1. AGL
Above Ground Level, as a measurement of altitude above a specific land mass, and differentiated from MSL.
2. AME
Aviation Medical Examiner - A AME is a private physician who is authorized by the FAA to given medical exams which result in the issuance of a 1st, 2nd or 3rd class medical certificate. They can also provide the student pilot certificate which is necessary for soloing.
3. AOPA
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association is a non-profit political organization whose membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States. AOPA exists to serve the interests of its members as aircraft owners and pilots, and to promote the economy, safety, utility, and popularity of flight in general aviation aircraft.
4. ASOS
Automated Surface Observation System. This is a automated weather station installed on an airport that continuously monitors the weather and broadcasts this information over a VHF frequency so pilot's can hear and make note of the weather conditions at an airport. The ASOS station differs from an AWOS station in that an ASOS has the ability to generate a aviation routine weather report or METAR.
5. ATC
Air Traffic Control. A service operated by the appropriate authority to promote the safe, orderly, and expeditious flow of air traffic.
6. ATP
This is the doctorate degree of piloting — and 143,504 pilots were in this distinguished category in 2003. Airline transport pilots (ATPs) must be at least 23 years old and have a minimum of 1,500 hours of flight time, including 500 hours of cross-country flight time, 100 hours of night flying, and 75 hours in actual or simulated instrument flight conditions. Most ATPs have many thousands of hours of flight time. ATPs also must have a commercial certificate and an instrument rating. ATPs may instruct other pilots in air transportation service in aircraft in which the ATP is rated. They may not instruct pilots outside of air transportation service unless they also have an appropriate fight instructor certificate. ATPs must have a current and much more stringent Class I medical, which they are required to renew every six months. Like all pilots, they must revalidate their certificates every 24 months with a flight review. However, most active ATPs undergo a checkride in an aircraft or simulator every six months.
7. AWOS
Automated Weather Observation System. These systems consist of various sensors, a processor, a computer generated voice subsystem, and a transmitter to broadcast local, minute-by-minute weather directly to the pilot (definition taken from the AIM 7-1-12)
8. CAS
The indicated air speed of an aircraft, corrected for position and instrument error. CAS is equal to true air speed in standard atmosphere at sea level. Compare INDICATED AIRSPEED and TRUE AIRSPEED.
9. CFI
A certificated flight instructor (CFI) is authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to give instruction to student pilots and pilots taking recurrent training or preparing for additional certificates or ratings. They also may give flight reviews and recommend their students for flight tests. CFIs must be at least 18 years old and must hold at least a commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating. CFIs may earn a special instrument instructor rating, allowing them to teach instrument flying (operating an aircraft in the air solely by instrument indications without visual reference to the ground). An instructor with this rating is called a CFII. In addition to undertaking their normal flight review every 24 months, CFIs must revalidate their instructor certification every 24 months. There were 87,816 flight instructors in 2003.
10. CTAF
A frequency designed for the purpose of carrying out airport advisory practices while operating to or from an airport without an operating control tower. The CTAF may be a UNICOM, Multicom, FSS, or tower frequency and is identified in appropriate aeronautical publications.
11. DE
If the airline transport pilot is the doctorate degree of piloting, then becoming a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) designated pilot examiner (DPE) is the equivalent of mastering advanced post-doctoral work. These individuals are few and far between. They're almost like judges in that they have to be appointed by the regional FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO). Before one can become a DPE, he or she usually has to wait for one of the current DPEs in that region of the United States to retire. As the name implies, these people have been designated by the FAA to test or examine the performance of their fellow pilots. DPEs typically have decades of real-world experience and perform the majority of official FAA checkrides or flight tests for everyone from new pilots to seasoned airline captains.
12. DME
Distance measuring equipment (DME) does what its name implies: It allows pilots to measure their distance from a VOR station or other navigational aid. DMEs typically display the distance, ground speed, and time to reach the VOR station or navigational aid.
13. DPE
Designated Pilot Examiner. This is someone who is authorized by the FAA to administrator practical tests. In other words, the guy / gal who will give you your checkride.
14. FAA
Federal Aviation Administration. The government agency in charge of the safety of civil aviation. A federal government agecny which belongs to the Department of Transportation. It's main purpose is to regulate, govern and maintain the national airspace system.
