates many to most aircraft systems.


fare basis

(travel, aviation) An alphanumeric or alphabetic code used to indicate the type of fare used on an airline ticket, even if the fare is not shown.


UNCK WT

(aviation) (on an airline ticket) Abbreviation of unchecked weight.


baggage check

(travel, aviation) the part of a boarding pass, or a separate stub, that identifies the passenger's baggage and permits it to be collected at the destination.


pudknocker

I'll tell you. We got two categories of pilots around here. We got your prime pilots that get all the hot planes. And we got you pudknockers who dream about getting the hot planes.

(aviation slang) A pretentious but unskilled pilot.


MSL

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, meteorology, oceanography) Initialism of mean sea level.


MSL

Mars Science Laboratory
w:Mars Science Laboratory

(space science, US, NASA) Initialism of Mars Science Laboratory.


buttock line

(aviation, ship-building) A curve indicating the shape of an airfoil or nautical equivalent in a vertical plane parallel to the longitudinal axis of the craft or vessel.


MER

Mars Exploration Rover
w:Mars Exploration Rover

(space science, US, NASA) Initialism of Mars Exploration Rover.


windmill restart

windmill restart (plural windmill restarts)

(aviation) A restart of a jet engine using the kinetic energy of the aircraft.


MAHLI

Mars Hand Lens Imager
w:Mars Hand Lens Imager

(space science, NASA) Initialism of Mars Hand Lens Imager, a scientific instrument of the Mars Science Laboratory on board the Curiosity rover on Mars.


MARDI

Mars Descent Imager
w:Mars Descent Imager

(space science, NASA) Abbreviation of Mars Descent Imager (a scientific instrument of the Mars Science Laboratory aboard the Curiosity rover on Mars).


REMS

w:Rover Environmental Monitoring Station

(space science, NASA) Acronym of Rover Environmental Monitoring Station.


APXS

Alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer
w:Alpha particle X-ray spectrometer

(space science, NASA) Initialism of Alpha-particle X-ray spectrometer, a scientific instrument of the Mars Science Laboratory onboard the Curiosity rover at Mars.


LPT

LPT (countable and uncountable, plural LPTs)


HiRISE

(space science, NASA) Initialism of High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment, a camera on board the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter.


MEDLI

(space science, NASA) Initialism of MSL Entry, Descent, and Landing Instrumentation, a suite of engineering sensors in the Mars Science Laboratory entry vehicle heat shield involved in the landing of the Curiosity rover on Mars.


heat shield

(space science) A shield designed of a substance that absorbs excessive heat from an outside source by either dissipating, reflecting or simply absorbing the heat.


RVSP

(space science, NASA) Initialism of Rover Sequencing and Visualization Program, a tool that helps engineers plan the Curiosity rover's drives, modeling pebbles and bumps in the terrain.


ChemCam

(space science, NASA) Abbreviation of Chemistry and Camera, an instrument onboard the Curiosity rover.


airmiss

(aviation) An incident where two aircraft almost collide; a near miss.


adcol

(travel, aviation) Abbreviation of additional collection: the additional cost of airfare, taxes, and airline fees, on a reissued airline ticket.


LCC

LCC (countable and uncountable, plural LCCs)

low cost carrier
low cost carrier#English

(aviation, travel) Initialism of low cost carrier.


SPURS

(oceanography, NASA) Acronym of Salinity Processes in the Upper Ocean Regional Study.


TTL

TTL (countable and uncountable, plural TTLs)

ticket time limit
ticket time limit#English

(aviation and travel) Initialism of ticket time limit.


(aeronautics, NASA, meteorology) Initialism of Hurricane and Severe Storm Sentinel, a project launched in August 2012 to observe hurricanes.


UNMR

(travel, aviation) Abbreviation of unaccompanied minor.


INTEGRAL

(space science, ESA) Abbreviation of International Gamma-Ray Astrophysics Laboratory (a satellite of the European Space Agency).


JCSS

w:Joint Functional Component Command for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

(space science) Initialism of Joint Functional Component Command, an organisation that controls space debris.


clue card

global distribution system
global distribution system

(travel, aviation) A printed card with basic entries listed for a global distribution system.


GDS

You see, middlemen are dying. Sabre, the former AA subsidiary that is now an independent global distribution system (GDS) supplying travel agencies and online travel agencies with ticket and pricing information, recently announced it was raising the rates it charges on AA tickets. This move was an escalation of a battle that has been brewing between airlines and GDSs.

2012, Kaihan Krippendorff, “Today's Business Revolution”, in Outthink the Competition: How a New Generation of Strategists Sees Options Others Ignore, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 21:

Global Distribution System
global distribution system#English

(travel, aviation) Initialism of Global Distribution System.


global distribution system

global distribution system (plural global distribution systems)

(travel, aviation) a multi-access reservation system used by the travel industry and airlines. Abbreviated as GDS.


ticket time limit

ticket time limit (plural ticket time limits)

(aviation, travel, fare construction) The date and time by which a ticket must be issued for a reservation to avoid cancellation of the booking and/or expiration of the fare quote.


victory roll

(aviation) An aileron roll performed to celebrate a victory.


