GA LCHS NJROTC Drone Academics

Eugene Ely

First person to takeoff and land on an aircraft carrier

Pontoon

A floating structure, such as the float on a seaplane

Man of War

A general term for an armed naval vessel

USS Langley

US Navy's first aircraft carrier

USS Lexington/USS Saratoga

USS Navy's second and third aircraft carriers, respectively

USS Antietam

1st carrier actually designed and built as an angled carrier deck

Fixed-wing Aircraft

An airplane

Rotory-wing Aircraft

A helicopter

A

Attack

B

Bomber

C

Cargo/ Transport

E

Special electronic installation

F

Fighter

H

Helicopter

K

Tanker

O

Observation

R

Reconnaissance

S

Antisubmarine

T

Trainer

U

Utiilty

V

VTOL/ STOL (vertical/ short takeoff and landing)

X

Research

Drone

An unmanned aircraft that can fly autonomously, or without a human

Modification

An alteration or adjustment, as of an aircraft or other vehicle

Surveillance

Close observation of the enemy

F/A-18 Super Hornet

Plane flown by the Blue Angels, however it is often only called the F/A-18 Hornet

Logistics

The aspect of military or naval operations that deals with the procurement, distribution, maintenance, and replacement of material and personnel

SH-60 Seahawk

Helicopter primarily used to detect and destroy submarines. Also used for search and rescue, scouting, special operations, etc.

VTOL

Vertical takeoff or landing; refers to either the capability or to the aircraft that has it

Rotor

An assembly of rotating horizontal airfoils (wings), such as on a helicopter

Nacelle

A separate, streamlined enclosure on an aircraft for sheltering the crew or cargo or housing an engine

Gases in the Atmosphere

78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen, 1% other gases

Humidity

Scattered water vapor in the air/ atmosphere

Troposphere

The first layer of Earth's atmosphere, where weather occurs

Tropopause

The transition between the troposphere and the stratosphere

Stratosphere

The second layer of Earth's atmosphere. Where jet streams are located, therefore commercial planes tend to fly here. Also contains ozone layer

Jet Streams

Currents of air that move swiftly from west to east around the Earth

Ozone Layer

AKA Chemosphere, a layer in the atmosphere that absorbs 98% of biologically damaging UV light from the Sun

Mesosphere

Third layer of the atmosphere. A cold layer in the atmosphere with temperatures averaging 0° to -90° C

Thermosphere

The fourth layer of Earth's atmosphere. A hot layer in the atmosphere with temperatures varying between -90° C right above the Mesosphere to 2,500° C in the upper regions

Ionosphere

The lower part of the thermosphere, where electrically charged particles called ions are found. Low-frequency radio waves are transmitted by reflecting them here

Exosphere

The outer layer of the thermosphere, extending outward into space

Magnetosphere

The region of Earth's magnetic field shaped by the solar wind

Solar Wind

A stream of electrically charged subatomic particles emanating from the Sun that rush by at speeds up to 900,000 mph

Van Allen Radiation Belts

An inner and outer belt of charged particles (high-energy protons and electrons) trapped by the magnetosphere

Barometer

An instrument that measures atmospheric pressure

Highs

Areas of rising atmospheric pressure. In general, this means fair weather matching the season

Lows

Areas of falling atmospheric pressure. Can indicate high winds, warm air, clouds, rain, and stormy conditions

Weather

The condition of the atmosphere expressed in terms of its heat, pressure, moisture, and wind

Greenhouse Effect

Natural situation in which heat is retained in Earth's atmosphere by carbon dioxide, methane, water vapor, and other gases

Carbon Footprint

The total carbon dioxide emissions produced by an individual, group, or location

Global Warming

An increase in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere (especially a sustained increase that causes climatic changes)

Thermometer

An instrument used to measure temperature

Fahrenheit

Unit of temperature; water freezes at 32 °F and boils at 212 °F on this scale

Celsius

Metric unit for measuring temperature; On this scale water freezes at 0° and boils at 100°

Dew Point

The temperature at which the water vapor in the air becomes saturated and condensation begins

