Aviation & Pilot/ Aerospace, aeronautical/ Astronautics:
- A -
A Autotuned NAVAID
A At or Above (constrained altitude)
AA American
AAATS Australian Advanced Air Traffic Services
AAC Aeronautical Administration Communication (a class of communication which supports administrative communication)
AAS Advanced Automation System (the end systems for all FAA air traffic control, located at the ARTCCs)
AATT Advanced Aviation Transportation Technology
ABM Abeam
A/C Aircraft
AC Air Canada
ACARS Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System
ACARS ARINC communications and address reporting system (digital communications system used primarily for aircraft-to-airline messages)
ACARS MU ACARS Management Unit
ACAS Airborne Collision and Avoidance System
ACF Area Control Facility
ACFS Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator (a generic "glass cockpit")
ACK Acknowledge
ACMS Aircraft Condition Monitoring System
ACT Active
ADC Air Data Computer
ADF Automatic Direction Finder
ADI Attitude Director lndicator
ADLP Aircraft Data Link Processor (the Mode S subnetwork function onboard the aircraft that implements the OSI network layer protocols)
ADMA Aviation Distributors and Manufactureres Association
ADS Automatic Dependent Surveillance
AECB Atomic Energy Control Board
AERA Automated Enroute ATC
AFCS Automatic Flight Control System
AFDS Autopilot Flight Director System (also A/P F/D)
AFS Automatic Flight System
AGATE Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments
AGL Above Ground Level
AHRS Attitude Heading Reference System
AIRS Advanced Infrared Sounder
A/l Anti-ice
AI Artificial Intelligence
AL Allegheny
Alert Indicator (visual or auditory) which provides information to the flightcrew in a timely manner about an event requiring pilot awareness.
ALPA Air Line Pilots Association
ALT Altitude
ALT Alternate
ALTN Alternate
ALT HOLD Altitude Hold Mode
AM Amplitude Modulation
AM Aeromexico
AMSS Aeronautical Mobile Satellite Service
ANA All Nippon Airways
AOA Angle-of-Attack
AOA Airport Operations Area
AOC Aeronautical Operation Control (communications which support safety and regularity of flight that normally take place between aircraft and the operator)
AOCS Attitude and Orbit Control System
AOM Aircraft Operating Manual
AOPA Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
A/P Autopilot
APA Allied Pilots Association
APC Aeronautical Passenger Communication (a class of communication which supports passenger communication)
APMS Automated Performance Measurement System
APPR Approach/Approach Mode
APR April
APRT Airport
APU Auxiliary Power Unit
AQP Advanced Qualification Program
ARAC Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee
ARINC Aeronautical Radio Incorporated
ARPA Advanced Research Projects Agency
ARR Arrival
ARTCC Air Route Traffic Control Center
ARTS Automated Radar Terminal System
ASCII American Standard Code for Interface and Interchange
ASI Air Speed Indicator
ASR Airport Surveillance Radar
ASRS Aviation Safety Reporting System (aviation incident reporting system run by NASA for FAA)
AT At (an altitude)
A/T Autothrottle
ATA Air Transport Association
ATA Actual Time of Arrival
ATC Air Traffic Control (a generic term for a joint civil/military system for controlling traffic within a specific area)
ATCS Advanced Train Control Systems
ATCSCC Air Traffic Control System Command Center
ATHR Autothrust System
ATIS Automatic Terminal Information Service (recorded voice message that provides weather and airport services information)
ATM Air Transportation Management
ATN Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (the collection of ground subnetworks, air/ground subnetworks and airborne subnetworks interconnected by ATN routers that support computer-to-computer, internetwork communication and message transfer between host computers using the OSI ISO protocol architecture)
ATS Automatic Throttle System
ATSC Air Traffic Service Communications (Communications related to air traffic services. This includes ATC, aeronautical and meteorological information, position reporting and services related to safety and regularity of flight)
AUG August
AV Avianca
AVAIL Available
AVHRR Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer
AWACS Airborne Warning And Control System
AWAS Automated Weather Advisory Station
AWIPS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System
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- B -
B At or Below (constrained altitude)
BALPA British Air Line Pilots Association
BASIS British Airways Safety Information System
BF MarkAir
BIT(E) Built-ln-Test (Equipment)
BRG Bearing
BRT Brightness
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- C -
C Centigrade
CAA Civil Aviation Authority (Great Britain)
CAB Civil Aeronautics Board
CAAC Civil Aviation Authority of China
CAS Calibrated (Computed) Air Speed
CASE Computer Aided Software Engineering
CAT Clear Air Turbulence
CAT Computer Aided Testing
CAT I Facility providing operation down to 200 feet decision height and runway visual range not less than 2600 feet.
