Unit 1A Terms (Aerospace Engineering)

ADF

Automatic Direction Finder; an aircraft radio navigation system that senses and indicates the direction to an L/MF non-directional radio beacon (NDB) ground transmitter.

AGL

Above Ground Level; altitude expressed in feet measured above ground level.

AID

Accident Incident Database produced by the FAA.

Aileron

Small-hinged sections on the outboard portion of a wing used to generate a rolling motion for an aircraft.

Airfoil

Any surface, such as a wing, which provides aerodynamic force when it interacts with a moving stream of air.

Ambient light

The light in the surrounding environment.

Analog

A way of representing some physical quantity, such as temperature or velocity, by a proportional continuous voltage or current.

Anemometer

An instrument for measuring the force or velocity of wind; a wind gauge.

Angle of Attack

The angle formed by the wing chord line and the relative wind.

Compression stroke

The piston moves back towards the cylinder head.

Argument of Perigree (ω)

The orientation of the orbit within the orbital plane.

Aspect Ratio

The relationship between the length and width of a wing.

Asteroid

Small bodies composed of rock and metal in orbit about the sun.

ATC

Air Traffic Control; a system designed to prevent collisions between aircraft.

Avionics

Electronics used onboard for piloting an aircraft, enabling interaction with systems like navigation, communication, and flight control.

Fatigue

The loss of the load-bearing ability of a material under repeated load application.

Bearing

The horizontal direction to or from any point, measured clockwise from true north, magnetic north, or some other reference point through 360 degrees.

Blind Spot

The small circular area in the retina where the optic nerve enters the eye, devoid of rods and cones.

Block-based programming

Creating computer programs by manipulating elements graphically rather than using text; also known as visual programming language.

Stress

The force acting across a unit area in a solid material resisting separation, compacting, or sliding induced by external forces.

Center of gravity

The common reference point for the three axes of the aircraft.

Toughness

Mechanical property of a material indicating its ability to handle overloading before fracture.