GCR

Galactic Cosmic Radiation
w:galactic cosmic radiation

(space science) Initialism of Galactic Cosmic Radiation.


wing warping

(aviation, historical) an early system for lateral (roll) control on a fixed-wing aircraft, involving the flexing of the wing to achieve movement.


TLE

TLE (countable and uncountable, plural TLEs)

transient luminous event
transient luminous event#English

(meteorology, aviation) Initialism of transient luminous event.

(astronautics) Initialism of two-line element or three-line element.


EMALS

w:Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System

(military, aviation) Initialism of Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System.


DAPO

(aviation, travel) Acronym of do all possible (followed by requested task).


elephant ear

elephant ears (plural)
elephants' ear (alternative)

It did not have the “elephant ears” on the ailerons like the earlier Waco Model 9.

1990, Alaskan Aviation History: 1929-1930, page 714:

(aviation, slang) A section of aileron that protrudes beyond the wing.

(aerospace, slang) A reinforcing disk on a missile.


traffic conference area

traffic conference area (plural traffic conference areas)

(aviation, travel) any of the three IATA world-wide subdivisions used by the airline industry.


STOVL

(military, aviation) Acronym of short takeoff and vertical landing.


STOBAR

short take-off but arrested recovery
w:short take-off but arrested recovery

(military, aviation) Acronym of short take-off but arrested recovery.


MSC

(aviation, travel) Initialism of Most Significant Carrier, a method used by some airlines to determine the baggage allowance of a multi-carrier air ticket.


SOFIA

w:Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy

(space science, telescope, NASA) Acronym of Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, a telescope atop a Boeing 747SP aircraft with an effective diameter of 2.5 meters at altitudes up to 13.7 kilometers.


ticketer

(aviation, travel) a person responsible for ticket issue.


STPC

(travel, aviation) Initialism of stopover paid by carrier, pre-arranged hotel transit accommodation, paid by an airline to encourage use of a bad connection on their services.


RLV

reusable launch vehicle
reusable launch vehicle#English

(astronautics) Initialism of reusable launch vehicle.


sRLV

suborbital reusable launch vehicle#English

(aerospace) Initialism of suborbital reusable launch vehicle.


sounding rocket

sounding rocket (plural sounding rockets)

(space science) A suborbital rocket used to launch upper atmosphere, exoatmospheric, and microgravity sondes or probes.


FLIFO

(travel, aviation) Abbreviation of flight information.


end item

(dated, travel, aviation) (In an airline reservation system) a symbol, usually represented by the hash or plus key, used to join several lines of instruction together without the need to enter each separately.


three green

From the green indicator lights on the aircraft panel, one for each wheel or set of wheels.

(aviation) A confirmation given by the pilots that the landing gear has gone down successfully and has locked.


GALEX

Galaxy Evolution Explorer
w:Galaxy Evolution Explorer

(space science) Acronym of Galaxy Evolution Explorer, a spacecraft of NASA.


LDCM

Landsat Data Continuity Mission
w:Landsat Data Continuity Mission

(space science) Initialism of Landsat Data Continuity Mission, an enterprise for acquisition of satellite imagery of Earth, directed by NASA.


hot and high

(aviation) Operating in hot climates and at high altitude.

(aviation) Having both speed and altitude too high for the landing approach


flight interruption manifest

flight interruption manifest (plural flight interruption manifests)

(aviation) A substitute ticket issued by an airline due to a schedule change or other disruption to their service, allowing travel on another airline.


pitchable

pitchable tips


(aviation) The Agusta A.106 prototype helicopter, which never made it into pre-production.


airprox

(aviation) A near miss between aircraft.


(aviation) The Agusta A109 twin-engine utility helicopter.


vendor locator

(aviation, travel) A unique alphanumeric reference given by a computer reservations system to each sector of a travel booking.


AABSHIL

(aviation) Initialism of aircraft anti-collision beacon system high-intensity lighting.


agency debit memo

agency debit memo (plural agency debit memos)

(aviation, travel) An official notification that a travel agency has underpaid an airline for a ticket or similar, or is being fined by the airline for failure to adhere to fare rules or airline policy.


agency credit memo

agency credit memo (plural agency credit memos)

(aviation, travel) an official notification that a travel agency has overpaid an airline for a ticket or similar travel arrangements.


taileron

(aviation) A kind of tailplane or stabilator that can move differentially to perform the roll control function of an aileron.


SOTI

(aviation, travel, fare construction, dated) Sold outside, ticketed inside. (relative to the country of origin of travel).


SOTO

(aviation, travel, fare construction, dated) Sold outside, ticketed outside,(relative to the country of origin of travel).


SITO

(aviation, travel, fare construction, dated) Sold inside, ticketed outside, (relative to the country of origin of travel).