CAT II Facility providing operation down to 100 feet decision height and runway visual range not less than 1200 feet.
CAT II a Facility providing operation with no decision height limit to and along the surface of the runway with external visual reference during final phase of landing and with a runway visual range not less than 700 feet.
CBT Computer Based Training
CDI Course Deviation Indicator
CDU Control display unit (pilots' interface to the FMS)
CDTI Cockpit Display of Traffic Information
CENA Centred' Études de la Navigation Aérienne (France)
CFIT Controlled Flight Into Terrain
CG Center of Gravity
CGS Centimeter-gram-second
Cl Cost Index
CI China Airlines
CIT Compressor Inlet Temperature
CLB Climb Detent of the Thrust Levers
CLR Clear
CMC Central Maintenance Computer
CNS Communications Navigations and Surveillance
CO Continetnal
COM Cockpit Operating Manual
CON Continuous
CO ROUTE Company Route (also CO RTE)
COTR Contracting Officer's Technical Representative
COTS Commercial Off The Shelf
CP Control Panel
CPCS Cabin Pressure Control System
CPDLC Controller Pilot Datalink Communications
CPU Central Processing Unit
CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check
CRITTER Civil Rotorcraft IFR Terminal-Area Technology Enhancement Research
CRM Cockpit Resource Management
CRM Crew Research Management
CRS Course
CRT Cathode Ray Tube
CRZ Cruise
CSD Constant Speed Drive
CTA Controlled-Time of Arrival
CTA Control Area (ICAO Term)
CTAS Center TRACON Automation System
CTC Centralized Train Central
CTR Center
CTR Civil Tilt Rotor
CTRL Control
CVSRF Crew-Vehicle Simulation Research Facility (NASA Ames)
CWS Control Wheel Steering
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- D -
D Derated
DA Descent Advisor
DBS Direct Broadcast Satellite
DE-TO PR Derated Takeoff Engine Pressure Ratio
D-TO Nl Derated Takeoff Engine Fan Speed
DADC Digital Air Data Computer
DATALINK Digitized Information Transfer (air/ground)
DC Direct Current Electricity
D/D Drift Down
DEC December
DEC Digital Equipment Corporation
DECR Decrement
DEL Delete
DEP Departure
DES Descent
DEST Destination
DEV Deviation
DFDAU Digital Flight Data Acquisition Unit
DFDR Digital Flight Data Recorder
DFGS/C Digital Flight Guidance System/Computer
DFW Dallas Fort Worth International Airport
DGPS Differential GPS
DH Decision Height
DIR Direct
DIR/INTC Direct Intercept
DIS Distance
DISCR Discrepancy
DIST Distance
DL Delta
DLP Data Link Processor (the FAA's ground automation system that supports the Mode S subnetwork (GDLP), internetwork (ATN router) and non-ATC data link application processes)
DLR German Aerospace Research Establishment
DME Distance Measuring Equipment (ground navigational aid that can provide display of distance to selected ground navigational radio transmitter)
DMU Data Management Unit
DNTKFX DownTrack Fix
DOT Department of Transportation
DOD Department of Defense
DRU Data Retrival Unit
DSPY Display (annunciation on CDU)
DTG Distance-to-go
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- E -
E East
EADI Electronic Attitude Director Indicator
EAS Equivalent Airspeed
ECAM Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor
ECON Economy (minimum cost speed schedule)
ECS Environmental Control System
E/D End-of-Descent
EDF Electricité de France
EEC Electronic Engine Control
EFC Expected Further Clearance
EFIS Electronic Flight Instrument System
EGT Exhaust Gas Temperature
EHSI Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator
EICAS Engine Indicating Crew Alerting System
EIU Electronic Interface Unit
ELT Emergency Locator Transmitter
EMP Electromagnetic Pulse
EMS Emergency Medical Services
ENG Engine
E/O Engine-Out
EPR Engine Pressure Ratio
EPROM Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory
EST Estimated
ETA EstimatedTime of Arrival
ETX End of Transmission
EXEC Execute
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- F -
F Fahrenheit
FA Final Approach
FAA Federal Aviation Administration
FADEC Full Authority Digital Engine Control
FAIL FMC Fail
Failure The inability of a system, subsytem, unit or part to perform within previously specified limits.
