AAIB To Acquire (Aviation)

AAIB abbreviation Air Accident Investigation Branch

AARA abbreviation air to air refuelling area

Abbreviateverb to shorten a word or a text o Air Traffic Control is usually abbreviated to ATC. □ abbreviated weather report a shortened weather report

Abbreviationnoun the short form of a word or text o Aeronautical charts use abbreviations and symbols. o Km is the abbreviation for kilometre.

Comment: Abbreviations can cause confusion. They may range from those which have a very specific meaning as defined by an authoritative body, to others which may come about because of personal usage in note-making, etc. ICAO approved abbreviations may differ from those used in JARs. AC can mean ‘alternating current’ or ‘altocumulus’. CPL is generally taken to mean Commercial Pilot’s Licence but the ICAO definition is Current Flight Plan. Advances in technology have significantly increased the number of abbreviations with which pilots and engineers must be familiar. Abbreviations in this dictionary include those with generally accepted definitions and others with specific ICAO definitions.

Abilitynoun the power, knowledge or skill needed to do something o Strength is the ability of a material to support a load. □ he has great ability he has good skills or is very clever ableadjective skilful and competent □ to be able to to have the power, knowledge, skill or strength to do something o Is she able to carry this heavy suitcase?

Able-bodiedadjective referring to a person who has no physical disabilities o Physically disad-vantaged as well as able-bodied people can gain a PPL.

Abnormaladjective not normal

Abnormalitynoun something that is not normal, expected or correct, and is therefore possibly worrying o Any abnormality in engine performance should be checked. abnormal load /®b,no:m(a)l ‘laud/ noun a load which is heavier than normal

Abortverb 1. to stop some thing taking place o They had to abort the landing because of a violent storm 2. to end something before it has finished

Absoluteadjective complete, total □ absolute necessity something that you cannot manage without under any circumstances □ absolute silence a condition in which no sound of any kind can be heard absolute ceiling noun the maximum height above sea level at which an aircraft can maintain horizontal flight

Absolute humidity noun the vapour concentration or mass of water in a given quantity of air

Absolute pressure ‘preja/ noun a unit of force per unit of area without comparison to other pressure o Aircraft show absolute pressure in inches of mercury on the inlet manifold pressure gauge.

Absolute value noun the size or value of a number regardless of its sign o The absolute value of—64.32 is 64.32. absolute zero noun the lowest temperature possible, 0 °K, or -273.15 °C

Absorbverb to take in o

Warm air absorbs moisture more easily than cold air. o Our bodies absorb oxygen. □ to absorb information to understand and remember something o Only a few passengers absorb the pre-depar-ture safety information.

Absorptionnoun the act of taking something in o There is absorption of energy by the tyre when the aircraft lands.

AC abbreviation 1. alternating current 2. altocumulus (ICAO) ACARS abbreviation airborne communication, addressing and reporting system

ACASabbreviation airborne collision avoidance system

ACC abbreviation area control centre

Accelerateverb to increase speed o After start-up, the engine accelerates up to idling speed. o The aircraft accelerated down the runway and took off. Opposite decelerate acceleration noun 1. the act of increasing the speed of something or of going faster. Opposite deceleration (note: Acceleration can be felt as an aircraft begins its takeoff run.) 2. a force that pulls outwards and is caused by a change in direction rather than a change in speed o Acceleration forces can be felt during aerobatic manoeuvres.

Acceleration due to earth’s gravity noun the pulling force exerted on a body by the Earth. It has an international standard value of 9.80665 metres per second per second. Abbreviation g

Accelerometer noun an instrument that measures an aircraft’s acceleration acceptverb 1. to be able to take or receive Some units accept electrical inputs from the autopilot. 2. to take or receive something when it is given to you She accepted the award on behalf of the whole crew. □ to accept a gift, to accept a prize to take a prize which is handed to you 3. to be willing to receive or admit something □ to accept the blame to be willing to admit that you were the person who caused something bad to happen The airline accepted the blame for the loss of their baggage. □ to accept responsibility to be willing to be answerable for something The copilot Accepted responsibility for the incident.

Acceptableadjective allowed or approved of, although it may not be perfect □ acceptable level of safety a good enough standard of safety □ acceptable limits the limits generally regarded as correct □ there must be a continuous flow of clean oil at an acceptable temperature the temperature of the oil must be within given maximum and minimum figures

Acceptancenoun 1. willingness to believe something or agree to something o There is a growing acceptance that safety is the main priority. 2. willingness to do or use something □ acceptance of new technology willingness to use new technology acceptedadjective believed or recognised o It is accepted that incorrect use of English played a part in the accident. o It is generally accepted that flying is one of the safest forms of transport.

Accessnoun a way to find or get at something □ to gain access to to manage to enter a place □ access to information the means to get at, retrieve and use information verb to find and use □ to access data, to access information to find, retrieve and use data or information

Accessibilitynoun the ease with which something can be reached or found o Accessibility of components and equipment during servicing enables work to be done more quickly.

accessibleadjective easy to get at o It is a good idea to have a set of emergency charts in an accessible place in the cockpit. o Instruments which need resetting in flight must be accessible to the crew. accessorynoun a system or piece of equipment of secondary importance o a camera with several accessories adjective of secondary importance o There are many accessory systems which need engine power to operate them — pumps, generators, magnetos, etc. (note: The noun accessory is not connected with the noun access or the verb to access.) access panel noun a part of the aircraft skin which can be easily removed so internal components can be inspected accidentnoun 1. something which happens which seems to have no cause □ it was an accident nobody planned that it should happen or deliberately caused it to happen □ by accident by chance □ we met by accident we met by chance 2. an unfortunate or harmful event, something causing damage o An accident must be reported. o The flight attendant was injured in the accident.