SITI

(aviation, travel, fare construction, dated) Sold inside, ticketed inside. (relative to the country of origin of travel).


rotating beacon

rotating beacon (plural rotating beacons)

(aviation, chiefly US) A rotating location light installed at an airport, allowing the type of airport to be determined by the color and speed of the rotation.


stripless

a stripless system for air traffic control

(aviation) Without the use of paper control strips.


ground loop

(aviation) A sudden, potentially damaging turn made by an aircraft while on the ground, owing to user error or adverse weather conditions.

cheval de bois

a sudden, potentially damaging turn made by an aircraft


ground loop

en-verb

ground loop (third-person singular simple present ground loops, present participle ground looping, simple past and past participle ground looped)

ground loops (present singular third-person)
ground looping (participle present)
ground looped (participle past)
ground looped (past)

I slewed into the deep grass, throttled up again to regain runway speed, tried to abort the take-off and ground-looped through the perimeter fence.

2000, JG Ballard, Super-Cannes, Fourth Estate, published 2011, page 41:

(aviation) To suffer a ground loop manoeuvre.


AUASS

(space science) Initialism of Arab Union for Astronomy and Space Sciences.


MMOD

(space science, NASA) Initialism of micrometeoroid and orbital debris.


AHRS

attitude heading reference system#English

(aviation) Initialism of attitude heading reference system.


GROVER

(robotics, NASA) Acronym of Greenland rover and Goddard remotely operated vehicle for exploration and research.


get-there-itis

LL-Q1860 (eng)-Flame, not lame-get-there-itis.wav

(aviation) The determination of a pilot to reach a destination even when conditions for flying are very dangerous.


CheMin

(space science, NASA) Abbreviation of Chemistry and Mineralogy, an instrument onboard the Curiosity rover at Mars.


Navcam

(space science, NASA) Abbreviation of navigation camera, a type of engineering camera found on certain unmanned space rovers including the Curiosity rover on Mars.


Hazcam

(space science, NASA) Abbreviation of Hazard avoidance camera, a type of engineering camera mounted on the front and rear of certain unmanned space rovers including the Curiosity rover at Mars.


MastCam

(space science, NASA) Abbreviation of Mast camera, a type of camera found on certain unmanned space rovers including the Curiosity rover at Mars.


CIBER

(space science, NASA) Initialism of Cosmic Infrared Background Experiment.


MGS

Mars Global Surveyor
w:Mars Global Surveyor

(space science, US, NASA) Initialism of Mars Global Surveyor.


SIRTF

Space Infrared Telescope Facility
w:Spitzer Space Telescope

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


Hindenburg

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

(aviation, historical) A German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship that was destroyed by fire on May 6, 1937.

Hindenburg

the German commercial passenger-carrying rigid airship


aerobate

aerobate (third-person singular simple present aerobates, present participle aerobating, simple past and past participle aerobated)

aerobates (present singular third-person)
aerobating (participle present)
aerobated (participle past)
aerobated (past)

A Harvard was then aerobated with commendable elan, accompanied by the usual powerful noises and public comment. By this time everyone's aeronautical appetite was thoroughly whetted to receive the next event[…]

1948, The Aeroplane, volume 75, page 412:

As the tower clears us downwind for landing, we thread our way gingerly through a hurtling mass of aerobating lightplanes.

1966 August, Flying Magazine, volume 79, number 2:


aerialism

(aviation, obsolete) aerial navigation; aeronautics; aviation


LNU

(travel, aviation, genealogy) Initialism of last name unknown.


demate

demate (third-person singular simple present demates, present participle demating, simple past and past participle demated)

demates (present singular third-person)
demating (participle present)
demated (participle past)
demated (past)

(transitive, aerospace) To move (a space shuttle orbiter) off the back of an aircraft that can carry it.


AFM

aircraft flight manual
w:aircraft flight manual

(aviation) Initialism of aircraft flight manual.


dog tooth

en-noun

dog tooth (plural dog teeth or dog tooths)

dog teeth (plural)
dog tooths (plural)
dogtooth (alternative)
dog-tooth (alternative)
dog's tooth (alternative)

(aviation, informal) A sharp zig-zag pattern on the leading edge of a wing which increases the vorticity over the wing and reduces spanwise flow.


trolley trasher

trolley trasher (plural trolley trashers)

(aviation, informal) A flight attendant.


$100 hamburger

$100 hamburgers (plural)
hundred-dollar hamburger (alternative)

It’s called hunting the $100 hamburger — “$100” referring to the cost of fuel — sort of the aeronautical equivalent of lazy Sunday drives in which the destination isn’t as important as the pleasure of getting away.