FAF Final Approach Fix
FANS Future Air Navigation Systems
FAR Federal Aviation Regulations (federal rules under which flight operations are conducted)
FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation
FAST Final Approach Spacing Tool
FBO Fixed Based Operator
FCC Flight Control Computer
FCU Flight Control Unit
F/D (FD) Flight Director
FDAMS Flight Data Acquisition and Management System
FDC Flight Data Company
FDR Flight Data Recorder
FEATS Future European Air Traffic System
FEB February
FF Fuel Flow
FGS/C Flight Guidance System/Computer
FIR Flight Information Region
Fix Position in space usually on aircraft's flight plan
FL Flight Level
FL 310 For example, FL310 is an altitude 31,000 ft. above sea level; used for altitudes above 18,000 ft
FLCH Flight Level Change
FLIDRAS Flight Data Replay and Analysis System
FLT Flight
FMA Flight Mode Annunciator: display on or near the PFDs of the current modes of autoflight system
FMC Flight Management Computer (also FMCS - FMC System)
FMGC Flight Management Guidance Computer
FMGS Flight Management Guidance System
FMS Flight Management System
FO First officer
FOQA Flight Operations Quality Assurance
FPA Flight Path Angle
FPA Focal Plane Array
FPM Feet Per Minute
FQIS Fuel Quantity Indicating System
FR From
FRA Flap Retraction Altitude
FRA Federal Railroad Administration
FREQ Frequency
FSF Flight Safety Foundation
FT Feet
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- G -
GA Go-Around
GA General Aviation
GAR Go-Around
GCA Ground-controlled Approach
GDLP Ground Data Link Processor (the Mode S subnetwork function within the ground system that implements the OSI network layer protocols)
GHz Gigahertz
GMT Greenwich MeanTime
GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System
GPS Global Positioning System
GPWS Ground Proximity Warning System (warns of inadequate separation from ground and excessive sink rate close to ground)
GRAF Ground Replay and Analysis Facility
GRP Geographical Reference Points
GS Glide Slope
GS Ground Speed
G/S Glideslope
GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center
GW Gross Weight
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- H -
HAC Hughes Aircraft Co.
HAI Helicopter Association International
HBARO Barometric Altitude
HDG Heading
HDG SEL Heading Select
HDOT Inertial Vertical Speed
HE Altitude Error
HF High Frequency
Hl High
HIRS High-Resolution Infrared Sounder
Host Computer Facility located at the ARTCC which operates user application software, as well as certain peer network layer
protocols required to communicate with adjacent ATN routers.
Host Processor "End system" as defined by ISO that includes the OSI upper layer protocols (i.e., transport layer and above)
and application processes
HP Holding Pattern
HPRES Pressure Altitude
HSI Horizontal Situation Indicator
HUD Head-Up Display
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- I -
IA Inspection Authorization
IAOA Indicated Angle-of-Attack
IAS Indicated Airspeed
ICAAS Integrated Control in Avionics for Air Superiority
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
ID Identifier
IDENT Identification
IEPR Integrated Engine Pressure Ratio
IF Intermediate Frequency
IFR Instrument Flight Rules
IFRB International Frequency Registration Board
IGFET Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor
ILS Instrument Landing System (uses precision localizer and glide-slope radio transmitters near a runway to provide landing
approach guidance)
IMC Instrument Meteorological Conditions
INBD Inbound
INFO Information
in.hg. inches of mercury
INIT Initialization
INR Image Navigation and Registration
INS Inertial Navigation System
INTC Intercept
IPT Integrated Product Team
IRS Inertial Reference System
IRU Inertial Reference Unit
ISA International Standard Atmosphere
ISO International Standards Organization
ITU International Telecommunications Union
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- J -
JAL Japan Air Lines
JAN January
JAR Joint Airworthiness Regulations
JATO Jet Assisted Takeoff
JL Japan Air Lines
JSRA Joint Sponsored Research Agreement
JUL July
JUN June
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- K -
KG Kilogram
kHz kilohertz
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
km Kilometer
KT (kts) Knots
kW Kilowatt
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- L -
L Left
LAT Latitude
LAX Identifier for Los Angeles
LCN Local Communications Network.
LDGPS Local DGPS
LFR Low-frequency Radio Range
LIM Limit
LMM Compass locator at the middle marker
LNAV Lateral Navigation (provides computer description of aircraft's planned lateral flight path that can be tracked by the
autoflight system; lateral path can be shown on map display.)