15. FBO
Fixed Based Operator. This is a fancy name for the companies and businesses at an airport that provide aviation services to the airport; services such as line service, aircraft fueling, flight training, aircraft chartering, aircraft rental, car rental, etc.
16. FSII
Fuel System Icing Inhibitor which is commonly referred to as "Prist"
17. FSS
Flight Service Station. ATC facilities which provide a variety of services to pilots including weather briefings, enroute communications and VFR search and rescue services. This service which traditionally was run by the FAA has recently been handed over to the Lockheed Martin corporation.
18. Gallon
United States liquid unit equal to 4 quarts or 3.785 liters. 1 Gallon of 100LL weighs approx. 6 lbs. 1 Gallon of JetA weighs approx. 6.7 lbs. 1 Gallon of water weighs approx. 8.3 lbs.
19. glass cockpit
Said of an aircraft's control cabin which has all-electronic, digital and computer-based, instrumentation.
20. ICAO
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), an agency of the United Nations, codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth. Its headquarters are located in the Quartier International of Montreal, Canada. The ICAO Council adopts standards and recommended practices concerning air navigation, prevention of unlawful interference, and facilitation of border-crossing procedures for international civil aviation. (thanks to wikipedia for this definition)
21. IFR
Instrument Flight Rules
22. ILS
The instrument landing system (ILS) is a ground-based system that guides aircraft to safe landings during periods of low visibility or poor weather. It guides the pilot down an imaginary ramp at a shallow 3-degree angle that leads to the touchdown zone of the runway surface. ILS works by broadcasting a narrow beam of encoded radio energy that's picked up by a special radio receiver in the aircraft. A cockpit display then shows the pilot his position and displacement relative to the guidance beam (left, right, above, below). The pilot follows this beam toward the runway until "breaking out" of the clouds to complete the landing visually. Bright lights help provide visual guidance to touchdown.
23. Liter
Basic unit of volume in the metric system.
24. LNAV
A LNAV is the minimums listed on a RNAV or GPS approach that provides lateral navigation only. The minimum altitude on this approach will be published as a MDA or Minimum Descent Altitude. We refer to this type of approach as a non-precision approach because it provides no vertical guidance navigation such as a traditional glide slope.
25. NDB
Non-directional radio beacons (NDBs) are simple AM radio transmitters that were first deployed in the 1920s and '30s along major airmail routes. These land-based NDB stations broadcast a simple omni-directional navigational signal throughout the sky.
26. NOTAM
Notice to Airmen contains time critical information that is either temporary in nature or not know sufficiently in advance to permit publication on aeronautical charts or other publications. There are three categories of NOTAMS - D, L, and FDC (flight data center) each having a distinct range of coverage.
27. Pirep
A pirep is a pilot weather report. These reports can contain information such as the height of the bases and tops of cloud layers, in flight visibility, icing conditions, wind shear, and turbulence. If you make a PIREP, the ATC facility or the FSS can add your report to the distribution system, and it can be used to brief other pilots or to provide in-flight advisories
28. PTS
Practical Test Standards. The FAA sets standards, requirements, and certain maneuvers that are to be demonstrated during your practical test (checkride) for a particular certificate or rating. You can find a list of PTS at the faa website: http://tinyurl.com/orzn7
29. Rime
Rime ice is normally encountered in status clouds and results from instantaneous freezing of tiny supercooled water droplets striking the aircraft surface. It has an opaque appearance caused by air being trapped in the water droplets as they freeze. Rime ice normally forms in temperatures between -15C and -20C
30. TAF
Terminal Aerodrome Forecast. Usually detailed 24 or 30 hour forecast issued 4 times a day. Predicted weather conditions expected to occur within a 5-nm radius of an airport. TAFs forecast winds, visibility, weather and sky condition.
31. VFR
Visual Flight Rules Flight rules adopted by the Federal Aviation Administration to govern aircraft when the pilot has a visual reference to the ground at all times. VFR operations specify the amount of ceiling and the visibility that the pilot must have in order to operate according to these rules
32. VOR / VORs
Very-high-frequency omnirange navigation equipment: A type of electronic navigation equipment in which the instrument in the cockpit identifies the radial or line from the VOR station measured in degrees clockwise from magnetic north, along which the aircraft is located.
