Terms

a/c

short for aircraft

aft

back or rear

aileron

a small appendage to the trailling edge of the wong which controls the rolling/backing

airborne

Carried by air

air speed

the speed at which the plane is moving through the air

ATC

organisation which monitors and co-ordinates a/c movements while in flight

altimeter

instrument to measure the altitude

approach pattern

the routing system used by atc for guiding the a/c to runway

automatic pilot

keeps the a/c at predetermined course at desired altitude

baggage

luggage carried on the same flight. Passanger owns it

baggage tag

tag identifying checked baggage . A portion of it is detained by the passenger

block timethe

actual time an a/c was in motion for a flight or a leg

booking

reservation by passenger

boarding pass

document which entitles a passenger to board a flight

bulkhead

a stressed wall or divider in a/c area

cabin

The interior of an airplane. the passenger compartment does not contain cargo or baggage holds

Captain

He is responsible for the operation and safety of the a/c and for the safety of all the person on board during the flight. they are in command.

cargo

anything carried in an a/c other mail or passenger baggage equivalent to the term GOODS

catering

the department which supplies all the food and service items to be used during the flight.

ceiling

the height above the ground at which half of the sky is covered by clouds, smoke or dust; distance from the ground to the lower base of the lowest cloud cover.

chocks

large piece of wood placed in front of and behind the wheels of the a/c to prevent it from rolling. also known as blocks.

clearance

ATC authorizing takeoff and landing

cockpit

fligth deck, the area of flight control

commissary

the department which supplies the provisioned items such as paper towels, tea, coffee, sugar… carried on board each flight

configuration

the pattern of seats, cargo compartments, andother items on a particular airline or flight.

control

the traffic booth of an airport manned by tower governmental personnel who control the movement of a/c on the runway.

copax/copper

abbreviation for company personnel

crew

any person having duties on board an a/c in connection of flying or safety of the passengers.

deadhead

travel of company personnel on their company’s a/c for business reasons

decompression

the uncontrolled loss of cabin pressure

destination

the unlimited stopping place place after a flight

disembarkation

act of leaving the a/c

drag

retarding force which is created by the total resistance of the air to the a/c

elevator

control surface hinged on the trailing edges of the horizontal assembly of the tail section, which controls the pitch.

embarkation

the act of going on board

engine pod

the covering of rhe jet engine

eta

estimated time of arrival

f/a

flight attendant

fare

amount money charged by a carrier for carriage of a passenger and his/her baggage

faa

federal aviation agency. governmental body responsible for airway system in the usa

ferry flight

flight to transfer equipment or personnel from one point to another. no revenue passanger

f/o

first officer

flight coupon

portion of passenger ticket which indicates the ticket is valid

flight deck

*same as cockpit

front end

term used to denote the cockpit or cockpit crew

fuselage

body of the a/c

galley

the kitchen of the aircraft

gmt

greenwitch mean time; zulu time. zero meridian from which all the time zones are calculated

ground speed

actual speed of the a/c over the ground

gross takeoff weight

the total weight of a/c at takeoff including fuel

gust lock

a device designed to maintain a door in the open position

hangar

building used as shelter for a/c

headwind

wind blowing against an a/c nose and slowing its ground speed

horizontal stabilizer

small wing like surfaces mounted horizontally at the tail. they provide longitudinal stability.

inboard

towards the inside

iata

international air transport association; voluntary association composed of world airlines dealing with common air transport problems.

intenerary

the individual travel plan of a passenger

knot

measure of speed. 1 knot = 1.4 miles

landing gear

wheel structure of a/c

layover

period of rest given to crew member at crew change point other than home base

leading edge

surface of wing which cuts through air

leg the flight sector between two consecutive scheduled stops of a flight

mach

the speed of sound

main gear

landing gear portion under the wing

manual

a reference book used by all airline employees

manifest

a list of passengers name or ship’s cargo

mot

minister of transportation

nose wheel

landing gear portion under the nose

outboard

away from the center of a/c, closer to eithr wingtips

pairing

the schedule and routing of a crew member

pax

passengers

p.i.c

person in command

pins

gear pins ensure the gear stays down

pitch

occurns when the nose goes up or down

polar route

flights arcing over or towards the pole

port

left

pressurization

system of maintaining conditions of pressure in the a/c, closer to sea level conditions

psu

passenger service unit; the panel whichhouses reading light, air vents, call buttons

ramp

tarmac or apron, area of an airport where a plane is parked

range

the maximum distance of an aircraft travel

revenue

applied to a passenger

rudder

upright portion of the tail assembly which controls the yaw or turning of a/c

sector

see leg

simulator

a device for imitating flight conditions and for training

sita codes

three letters codes to denote airports and cities

snag

not functionning

speed brakes

spoilers on the wings which are raised to create dragand slow an a/c

spoilers

spoils the lift

starboard

right

stowage

storage

tailwind

opposite of headwind

take off

the most critical phase of flying; to begin flight

taxi

to opperate an a/c on ts own power on the ground

thrust

the force resulting from the hot exhaut gasses which push the plane forward

trailing

the edge of the wing towards the rear of aft of the a/c

turnaround

consecutive flights with no layovers or crew changes, originating and terminating in the same city

u/d

upper deck

undercarriage

the landing gear

vertical stabilizer

upright fin like surface at the tail of the aircraft. It helps with directional stability meaning the a/c stays pointed straight ahead resisting unwanted side to side motion

winglet

extention of the wing