LO Low
LOC Localizer Beam
LOE Line Oriented Evaluation
LOFT Line Oriented Flight Training
LOM Compass Locator at the Outer Marker
LON Longitude
LORAN Long Range Navigation
LOS Line-Oriented Simulation
LRC Long Range Cruise
LRU Line Replaceable Unit
LVL CHG Level Change
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- M -
M Mach Number
M Manual Tuned NAVAID
MAA Maximum Authorized IFR Altitude
MAG Magnetic
MAINT Maintenance
MAN Manual
MAP Missed Approach
MAR March
M/ASI Mach/Airspeed Indicator
MAX Maximum
MAX CLB Maximum engine thrust for two-engine climb
MAX CRZ Maximum engine thrust for two-engine cruise
MCA Minimum Crossing Altitude
MCDU Multipurpose Control Display Unit
MCP Mode Control Panel (pilots' interface to the autoflight system; usually located centrally just below cockpit glare
shield)
MCT Maximum Continuous Thrust
MCW Modulated Continuous Wave
MDA McDonnell-Douglas Aerospace
MDA Minimum Descent Altitude
MDL Multipurpose Data Link
MEA Minimum Enroute Altitude
MEL Minimum Equipment List
MIDAS Man-Machine Integration Design and Analysis System (NASA Ames)
MIDAS Multi-discipline Data Analysis System
MILSPEC Military Specifications
MIN Minutes
MIN Minimum
MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MLA ManeuverLimited Altitude
MLE Landing Gear Extended Placard Mach Number
MLS Microwave Landing System
MMO Mach Max Operating
MN Magnetic North
MOA Memorandum of Agreement
MOCA Minimum Obstruction Clearance Altitude
MOD Modified/Modification
Mode S Type of secondary surveillance radar (SSR) equipment which provides Mode A and Mode C interrogations, discrete address
(Mode S) interrogations from the ground or air, and a data link capability
MODIS Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectrometer
MRA Minimum Reception Altitude
MSG Message
MSL Mean Sea Level
MTBF Mean Time Between Failures
MU Management Unit
MWP Meteorological Weather Processor
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- N -
N North
NACA National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics
NADIN II National Airspace Data Interchange Network II (the national digital message switching network for aeronautical data)
NAS National Airspace System
NAS National Aircraft Standard
NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration
N/A Not Applicable
NATCA National Air Traffic Controllers Association
NAV Navigation
NAVAID Navigational Aid
NBAA National Business Aircraft Association
NGATM New Generation Air Traffic Manager
ND Navigation Display
NDB Nondirectional Radio Beacon
NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service
NLM Network Loadable Module
NLR National Research Laboratory (The Netherlands)
NM Nautical Mile
NMC National Meteorological Center
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
NOTAM Notice for Airman
NOV November
NRP National Route Program
NTSB National Transportation Safety Board
NW Northwest Airlines
NWS National Weather Service
Nl Engine Revolutions per Minute (percent)
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- O -
OAG Official Airline Guide
OAT Outside AirTemperature
OATS Orbit and Attitude Tracking
OBTEX Offboard Targeting Experiments
OCT October
ODAPS Operational OGE Data Acquisition and Patch Subsystem
OFST Lateral Offset Active Light
OGE Operational Ground Equipment
OIS OGE Input Simulator
OO SkyWest Airlines
OP Operational
OPT Optimum
O-QAR Optical Quick Access Recorder
OSI Open Sytem Interconnection (ISO defined communications architecture used in data link to permit heterogeneous data
communication systems to be interconnected in order to allow the reliable exchange of messages without regard to the
implementation of the networks and physical media through which the messages pass)
OTFP Operational Traffic Flow Planning
OV Overseas National Airways
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- P -
P Procedure-Required Tuned NAVAID
PA Pan Am
PAR Precision Approach Radar
PAWES Performance Assessment and Workload Evaluation
PBD Place Bearing/Distance (way point)
PD Profile Descent
PDB Performance Data Base
PDC Pre Departure Clearance
PERF Performance
PF Pilot Flying
PFD Primary Flight Display
PHARE Program for Harmonized ATC Research in Europe
PHIBUF Performance Buffet Limit
PHINOM Nominal Bank Angle
PIREPS Pilot Reports
PMS Performance Management System
PND Primary Navigation Display
PNF Pilot Not Flying
POS Position
POS INIT Position Initialization
POS REF Position Reference
PPI Plan Position Indicator
PPOS Present Position
PREV Previous
PROC Procedure
PROF Profile
PROG Progress Page on MCDU
PROV Provisional
PS Pacific Southwest Airways
PT Total Pressure
PTH Path
PVD Plan View Display
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--Rob