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Acronyms and Abbreviations
This is a short list of acronyms and abbreviations used in the aviation industry and
therefore also in the virtual aviation segment. If you just fly offline on your simulator
you will find that you are perhaps not well acquainted with all the terms.
However, once you upgrade your skills to flying online with organizations such as
IVAO or VATSIM you will find out that there is a lot of terminology that not only you
need to get acquainted to, but also feel comfortable in using it in order to follow
instructions from the virtual air traffic controller.
This is list is by no means complete but we will ad terms as we see fit.
A
- ACARS - Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System
-
Ddigital datalink system for transmission of small messages between aircraft and ground
stations via radio or satellite. The protocol was defined in the 1970s and uses telex formats.
- ADF - Automatic Direction Finder
-
Radio navigation system whereby the direction to a low/medium freq. non-directional
beacon (NDB) is both sensed and indicated.
- AGL - Above Ground Level
- Altimeter - Cockpit instrument
- Instrument found in aircraft cockpits
whereby the altitude of the aircraft above sea level is indicated by measuring the
differences in atmospheric pressure
- ARTCC - Air Route Traffic Control Center
- ATC - Air Traffic Controller
- ATIS - Automatic Terminal Information Service
- A continuous broadcast
of non-control information in certain terminal areas in order to reduce the workload of
ATCs. It typically includes information such as the current weather, altimeter setting, etc.
C
- CDI - Course Deviation Indicator
- A needle in the VOR instrument
readout that indicates whether the aircraft is flying in the desired radial.
D
- DME - Distance Measuring Equipment
- When tuned to the frequency of
a DME equipped beacon, it will indicate the distance away from the beacon.
E
- EFIS - Electronic Flight Instrument System
- ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival
- ETE - Estimated Time Enroute
- Estimated time between takeoff and touchdown.
F
- FAF - Final Approach Fix
- Identifies the point in the path near an airport
in which the final approach segment begins.
- FIR - Flight Information Region
- A geographical area with clearly defined
boundaries where both flight information and alerting services are provided.
G
- GPWS - Ground Proximity Warning System
- An avionics system that performs
certain calculations and provides the pilot with audible feedback by means of prerecorded
voice messages. These include warnings such as too low without flaps, sink rate and
the height (altitude above ground) callouts useful during landing.
I
- IAF - Initial Approach Fix
- Identifies a point where the initial approach
to an airfield begins.
- IAP - Instrument Approach Procedures/Plates
- IATA - International Air Transport Association
- ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organization
- IFR - Istrument Flight Rules
- ILS - Istrument Landing System
- IM - Öuter Marker
- The inner marker of an ILS approach. In other
words the one closest to the runway touchdown zone.
- ISO - International Standards Organization
M
- MDA - Minimum Descent Altitude
-
The altitude restriction placed after the FAF that you can not descend below UNTIL you have visual
of the runway environment
- MLW - Maxium Landing Weight
- Maximum weight for landing as limited by
aircraft strength and airworthiness requirements.
- MM - Middle Marker
- The middle marker of an ILS approach
- MTOW - Maximum Takeoff Weight
- The max. weight for takeoff. This is the
maximum weight at the start of the takeoff run.
- MTW - Maximum Taxi Weight
-
Maximum Weight for ground maneuver as limited by
aircraft strength and airworthiness requirements. Includes weight of taxi and runup fuel
- MZFW - Maximum Zero Fuel Weight
-
Max. weight allowed before usable fuel and
other specified usable agents must be loaded to the plane.
N
- NDB - Non Directional Beacon
- Emits a non-directional radio signal
that aids the aircraft with direction finding equipment to navigate to/from the
beacon location.
O
- OBS - Omni Bearing Selector
- Part of the VOR indicator that
permits selecting the desired radial of the VOR beacon the instrument is tuned to.
- OM - Öuter Marker
- The outer marker of an ILS approach. it is
located 4 to 7 miles from the runway threshold and emits two Morse code dashes per second
on a frequency of 400Hz. On the aircraft it produces both an aural and visual indication
when it is flown over.
- OEW - Operating Empty Weight
- Weight of structure, power plant,
furnishings, systems, unusable fuel and other unusable propulsion agents as well as
equipment considered an integral part of an airplane configuration. Includes weight of
standard items such as personnel, equipment and supplies needed for full operation excluding
usable fuel and payload (baggage and passengers)
P
- PIREP - Pilot Report
- All flights require a PIREP to be filed.
- Procedure Turn - Procedure turn
- A maneuver in which a turn is made away
from a designated track followed by a turn in the opposite direction to permit the aircraft
to intercept and proceed along the reciprocal of the designated track
Q
- QNE -
- Barometric pressure used for the standard altimeter setting (29.92 inches Hg.)
- QNH -
- Barometric pressure reported by a particular station
R
- RVR - Runway Visual Range
- Runway visibility range which is given in low visibility procedures
S
- SID - Standard Instrument Departure
- Define one of possibly several
particular standard departure routes used when taking off from an airport. It provides the
transition between takeoff to the enroute structure of an IFR flight.
- STAR - Standard Terminal Arrival
- A predetermined standard route used
for arrival to an airport. It provides the instructions for the transition from the
enroute procedure to the outer fix of an IFR arrival.
T
- TCAS - Traffic alert and Collision Avoidance System
- An aircraft system
which provides alerts regarding surrounding traffic as well as collision avoidance instructions
when the situation arises.
V
- VFR - Visual Flight Rules
- To conduct a flight under visual conditions.
- VOR - VHF Omnidirectional Beacon
-
A very high frequency radio beacon that
emits signal in all directions in a way that allows the VOR instrument on the aircraft tuned to
the VOR frequency and radial to know whether it is flying along that particular radial or not.
A VOR always emits a morse code identifying itself by name.
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