2007 October 26, Matthew Preusch, “Cleared for Lunching: The $100 Hamburger”, in New York Times:

(aviation, slang) A general aviation flight that involves flying a short distance, eating a meal, and flying back.


wing in ground effect

wing in ground effect (plural wing in ground effects)

wing in ground effects (plural)
wing-in-ground effect (alternative)

(aeronautics) ground effect on a wing of an aircraft flying close to the ground


TSTO

two-stage to orbit
two-stage to orbit#English

(astronautics, space flight, aerospace) Initialism of two-stage to orbit.


dripstick

(aviation) A thin hollow tube installed vertically in the bottoms of fuel tanks of many large aircraft, used to check fuel levels; now mostly superseded by the floatstick.


airframer

(aviation) maker of airframes, aircraft manufacturer


precooler

(aviation) A device which cools the incoming airstream prior to its introduction into the combustion chamber or compressor.


miscellaneous charge order

miscellaneous charge order (plural miscellaneous charge orders)

(travel, aviation, dated) An accountable document similar to an airline ticket, used to pay for travel related services such as hotels and car hire.


QEC

(aviation) Initialism of quick engine change.


GNV

(aviation) Gainesville Regional Airport, by FAA airport code

(by extension) Gainesville, Florida, USA


ticket point mileage

ticket point mileage (plural ticket point mileages)

(travel, aviation) An officially stated distance between two cities, used in airline fare calculations regardless of the airports used


MPM

MPM (countable and uncountable, plural MPMs)

maximum permitted mileage
maximum permitted mileage#English

(travel, aviation) Initialism of maximum permitted mileage.


maximum permitted mileage

maximum permitted mileage (plural maximum permitted mileages)

ticket point mileage
ticket point mileage

(aviation, travel) In fare construction, the permitted total of ticket point mileages allowed between two fare break points.


fare break point

fare break point (plural fare break points)

(travel, aviation, fare construction) Any of the cities on an itinerary used as the start and finish of a particular fare.


nose cap

(aeronautics) The protective covering on the end of an aircraft fuselage.


aerocapture

aerocapture (countable and uncountable, plural aerocaptures)

(astronautics) A form of aerobraking in which a spacecraft uses atmospheric drag to decelerate from a hyperbolic trajectory into a closed orbit, eliminating the need for a large orbital-insertion burn and requiring only small correction burns to raise the spacecraft's periapsis out of the atmosphere.


CKIN

(travel, aviation) Abbreviation of check-in.


V speed

(aviation) Any of a group of standard airspeeds.


upmass

(aerospace) The payload mass carried up to orbit from Earth.


aeroneurosis

A pilot who is under par physically soon becomes a prey to aeroneurosis. He will dislike to take the air and may actually fear to leave the ground.

1940 April, Stephen Bates, "Flight Surgeon," Popular Aviation, vol. 26, no. 4, p. 90 (Google preview)

By April 1943 the flight surgeons could detect a growing number of aeroneuroses among their aircrews. The strain of constant overwater flying rested particularly heavily upon the navigators, but it was severe for all air personnel.

1983, Wesley Frank Craven, James Lea Cate, editors, The Army Air Forces in World War II, Volume Four, →ISBN, page 274:

Gotch had described aeroneurosis developing in flying training and considered that it was infectious, commenting that "one pupil who has given up flying [is] followed ... by 2 or 3 more in the same week."

2006, David Gradwell, David J Rainford, editors, Ernsting's Aviation Medicine, 4th edition, →ISBN, page 740:

(aviation, medicine, pathology) A disorder afflicting pilots and members of aviation crews, characterized by exhaustion, fearfulness, and other symptoms of physical and emotional distress, associated with prolonged flying times and stressful flight conditions.


sideslip

sideslips (plural)
side-slip (alternative)

(aviation) A flight manoeuvre that uses opposing rudder and aileron inputs to move the aircraft sideways without turning it.

(aviation) A flight maneuver to rapidly lose speed and/or altitude whilst not altering the aircraft's ground track.

(aviation) A flight condition where an aircraft's longitudinal axis is not aligned with its direction of motion relative to the surrounding air.

(aviation, uncountable, by extension) The angle between an aircraft's longitudinal axis and its direction of motion relative to the surrounding air.


sideslip

en-verb

sideslip (third-person singular simple present sideslips, present participle sideslipping, simple past and past participle sideslipped)

sideslips (present singular third-person)
sideslipping (participle present)
sideslipped (participle past)
sideslipped (past)
side-slip (alternative)

(aviation) To perform, or place an aircraft in, a sideslip.


rubber jungle

By the way, when all the masks are hanging out, it's sometimes referred to as the "rubber jungle."

2006 May 15, Meryl Getline, “Ask the Captain: When oxygen masks mysteriously appear”, in USAToday.com, retrieved 2014-03-21:

From the day before, an accidental deployment of oxygen masks—a rubber jungle, in airline-speak—was discussed.

2007 March 18, Jeff Bailey, “After service disruptions, airlines are saying they're sorry”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-03-21:

I looked back to see what was going on, and observed a rubber jungle of oxygen masks hanging from the overhead bins.