‘Mr Skidmore lost both arms in an accident while serving in the army as a young man, and is believed to be the first pilot in the UK – and possibly the world -to go solo with two artificial arms’ [Pilot]

accidentaladjective

1. happening by accident, not deliberate or planned o There is a safety device to prevent accidental retraction of the undercarriage. 2. relating to an accident, or happening as a result of an accident o We were told of his accidental death.

Accompanied

adjective found together with □ accompanied luggage luggage which belongs to one of the passengers and is carried on the same aircraft. t> unaccompanied accompanyverb to go together with something else o Engine failure is sometimes accompanied by fire. □ Mr Smith was accompanied by his wife and children on the flight to New York Mr Smith’s wife and children were with him on the flight accomplishverb {in formal technical texts) to do something o Feathering is accomplished by moving the pilot’s control lever. o Retraction of the undercarriage is accomplished by electrical power. □ to accomplish a task to successfully finish doing something demanding o She was the first woman to accomplish the feat in a sin-gle-engined aircraft.

accomplishment noun 1. an achievement o Charles Lindbergh’s flight across the Atlantic in May 1927 was a great accomplishment. 2. (in physics) work done o Power is measured by units of accomplishment correlated with time.

accordancenoun □ in accordance with in agreement with or following something such as rules, instructions or laws o Fuels must be used in accordance with instructions. □ in accordance with Buys Ballot’s Law as described by Buys Ballot’s Law ‘…use full heat whenever carburettor heat is applied, partial hot air should only be used if an intake temperature gauge is fitted and only then in accordance with the Flight Manual or Pilot’s Operating Handbook’ [Civil Aviation Authority, General Aviation Safety Sense Leaflet]

accordinglyadverb as needed o Check for increasing manifold pressure and reduce power accordingly. according topreposition 1. as determined by or in relation to o The force exerted by the pilot on the control column will vary according to a number of factors. 2. as written or said by somebody else o According to the copilot, engine vibration was detected in engine number one. 3. in agreement with something, e.g. instructions, etc. □ according to instructions exactly as said in the instructions □ according to requirements as required accountnoun □ to take something into account to remember something and consider it carefully o When planning a flight, wind speed and direction must be taken into account. o In the event of an in-flight emergency, the aircraft should be landed at the nearest suitably equipped airport, taking into account fuel available. □ on no account under no circumstances, never o On no account should anybody fly an aircraft without carrying out pre-flight checks.

account forverb 1. to make up or constitute o Kevlar and carbon fibre account for a large percentage of the materials used in modern aircraft. 2. to provide the main reason for something High humidity accounted for the longer take-off run. accreteverb to increase in amount by slow external addition, to accumulate ice accretes on the rotor ice builds up on the rotor accretionnoun increase or accumulation by slow external addition o Ice accretion can cause loss of lift and significantly increase the weight of the aircraft.

accumulateverb to collect and increase o Due to katabatic effects, cold air flows downwards and accumulates over low ground.

accumulation noun the collection and increase of something o Fire in a toilet could present difficulties due to the confined space and possible smoke accumulation.

accumulatornoun 1. a device for storing energy in hydraulic systems o An accumulator is fitted to store hydraulic fluid. 2. an electric circuit in a calculator or computer, in which the results of arithmetical and logical operations are formed accuracynoun 1. the state of being correct □ to check for accuracy to make certain that the result is correct 2. the ability to find, hit or show things correctly o The accuracy of modern navigational equipment is much greater than older systems. accurateadjective 1. correct o Skill in accurate flying can only be achieved by practice. □ accurate results results which are exactly correct 2. precise o This watch is very accurate. ACFT abbreviation aircraft achieveverb 1. to manage to do something demanding o In order to achieve a safe landing in a crosswind, the correct techniques must be used. 2. to obtain o In wind shear conditions, a fly-by-wire system allows the pilot to achieve maximum lift by pulling hard back on the stick without risk of a stall. achievementnoun something difficult that somebody succeeds in doing and feels proud about o For most trainee pilots, making their first solo flight is a great achievement. acidnoun a chemical sub stance which reacts with a base to form a salt o sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) (note: An acid turns a litmus indicator red and has a sour taste.)

aciditynoun having an acid content □ the acidity of a substance the amount of acid in a substance

acid-proofadjective able to resist the harmful effects of an acid

acid testnoun a difficult or exacting test of worth or quality o A pilot’s ability to react appropriately in an emergency situation is the acid test of his or her professionalism. ACMS noun a computer which records information from various aircraft systems during flight. Full form aircraft condition monitoring system ACN abbreviation aircraft classification number

acousticadjective refer ring to sound acoustic ear muffs plural noun coverings to protect the ears from loud noise. Also called ear protectors, ear defenders

Acquireverb to buy or otherwise obtain to acquire a new aircraft o Speed control is used to acquire and maintain a selected airspeed.