Flight attendantnoun a member of the flight crew who looks after passengers, serves food, etc. o If you need something, press the call button and a cabin attendant will respond within a few minutes. Also called cabin attendant
flight bagnoun a bag used by flight crew to carry manuals, documents, headset, etc.
flight-briefing room ru:m/ noun a room where instructors talk to trainees immediately before a training flight or where a pilot talks to his or her crew immediately before boarding the aircraft flight crewnoun airline staff responsible for flying the aircraft flight data recorder ,noun an electronic device located in the tail section of an aircraft that picks up and stores data about a flight. Abbreviation FDR. Also called black box (note: It is often called the black box, although it is not black.)
flight deck/ noun a place where the flight crew of an airliner sit while flying the aircraft flight deck instruments plural noun instruments used by the flight crew when flying an aircraft
flight engineer noun the member of the crew of a plane who is responsible for checking that its systems, including the engines, perform properly
flight envelopenoun same as envelope flight information region
noun airspace with defined limits which has an air traffic control information and alerting service.
Abbreviation FIR
Flight levelnoun 1.the level of constant atmospheric pressure related to a reference datum of 1013.25 mb o FL 250 = 25,000 ft. Abbreviation FL 2. the height at which a particular aircraft is allowed to fly at a particular time
flight linenoun the area of an airfield, especially a military airfield, where aircraft are parked, serviced, and loaded or unloaded
Flight Manualnoun same as Pilot’s Operating Handbook flight operations
‘ plural noun the use of aircraft
flight pathnoun a line, course or track along which an aircraft flies
flight plan‘ noun a written statement that gives details of the flight that a pilot intends to make
flight progress strip 1‘ a thin cardboard strip with information on it about a flight, which is updated by air traffic controllers as the flight progresses
flight simulatornoun a device or computer program which allows a user to pilot an aircraft, showing a realistic control panel and moving scenes, used as training programme
flig ht-test‘ verb to test the performance of an aircraft or component in flight
floatnoun 1. a floating ball attached to a lever to regulate the level of a liquid in a tank, etc. □ float-operated switch a shut-off valve operated by a float 2. a hollow structure fixed below an aircraft that allows it to float on water. Also called pontoon ■ verb to remain on the surface of a fluid without sinking o Because of the air-tight nature of the fuselage, most large aircraft will float for some time before sinking.
float chambernoun the part of a carburettor which houses the float
floatplanenoun a sea plane that has hollow structures attached underneath its wings and sometimes its fuselage on which it floats so that the main body of the plane is not in contact with the water. Compare flying boat
flowverb 1. to move or run smoothly with continuity, as a fluid o Air flows over the wing surfaces and lift is produced. 2. to circulate o Liquid coolantflows around the engine. ■ noun continuous movement in a particular direction o The flow of fuel from the fuel tanks to the engines.
flowmeter‘ noun a device for measuring the flow of a liquid or gas o The oxygen flowmeter should blink once for each breath.
fluctuateverb to vary or change irregularly o The magnetic field will fluctuate at the supply frequency.
fluidnoun a substance which is not solid, whose molecules move freely past one another and that takes the shape of its container □ de-icing fluid a liquid for removing ice
fluorescent‘ adjective referring to the emission of electromagnetic radiation of visible light o The fluorescent penetrant process of flaw detection uses a penetrant containing a fluorescent dye which fluoresces in ultra-violet light.
flyverb to move through the air or to cause an aircraft to move through the air in a controlled manner o An aeroplane may notfly over a city below such a height as would allow it to alight in the event of an engine failure. o He’s learning to fly. (note: flying – flew -flown) □ to fly in formation to fly as a group which maintains a particular pattern or arrangement in the air
fly-by-wirenoun technology which interprets movements of the pilot’s controls and, with the aid of computerized electronics, moves the control surfaces accordingly o Using fly-by-wire technology, the stalling angle cannot be exceeded regardless of stick input. o The more reliable and quick fly-by-wire system allows a much greater degree of flexibility with aircraft stability.
comment: Fighters like the General Dynamics F16 and large transport aircraft such as the Boeing 777 and Airbus A320 have fly-by-wire systems.
flyingnoun the act of making an aircraft move through the air in a controlled manner
flying boatnoun a sea plane with a body that acts like a boat’s hull and allows the plane to float on water. Compare floatplane flying conditionsplural noun the weather and its suitability for flying flying controlsplural noun the yoke or control column, rudder pedals and other devices used by the pilot in order to manoeuvre the aircraft
flying fieldnoun a small airfield from which light aircraft can operate
flying instructornoun a trained person, a pilot, who teaches people how to fly an aircraft
FMSabbreviation flight management system foamnoun 1. a mass of bubbles of air or gas in a liquid film o foam fire extinguishers o Airport fire crews covered the fuselage with foam to control the fire. 2. any of various light, porous, semi-rigid or spongy materials used for thermal insulation or shock absorption o Polyurethane foam is used in packaging.
focusnoun the point at which rays of light or other radiation converge o The focus of a lens is also called the focal point. (note: The plural form is foci□ to come into focus to become clearer as through the viewfinder of a camera ■ verb 1. to make things such as light rays converge on a central point o A parabolic reflector focuses the transmission into a narrow beam. 2. to give an object or image a clear outline or detail by adjustment of an optical device o Focus the microscope in order to make the image easier to see. 3. to direct toward a particular point or purpose o The crew focused all their attention on finding a solution to the problem.