2013, Jim Lewis, Short Tales by a Tall Pilot, →ISBN, page 89:

(aviation, informal) In a commercial passenger airliner, the dense, forest-like profusion of suspended tubes, straps, bags, and masks which results when large numbers of oxygen masks are deployed.


aerothermochemistry

(physical chemistry, aviation) The thermochemistry of gases, especially in regard to high-speed flight and aeropropulsion


hydroaeroplane

From hydro- + aeroplane (hydro- + aero- + plane).

(aviation, obsolete) A floatplane, an airplane specialized for operating on water, having pontoon floats instead of skids or wheels.


MVA

(aviation) Initialism of minimum vectoring altitude.


pressure suit

Coined by American science fiction authors E. E. Smith and Lee Hawkins Garby in their 1928 novel The Skylark of Space, first serialized in Amazing Stories.

coin

Have you fur pressure-suits?

1928 September, E. E. Smith, Lee Hawkins Garby, “The Skylark of Space”, in Amazing Stories, volume 3, number 6, page 539:

The chances for survival would be greatly increased if one member of the crew in a punctured ship was wearing a pressure suit.

1964 November 19, Walter Sullivan, “Apes Surviving in Vacuum Tests: Research Hints Astronauts Have Chance in Accidents”, in New York Times, retrieved 2014-05-03:

In 1947 he had taken a de Havilland Vampire jet fighter to a then world record height of 59,460 feet, without a pressure suit,

2002 July 29, Nigel Fountain, “Obituary: John Cunningham, Wartime night-fighter hero and post-war Comet airliner test pilot”, in The Guardian, UK, retrieved 2014-05-03:

Alan Shepard, the first American in space, famously relieved himself inside his silver pressure suit while waiting out the countdown in his tiny Mercury capsule.

2011 April 12, Jeffrey Kluger, “Gagarin's Golden Anniversary”, in Time, retrieved 2014-05-03:

(aviation, astronautics) A sealed, full-body garment, usually with an attachable helmet, which maintains air pressure or mechanical pressure around the body of an astronaut or aviator to compensate for the low density of the air at high altitudes.

Druckanzug

full-body garment, which maintains pressure

diving suit

suit to protect wearer from the environment


transtainer

Transtainers (transporter-containers) for SM-68 [Titan ICBM] are of novel design, with a structure of aluminium alloy.

1957, Flight International, volume 72, page 906:

In the factory, each stage of the missile is placed on an individual transtainer — or missile trailer. From this point on, transtainers will carry the missile stages wherever they go.

1959, Western Aerospace, volume 39, page 20:

Because the Atlas must be substantially complete when transported (the nose cones originate and usually are transported from another point to Cape Canaveral, and in some instances the guidance system is separate from the body of the missile in transit) and because it must be retained under pressure until fueled, a specially constructed trailer, called a transtainer, is necessary for the over-the-road movement.

1961 June 23, United States Interstate Commerce Commission, “Dealers Transit, Inc., Extension—Missiles”, in Interstate Commerce Commission Reports: Motor carrier cases, published 1965, page 331:

The orifice controlled the flow of oil during strut retraction and extension, which in turn determined the load factor in the transtainer and missile.

1963 March 7, Shock, Vibration and Associated Environments:

(aerospace, historical) A specialized container used to transport and protect large guided missiles.


tailnumber

tailnumbers (plural)
tail-number (alternative)
tail number (alternative)

(aviation) The registration number that appears on the rear sections of aircraft.


auger in

en-verb

auger in (third-person singular simple present augers in, present participle augering in, simple past and past participle augered in)

augers in (present singular third-person)
augering in (participle present)
augered in (participle past)
augered in (past)

auger + in: the plane is metaphorically drilling into the ground.

The pilot lost pitch control and the jet augered in.

(military, aviation, euphemistic) To crash catastrophically into the ground.


cowl flap

(aviation) A small door on the bottom of an aircraft's cowling, used to direct additional airflow over the engine in order to improve cooling.


T-minus

(aerospace) Specifies the remaining time until some future event such as a takeoff or encounter commences.


avian ingestion

en-noun

avian ingestion (usually uncountable, plural avian ingestions)

The aircraft suffers an engine failure as a result of the avian ingestion and the two pilots, one of whom appears to be a student, eject moments before the aircraft hits a ploughed field.

2006 February 1, “VIDEO: US Air Force F-16 pilots eject after bird strike”, in flightglobal.com, retrieved 2014-06-09:

Bird strikes, also referred as Avian ingestion when sucked into the plane's engine, commonly occur during takeoff and landing.

2011 April 28, “Caribbean Airlines Flight Makes Emergency Landing after Bird Strike of its Engine”, in Trivester News, retrieved 2014-06-09:

These animals normally hit the plane's windshield or get sucked by the engine, in which case authorities label the incidents as avian ingestion.

2012 June 5, Erik Pineda, “ATSB Reports of Increasing Birdstrikes in Australia”, in International Business Times, Australia, retrieved 2014-06-09:

The risk of avian ingestion or any damage to aircraft and airside facilities could result in costly delays due to downtime for repairs.

