Worldwide Aviation Radio Terminology

Last Update: May 26, 2004. Subject: Aviation-Radio Terminology

AACC	Area Approach Control Centre
ACARS	A digital datalink between aircraft and ground stations
ACC	Area Control Centre
ADF	Automatic Direction Finder
ADIZ	Air Defence
AFB	Air Force Base
Affirmative	Yes
AFTN	telex link between international ground stations
AGL	Above Ground Level (measured in feet)
AIREP	A spoken position report with weather information
ANO	Air Navigation Order
ANR	Air Navigation Regulation
Airspeed	Speed of aircraft in the air
Airway	Designated flight route that an aircraft is required to follow.
Alternate	Nominated by a pilot aircraft can’t land at its original landing site.
AM	Amplitude modulation
APU	Auxiliary power unit, used to power lights, air con etc
ARINC	Aeronautical Radio Incorporated, suppliers of comms equipment
ASI	Air speed indicator
ATA	Actual Time of Arrival
ATIS	Automatic Terminal Information Service
ATC	Air Traffic Control
AUSSIE	Callsign of the Royal Australian Air Force
AUW	All UP Weight , which is the total aircraft weight
BFO	Beat Frequency Oscillator
Block	An allocated area of air space, such as block Flight Level 350.
Bogey	Military slang for target aircraft
Bunt	Pilot slang for throwing the plane into a steep dive to avoid collision
Carrier	Commercial passenger airline
CAT	Clear Air Turbulence
CAVOK	Ceiling and Visibility unlimited (The sky is clear and OK)
CB	Cumulonimbus clouds (thunderstorm clouds!)
Charlie	Copied/received transmission OK
Combie	Proportion of pax/cargo can be varied by adding/removal of seats.
CTA	Area being controlled by Air Traffic Control, Control Area
COMMS	Communications (An obvious one I hope!)
CW	Morse code, used mostly for identification purposes
CTZ	Control Zone
CVR	Cockpit Voice Recorder
DELTA	Suffixed (added to) flight #, meaning “delivery”
Diagonal	Represents a “/ ” in transmission of information
DIW	Dead In The Water!!!
DME	Distance Measuring Equipment
DMEA	200MHz Distance Measuring Equipment
DOW	Dry Operating Weight (No fuel)
DX	Long distance communications
ELT	Emergency Repeater beacon
Endurance	The time an aircraft burn fuel to remain aloft
ETA	Estimated Time of Arrival
ETD	Estimated Time Of Departure
FDR	Flight Data Recorder (The ‘black box’)
FIR	Flight Information Region
FIS	Flight Information Services
FRM	Fault Reporting Manual, book which pilot records
FL	Flight Level
FMS	Flight Management System
FREQ	Radio Frequency
FSS	Flight Service Station
GCA	Ground Controlled Approach
Go Round	An aborted landing
GHFS	Global High Frequency System (USAF)
GPS	Global Positioning System
GNS	Omega Navigation System (Low Frequency [LF] System)
GPU	Ground Power Unit, provides aux power when plane on ground
Gradu	Gradually
Green	Scrambled speech mode (military)
Groundspeed	Is the aircraft speed over a ground reference point.
GMDSS	Global Maritime Distress & Safety System
Heavy	An aircraft with a AUW above 300,000 pounds.
HAC	High Altitude Chart
HF	High frequency radio, shortwave
IAS	Indicated air speed
IATA	International Air Transport Association
ICAO	International Civil Aviation Organization
IFR	Instrument Flight Rules
ILS	Instrument landing system
IMC	Instrument Meteorological Conditions
InMarSat	International Marine Satellite
INS	Inertial navigation system.
Inter	Intermittently, or every so often
IRS	Inertial Radio Navigation System
KHz	Means kilohertz
Knot	1 Nautical mile per hour which is 1.151 statute mph
Latitude	is meridian and expressed as degrees East & West
LDOC	Long distance operational control
Longitude	meridians North & South, expressed as degrees
LF	Low Frequency
Localiser	Electronic aid that aligns aircraft with runway
LSALT	Lowest Safest Altitude
LSB	Lower Side Band (Not used much in aviation)
LUFL	Lowest Usable Flight Level
Mach	Is the speed of sound (at ground level approx 670 mph/ 1,072km/h)
Medivac	Medical Evacuation flight
Maverick	Target Aircraft (military)
MET	Meteorology the weather
Metar	Aviation Routine Weather Report (coded)
MF	Medium wave Frequencies
MHz	Megahertz
Mike Sierra	Maintenance Status
MINDIV	Minimum Diversion Fuel
Miss Approach	An aborted landing, similar to a ‘go round’