Psychrometer

An instrument used to measure relative humidity

Natural Convection

Air movement caused by the heating or cooling of wind. Warmth rises, coolth sinks

Hygroscopic/ Condensation Nuclei

Tiny particles that readily absorb moisture. Dust, sand, pollen, smoke, and salt particles from the ocean. A large mass of these creates a cloud

Fog

A cloud at ground level

Coalesce

To merge, to fuse, to join, or to unite. For us, in the context of hygroscopic droplets (cloud droplets) that will coalesce until they fall as rain, snow, sleet, or hail

Stratus Clouds

Uniform grayish clouds that often cover the entire sky. They resemble fog that doesn't reach the ground. Light mist or drizzle sometimes falls out of these clouds

Cumulus Clouds

Fluffy, white clouds, usually with flat bottoms, that look like rounded piles of cotton

Cirrus Clouds

Wispy, feathery clouds made of ice crystals that form at high levels

Thunderheads

Large cumulonimbus clouds where thunderstorms form

Angle of Attack

The acute angle between the direction of the relative wind and the chord of an airfoil

Rainmaking

The act of attempting to artificially induce or increase precipitation. An ancient idea with example such as rain dances, sacrifices, drums, cannons, and smoke. These did not work

Cloud Seeding

Modern day technique of rainmaking, aircraft or rockets drop dry ice crystals in hopes they will artificially form into rain clouds over time. Under certain conditions, this does work

Sleet

Wintertime. Formed when rain falls through a layer of freezing air, creating ice pellets

Ice Storm

A storm in which freezing rain forms a significant layer of ice on outside surfaces

Hail

Summertime. Ice pellets ranging anywhere from 0.5-2.75 inches on average. Can be lethal, and can destroy crop in minutes

Snow

Wintertime. Water condensed into supercooled water droplets and ice. As the ice gathers more water on itself they take on random shapes. Once big enough they fall as snowflakes

Frost

Thin, white layer of ice on surfaces when the weather is very cold

Advection Fog

A fog formed when warm, moist air is blown over a cool surface.

Steam Fog

Condensation of water vapor that results when cool air moves over warm water

Radiation Fog

Heat radiating from the Earth's surface after sundown may cause sufficiently cool and moist air to dew and create fog

Wind

Air in motion over Earth's surface

Trade Winds

Easterly winds found in the tropical regions north and south of Equator. Winds moving equatorward are strong and dependable

Prevailing Westerlies

Winds that blow west to east between 30 and 60 degrees in the northern and southern hemispheres

Doldrums

A frequently windless area near the Equator

Polar Easterlies

Prevailing winds that blow from east to west between 60degrees-90degrees latitude in both hemisphere

Inter-Tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ)

A low-pressure belt of rising air along the equator. High temps and excessive rain

Horse Latitudes

A belt of calm air and sea occurring in both the northern and southern hemispheres between the trade winds and the westerlies

Season

A period of the year characterized by particular conditions of weather, and tempature

Plane of the Ecliptic

The plane of Earth's orbit around the Sun

Tropic of Cancer

A line of latitude about 23 degrees North of the equator

Tropic of Capricorn

A line of latitude about 23 degrees South of the equator

Polar Vortices

Long-lived pattern of circulating winds around the pole of a planet

Monsoons

Seasonal wind patterns that cause wet and dry seasons

Anemometer

An instrument used to measure wind speed

Air Mass

A large body of air with roughly the same temperature and humidity

Weather Front

A boundary that forms when air masses meet that have different temperature, pressure, and humidity conditions

Stationary Front

A pair of air masses, neither of which is strong enough to replace the other

Occluded Front

A front where a warm air mass is caught between two colder air masses and brings cool temperatures and large amounts of rain and snow

Thunderstorms

Cumulus or cumulonimbus clouds, heavy rain, thunder, lightning, hail

Microburst

A sudden, powerful, localized air current, especially a downdraft

Wind Shear

A sudden change in wind speed or direction with distance

Squall

Violent windstorm

Leaders (in reference to lightning)

Columns of electrified air running between two charged regions

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

National aviation authority of the United States, with powers to regulate all aspects of civil aviation