2014, “Airport Bird Strike Hazards & Airfield Bird Management”, in NBC Bird & Pest Solutions, UK, retrieved 2014-06-09:

(aviation) Collision between a bird and an aircraft in motion, especially a jet airplane, in which the bird enters a running engine.


smart bomb

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

(military aviation) A guided air-dropped bomb.


MET

MET (countable and uncountable, plural METs or METS)

Modular Equipment Transporter
w:Modular Equipment Transporter

(aeronautics) Initialism of Modular Equipment Transporter, a two-wheeled handcart used on the Apollo 14 manned mission to the Moon.


TAI

Turkish Aerospace Industries
w:Turkish Aerospace Industries

(aerospace) Initialism of Turkish Aerospace Industries.

Thai Airways International
w:Thai Airways International

(aviation) Initialism of Thai Airways International.

Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux
w:Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux

(historical, aviation) Initialism of Transports Aériens Intercontinentaux, a now defunct French airline.


A&P

By the time I decided to go for my A&P ticket, I was already a pretty seasoned aircraft mechanic

2019, Mike Busch, Airplane Ownership vol 1, Savvy Aviator Inc, page 267:

(aviation) Initialism of airframe and powerplant.

An FAA aircraft maintenance qualification

But most A&Ps at the low end of the food chain who work on our piston-powered aircraft are not employed by a Certified Repair Station

2019, Mike Busch, Airplane Ownership vol 1, Savvy Aviator Inc, page 280:

An FAA licensed airplane mechanic or engineer


ADS-C

automatic dependent surveillance - contract#English

(aviation) Initialism of automatic dependent surveillance - contract (“automated transmission of GPS location information from an aircraft via a contractual agreement with an ACARS provider”).


ADS-A

automatic dependent surveillance - addressed#English

(aviation) Initialism of automatic dependent surveillance - addressed (“automated transmission of location information for aircraft using an airline specified communication system”).


ESOC

(ESA, European Union, space science) Initialism of European Space Operations Centre.


ESTEC

w:European Space Research and Technology Centre

(European Union, space science) Initialism of European Space Research and Technology Centre.


Thach weave

From Thach + weave. Named after WWII U.S. naval aviator John S. Thach, who invented the manoeuvre.

(historical, military, aviation) A tactic in aerial combat of the World War II era, where two aircraft on patrol fly a parallel course, and if attacked, overlap their flight paths repeatedly, enabling each to protect the other.


MAVEN

(NASA, space science) Acronym of Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution Mission, a space probe designed to investigate the Martian climate.


three-pointer

October 1930, Paul Paddock, "I Solo in Seven Hours", Popular Mechanics
Away I roared once more, resolved to score a three-pointer. I glided down to a good start but estimated my altitude wrongly.

(aviation) A three-point landing; an airplane landing in which all three wheels touch the ground simultaneously.


tundra tyre

tundra tyres (plural)
tundra tire (alternative)

From their use in the tundra regions of the US and Canada.

(aviation) A large, low-pressure tyre, used on light aircraft on rough terrain.


married sector

(travel, aviation, fare construction) Any of two or more flight sectors in an itinerary that can not be rebooked or changed separately from the other sectors, due to fare rules or market restrictions.


HSCT

High Speed Civil Transport
w:High Speed Civil Transport

(aviation) Initialism of High Speed Civil Transport, a NASA project to develop a supersonic passenger aircraft.


IXV

Engineers are forging ahead with the final tests on ESA’s Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, IXV, to check that it can withstand the demanding conditions from liftoff to separation from Vega.

2014 July 16, “ESA'S SPACEPLANE SET FOR FLIGHT”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name) (HTML), ESA, archived from the original on 2008-09-13:

(ESA, space science) Initialism of Intermediate eXperimental Vehicle, an experimental space vehicle of the European Space Administration.


EAC

„Alexander is now flying straight to the European Astronaut Centre (EAC), the home base of all ESA astronauts in Cologne, Germany. ESA’s medical team will monitor how he readapts to gravity after spending more than five months in weightlessness.“

European Astronaut Centre
w:European Astronaut Centre

(space science) Abbreviation of European Astronaut Centre.


flying wedge

(aviation, American football) A formation in which a group travels so that its components form a triangular shape.


glideslope

The constant angle of descent technique requires pilots to maintain a predetermined constant angle and constant rate of descent, which is generally calculated to be about 3°, except when terrain or an obstacle necessitates a steeper descent. When a ground-based glideslope signal is absent, pilots can fly the constant angle of descent approach by using flight management system (FMS) and GPS equipment for electronic guidance.

2000, National Transportation Safety Board, “1.17.4.2 Flight Crew Actions and Callouts During Nonprecision Approaches”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Controlled Flight Into Terrain, Korean Air Flight 801, Boeing 747-300, HL7468, Nimitz Hill, Guam, August 6, 1997, archived from the original on 2021-02-18, page 64:

instrument landing system
instrument landing system

(aviation) The portion of an instrument landing system which provides vertical guidance to an aircraft during an approach to landing.