MLS	Microwave landing system
MTOW	Maximum take-off weight
MWARA	Major World Air Route Area, referring to HF radio ground stations
NAT	North Atlantic
NASA	National Aeronautics and Space Administration, USA
NAVAID	Navigational aid, radio type
Nautical Mile	1 nautical mile equals 1.151 static miles
NM	Nautical Mile
NDB	Low frequency non-directional beacon
Negative	Simply means no
No Joy	No Communications Established
NOSAR	No search and rescue required
NOSIG	No significant weather to report
NOTAM	Notice to airmen, a significant message for pilots to take notice of
OCA	Oceanic Control Area
OBLIQUE	A Slash “/” character in voice communications
OCTA	Outside controlled airspace, low in the sky
OAT	Outside air temperature
OKTAS	Cloud layers expressed in eights of the sky.
OMEGA	A GSN radio navigation system on LF (Low Frequency)
On Top	Aircraft on top of cloud layers
OPS	Operations
Overshoot	An aborted landing, either practice or emergency related
PAR	Precision approach Radar, equipment used to guide military aircraft
PAX	Passengers
PAPA	Callsign suffix for positioning of flight
POB	Persons on board (not including crew)
QNH	Altimeter sub-scale, giving elevation if the aircraft was on the ground
QSL	Confirmation Of Reception,
RAAF	Royal Australian Air Force
RAF	Royal Air Force (Britain)
RCAF	Royal Canadian Air Force
Reserves	Minimal fuel requirements required on arrival
RDARA	Regional and Domestic Air Route Area
RED	In the clear (unencrypted etc) speech (military)
RNC	Radio Navigation Chart
Roger	Yes
RomeoDeltaAlpha	re-dispatch acceptable to flight crew
RomeoDeltaUniform	re-dispatch message unacceptable to flight crew
RPT	Regular public transport aircraft
RSAF	Royal Singapore Air Force
RT	Radio Telephone (Patching of calls to ISDN public phone network)
RVR	Runway visual range
SAR	Search & Rescue
SAM	Special Air Mission (USAF)
SARTIME	Time before search action commences for missing aircraft
SAT	Sateliite or South Atlantic
SELCAL	Selective calling used on HF and company bands
Shear	A wind condition whereby the wind continualy changes, often rapidly
SID	Standard Instrument Departure, used at most international airports
SIGMET	Plain language weather phenomena
SKED	Schedule
SoulsOnBoard	Means ALL people aboard the aircraft
SP	Special Performance Boeing 747 aircraft
Squawk Code	A code assigned to each aircraft,
STAR	Standard Terminal Arrival Route
SSB	Single Side Band
STUD	Military airfield frequency family number. STUD 4 might be the tower
SSR	Secondary Surveillance Radar
SST	Supersonic Transport Aircraft (Concorde)
TACAN	Military tactical air navigation
TOPS	Cloud tops
TOW	Take Off Weight
TCA	Terminal Control Area
TEMPO	Temporary
TMA	Terminal Control Area
UM	Unaccompanied minor, a kid going it alone
Undershoot	Short of the runway threshold
Uniform	Military way of referring to UHF band
Upper/USB	Upper Side Band
USCG	United States Coast Guard
USMC	United States Marine Corps
USN	United States Navy
USAF	United States Air Force
UTA	Upper Terminal Area (USA)
U/S	Unserviceable/broken
USB	Upper Side Band
VASIS	Visual Approach Slope Indicator System
VECTOR	Directional steering dictated to pilots by ATC
VFR	Visual Flight Rules
VICTOR	Military way of referring to VHF band
VMC	Visual Meteorological conditions
VOLMET	Flying weather (French for it)
VOR	Airports VHF omnidirectional radio range
Waypoint	airway reporting point, which is an imaginary place over the ocean
Wheels Up	An emergency landing where the aircrafts wheels can’t be extended
WILCO	Short for I Will Comply
ZFW	Zero fuel weight, an aircrafts dry operating weight
Zulu	Is co-ordinated universal time (UTC/GMT)

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©Copyright 1996, 1999, 2000, 2003, 2004. The VicNews Australian Scanning Encyclopedia.

Brought to you by Ashley Geelan & Mike Smith.

Many of the terms listed appeared in “The Australian Air Band Guide,” “Listening In To Air Craft Radio and “Climb Into the Cockpit…By Radio” all of which are the same publication produced by Robert (Bob) Bell VK2UTG, published by AIRBAND Communications and in various aviation and communications magazines.

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