APPENDIX I
GLOSSARY
ABOARD—In or on a ship, aircraft, or other means of
transportation.
ABORT—To cut short or break off an action,
operation, or procedure with an aircraft, guided
missile,
or
the
like,
especially
because
of
equipment failure; for example, to abort a mission.
ACCELERATION—A change in the velocity of a
body, or the rate of such change with respect to
speed or direction.
ACCESSORY—A part, subassembly, or assembly
designed for use in conjunction with or to
supplement another assembly or unit.
For
example, the fuel control is an accessory for a
turbojet engine.
AERODYNAMICS—The science that deals with the
motion of air and other gaseous fluids and the
forces acting on bodies in motion relative to such
fluids.
AFFF—An aqueous film-forming foam; also known as
light water.
AFT—Towards the rear of the ship, aircraft, or other
object.
AILERON—A movable control surface or device.
One of pair located in or attached to the wings on
both sides of an aircraft. The primary purpose is to
control the aircraft laterally or in a roll by creating
unequal or opposing lifting forces on opposite sides
of the aircraft.
AIMD—Avaition Intermediate Maintenance Depart-
ment.
AIRFOIL—A structure or body, such as an aircraft
wing or propeller blade, designed to provide
lift/thrust
when
in
motion
relative
to
the
surrounding air.
AIRSPEED—The speed of an aircraft, missile, rocket,
or the like, relative to the air through which it flies.
ALTIMETER—An instrument for measuring altitude.
It uses the change in atmospheric pressure with
altitude to indicate the approximate elevation
above a given point.
AMBIENT—Surrounding; adjacent to; next to. For
example, ambient conditions are physical condi-
tions of the immediate area such as ambient tem-
perature, ambient humidity, ambient pressure, etc.
ANGLE OF ATTACK—The angle at which a body,
such as an airfoil or fuselage, meets a flow or air.
ANTI-ICING—The prevention of ice formation upon
an aircraft's surface or engines.
APRON—An area, ordinarily paved, for parking or
handling aircraft.
ASCEND—To move or rise upward.
ASW—Antisubmarine warfare.
ATMOSPHERE—The body of air surrounding the
earth. The atmospheric pressure at sea level is 14.7
psi.
ATTITUDE—The position or orientation of an
aircraft, either in motion or at rest, as determined
by the relationship between its axes and some
reference line or plane or some fixed system of
reference axes.
AUTOMATIC PILOT—A device or system that
automatically controls the flight of an aircraft or
guided missile.
AVGAS—Aviation gasoline for reciprocating engines.
AVIONICS—Electronics as applied to aviation.
AXIS—An imaginary line that passes through a body,
about which the body rotates or may be assumed to
rotate. For example, the horizontal axis, the lateral
axis, and the longitudinal axis about which an
aircraft rotates.
BERNOULLI'S PRINCIPLE—If a fluid flowing
through a tube reaches a constriction, or narrowing
of the tube, the velocity of fluid flowing through the
construction increases and the pressure decreases.
CANTED DECK—The area of an aircraft carrier
flight deck that is at an angle to the center line of the
ship. The canted deck permits aircraft to be parked
out of the way of landing aircraft.
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