Staying on the glideslope is vitally important for a safe, stabilized approach and landing.

(aviation, by extension) The vertical descent profile produced by the ILS glideslope transmitters.

(aviation) The approach path of an aircraft as it comes in to land.


PIR

property irregularity report
property irregularity report#English

(countable, aviation, travel) Initialism of property irregularity report: a form to be filled in when baggage is lost by an airline.


flight status

(aviation, travel) An updated notice of a flight's departure and arrival times compared to its scheduled times.


hidden city

(aviation) A connecting city between the origin and destination of a passenger flight, where a passenger can save money on the airfare by disembarking rather than continuing to the destination.


autothrottle

/ˈɔ.toʊˌθɹɔ.təl/

[ˈɔ.ɾoʊˌθɹɔ.ɾəl]

(aviation) An automatic throttle, allowing a pilot to control the power setting of an aircraft's engines by specifying a desired flight characteristic, rather than manually controlling fuel flow.


autolanding

autolanding (countable and uncountable, plural autolandings)

(aviation, countable) A landing made automatically by a system on the aircraft, with the flight crew only supervising the process.

(aviation, uncountable) The process and procedure of autolanding, the action of to autoland.


autoland

autoland (countable and uncountable, plural autolands)

Autolands are useful in bad weather conditions.

(aviation) A system which automatically lands a plane under autopilot

(aviation) An emergency landing system which automatically lands a plane under autopilot, while issuing automated radio notices of its operating mode.


autoland

en-verb

autoland (third-person singular simple present autolands, present participle autolanding, simple past and past participle autolanded)

autolands (present singular third-person)
autolanding (participle present)
autolanded (participle past)
autolanded (past)


isoecho

(meteorology, aviation) A line on a map joining points of equal radar reflectivity.


max Q

en-noun

max Q (usually uncountable, plural max Qs)

max Qs (plural)
max-Q (alternative)
max q (alternative)
maximum Q (alternative)
maximum-Q (alternative)

From the abbreviation of maximum (max) and the formula for dynamic pressure (q /Q) q= tfrac 12,ρ,v².

dynamic pressure
dynamic pressure#English

(astronautics) Abbreviation of maximum dynamic pressure (the maximum pressure from aerodynamic forces experienced while traveling through the atmosphere).

maximum dynamic pressure

(astronautics) The point at which dynamic pressure reaches its maximum level while traveling through the atmosphere.


MECO

(astronautics) Acronym of main engine cut-off.


VSV

VSV (countable and uncountable, plural VSVs)

mechanical engineering
mechanical engineering

(aviation, mechanical engineering) Initialism of variable stator vane.


Vs

(specifically) Stall speed in the clean configuration, with all flaps, slats, and droops retracted.


STCA

STCA (usually uncountable, plural STCAs)

air traffic controller
air traffic controller

(aviation) Initialism of short-term conflict alert, a system for automatically warning air traffic controllers if radar data indicates that two or more aircraft will pass dangerously-close to one another or potentially collide in flight.


AIP

(aviation) Abbreviation of aeronautical information publication (a jurisdictional airspace air navigation manual of the jurisdictional authority).


HEO

highly elliptical orbit
highly elliptical orbit#English

(space science) Initialism of highly elliptical orbit.

GEO

geostationary orbit / geostationary Earth orbit

GSO

geosynchronous orbit / geosynchronous Earth orbit


DRO

GEO

geostationary orbit/geostationary Earth orbit

GSO

geosynchronous orbit/geosynchronous Earth orbit

distant retrograde orbit
w:distant retrograde orbit

(space science) Initialism of distant retrograde orbit.


ELSS

(space science) Initialism of extravehicular life support system.


astrionics

(astronautics) The science dealing with the application of electronics to astronautics.


minimum descent altitude

minimum descent altitude (plural minimum descent altitudes)

minimum descent altitudes (plural)
MDA (abbreviation)

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the descent below Minimum Descent Altitude during a nonprecision approach under adverse operating conditions, without visual contact with the runway environment. The Board has been unable to determine the reason for this descent, although the two most likely explanations are (a) improper use of cockpit instrumentation data, or (b) an altimetry system error.

1972 April 14, National Transportation Safety Board, “2.2b Probable Cause”, in Aircraft Accident Report: Southern Airways, Inc. DC-9, N97S, Tri-State Airport, Huntington, West Virginia, November 14, 1970, archived from the original on 2022-05-08, page 36:

non-precision approach
non-precision approach

(aviation) The lowest altitude at which an aircraft is permitted to fly during a non-precision approach without the runway being in clear sight.


missed approach point

(aviation) The point during descent at which a pilot must initiate a go-around maneuver if the runway is not in clear sight.


controlled flight into terrain

controlled flight into terrain (countable and uncountable, plural controlled flights into terrain)

controlled flights into terrain (plural)
CFIT (abbreviation)

(aviation) A usually-unintentional crash of an aircraft in which the aircraft flies into the ground while under full control by its pilots or autopilot.


speed bag

speed bags (plural)
speedbag (alternative)
speed-bag (alternative)

(military, aviation) An improvised airdropped resupply pack, composed of food and water, ammunition, and other supplies, stuffed into a duffle bag or bodybag.