fognoun condensed water vapour in cloud-like masses lying close to the ground and limiting visibility
When visibility is less than 1,000 m owing to suspended water droplets in the atmosphere, the condition is known as fog. □ evaporation fog steam fog o Evaporation fog is usually confined to water surfaces and adjacent areas of land.
foehn‘ noun a warm dry wind that blows down the lee side of a mountain, particularly in the Alps (note: The word is also written foehn.)
foilnoun same as aerofoil foot noun a unit of length in the US and British Imperial Systems equal to 12 inches or 30.48 centimetres. Symbol ft (note: The plural form is feet; foot is usually written ft or ‘ after figures: 10ft or 10′.)
foot-pound‘ noun the ability to lift a one pound weight a distance of one foot. Abbreviation ft-lb
forcenoun 1. the capacity to do work or cause physical change o the force of an explosion 2. power used against a resistance o In small aerobatic aircraft, considerable force is needed on the control column when performing high-speed manoeuvres. 3. a vector quantity that produces an acceleration of a body in the direction of its application (note: We say centrifugal force, but the force of gravity.) □ the force of gravity the natural force of attraction which pulls bodies towards each other and which pulls objects on Earth towards its centre ■ verb 1. to use power against resistance o Because of distortion to the airframe, the pilot had to force the door open in order to exit the aircraft. 2. □ to force someone to do something to use physical or psychological power to make somebody do something they otherwise would not do o The hijackers forced the crew to fly to Athens.
forced landingnoun an unexpected landing that a pilot of an aircraft has to make because of an emergency situation
force downverb to force an aircraft to land, usually because of an emergency situation force-landverb to land an aircraft before it gets to its destination because of an emergency situation, or land in these circumstances
forces of flightplural noun the aerodynamic forces, lift, drag, weight and thrust, which act on an object that is travelling though the air
foreadjective located at or towards the front □ the fore and aft axis of the aircraft the longitudinal axis of the aircraft □ to come to the fore to become important or to start to play a leading role o The jet engine came to the fore in the late forties. i> aft
forecast/ noun a statement of what is likely to happen in the future or describing expected events or conditions o weather forecast □ forecast weather charts charts with information about the weather coming to a particular area ■ verb to estimate or calculate weather conditions by studying meteorological information o Rain is forecast for this afternoon. (note: forecasting -forecast or forecasted)
forecast chartnoun same as prognostic chart
Prognostic or forecast charts are prepared, by the central meteorological office of each region, normally for periods up to 24 hours ahead.
formnoun 1. a document with blanks for the insertion of details or information o insurance form o application form 2. a kind or type o The ground automatic relief valve is a form of discharge valve. o Drizzle is the lightest form of precipitation. 3. the shape of an object o Fluids take on the form of the container in which they are found. □ in the form of a triangle in the shape of a triangle 4. the way in which a thing exists, acts, or shows itself o water in the form of ice o fuel in the form of a spray ■ verb 1. to come into being o In some conditions, ice forms on the leading edge of the wing. o Cumulus clouds only form in an unstable atmosphere. 2. to make a shape o Three points on the chart form a triangle. 3. to make up or constitute The classroom and accommodation building form the main part of the college.
formationnoun 1. the process of coming into being or forming □ cloud formation the natural production and development of clouds □ ice formation the natural production and development of ice 2. □ to fly in formation to fly in a group which maintains a particular pattern or arrangement in the air formeradjective having been in the past □ a former military pilot a pilot who used to be a military pilot ■ noun 1. the first of two things mentioned 2. a light secondary structure of the airframe which gives improved shape’…much has changed in the former Eastern European States, especially in terms of aviation operations and training’ [Civil Aviation Training]
formulanoun a mathematical rule expressed in symbols o The formula for calculating speed is D ^ T = S (where D = distance, T = time and S = speed). (note: The plural form is formulas or formulae.)
forwardadjective at, near, or belonging to the front o the forward section of the aircraft o forward and aft exits
forwardsadverb towards a position in front o The throttles are moved forwards for take-off. (note: The US English is forward.)
foulingnoun contamination of the spark plugs with oil or petrol so that they do not fire correctly o The engine should be run at a positive idling speed to prevent spark plug fouling.
four-digit groupnoun four single numbers found together four-stroke combustion engine
noun an engine which operates in accordance with the four-stroke cycle o Induction, compression, power and exhaust are the four phases of the four-stroke combustion engine. fpm abbreviation feet per minute
FPPS abbreviation flight plan processing system
framenoun 1. a structure that gives shape or support o Early aircraft fuselages were made of a frame covered by a fabric. 2. an open structure for holding, or bordering o a door or window frame
FREDA » mnemonic freezeverb to pass from the liquid to the solid state by loss of heat o In some conditions, rain droplets freeze rapidly on striking the aircraft. (note: freezing – froze – frozen)
freightnoun anything other than people transported by a vessel or vehicle, especially by a commercial carrier
Freight holds are usually located beneath the passenger cabins.
freighternoun an aircraft designed to carry
Freight frequencynoun 1. the number of times or the rate at which something happens in a given period of time o The frequency of flights to holiday destinations increases during the summer time. 2. the number of repetitions per unit time of a complete waveform, as of an electric current frequency ‘.a Baltimore man adjusted a baby alarm to improve its performance and found his youngster’s squawks were being picked up by incoming aircraft tuned to the local NDB frequency’ [Pilot]