Lear

First-generation Lears are beasts to fly.


SID

(aviation) Initialism of standard instrument departure.


hydrobiplane

(aviation, dated) A hydroaeroplane having two supporting planes.


test pilot

Written by Josh Singer, who shaped a triumph of investigative journalism into the award-winning Spotlight, First Man recounts a significant decade of [Neil] Armstrong's life, from pushing boundaries as a test pilot to taking that one small step for mankind.

2018 October 9, A. A. Dowd, “The Star and Director of La La Land Reunite for First Man’s Spectacular Trip to the Moon”, in The A.V. Club, archived from the original on 2020-06-16:

(aviation) An aviator who flies new and modified aircraft in specific maneuvers.


sidestick

sidesticks (plural)
side-stick (alternative)

The FDR showed that the captain immediately applied back pressure on his sidestick to arrest the pitch-down movement. The aircraft’s flight control system did not initially respond to the captain’s sidestick input, but after about 2 seconds the aircraft responded normally and the captain commenced recovery to the assigned altitude. During this 2-second period the aircraft descended about 150 ft. Overall, the aircraft descended 690 ft over 23 seconds before returning to FL370.

2011 December 19, Australian Transport Safety Bureau, “1.1.3 First in-flight upset (0442:27)”, in In-flight upset - 154 km west of Learmonth, WA, 7 October 2008, VH-QPA, Airbus A330-303, archived from the original on 2022-05-05, page 3:

(aviation) A control joystick located beside the seat of the pilot.


AIDA

(ESA, NASA, space science) Initialism of Asteroid Impact & Deflection Mission.


ESRIN

(ESA, space science) Initialism of European Space Research Institute.


delta hinge

This could be varied to produce a delta hinge effect for equalizing lateral moments.

1954, Eugene K. Liberatore, Rotary Wing Aircraft Handbooks and History: Convertible aircraft, page 39:

Overtorque of the delta hinge bolt is reported to cause binding in the pitch change mechanism and failure of the tail rotor pitch change bearing.

1969, Federal Aviation Administration, General aviation inspection aids, page 22:

The Kiowa has a two-bladed semi-rigid seesaw all metal main rotor and a two-bladed rigid delta hinge all metal tail rotor.

2003, Harold Skaarup, Ohio Warbird Survivors 2003: A Handbook on where to find them, →ISBN:

You can get the same effect by offsetting the pitch change horn at the root of the blade (notice that the tip of the horn is in line with the extended delta hinge line in the picture).

2007, Phil Croucher, Professional Helicopter Pilot Studies, →ISBN:

(aeronautics) On rotorcraft, a hinge with its axis parallel to the rotor plane of rotation, which permits the rotor blades to flap.


alpha hinge

Similarly, as a blade with an alpha hinge lags through an angle §, ...

1953, Daniel Otto Dommasch, Elements of Propeller and Helicopter Aerodynamics, page 129:

When rotor goes to autorotation, an inclined alpha hinge provides automatic change of blade pitch to three degrees as the shaft stops rotating.

1958, Aviation Week and Space Technology - Volume 69, page 226:

When flap and lag hinge inclination was introduced on the autogyro rotors, the inboard (flap) hinge was designated the “delta hinge,” and the outboard (lag) hinge designated the “alpha hinge.”

2013, Wayne Johnson, Rotorcraft Aeromechanics, →ISBN, page 218:

(aeronautics) On rotorcraft, a hinge perpendicular to the plane of rotor rotation about which the blades trail or lag.


MRW

(aviation) Initialism of maximum ramp weight.


USOS

(ISS, space science, US) Initialism of United States Orbital Segment (“the part of the International Space Station that was contributed by the United States of America, or using NASA specification-based modules”).


green-on-green

(aviation) Pertaining to the pairing of a new or green captain or pilot with a new or green first officer or co-pilot as the cockpit crew of a flight.


fly-by-wire

(aviation) A system that replaces the conventional manual flight controls of an aircraft with an electronic interface, especially on airliners.


box tail

(aviation) An aircraft's tail or rudder, usually fixed, resembling a box kite.


aerocurve

(aviation, historical) A kind of early aeroplane with curved surfaces.


compound control

(aviation) A system of control in which a separate manipulation, as of a rudder, may be effected by either of two movements, in different directions, of a single lever, etc.


test flight

(aviation) a proving flight; usually of a prototype of a new aircraft design before it goes into production.


O&D

(aviation, abbreviation) origin and destination


RBD

reservation booking designator
reservation booking designator#English

(aviation, travel) Initialism of reservation booking designator.


CFI

(US, aviation) certificated flight instructor


iron bomb

(military aviation) A dumb bomb, a type of gravity bomb, an unguided bomb dropped from an aircraft.