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C
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Celsius (temperature) or compass.
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CEILING
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height above ground or water of the base of the lowest layer of cloud below 20,000 feet which covers more than half of the sky. An aircraft's service ceiling is the density altitude (which see) at which its maximum rate of climb is no greater than 100 feet per minute. Its absolute ceiling is the highest altitude at which it can maintain level flight.
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CIRCUIT |
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Pattern around which aircraft fly when arriving at an airfield.
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CLEARANCE
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Authorization from air traffic control to proceed as requested or instructed. Used for ground and air
manoeuvring, thus "cleared for take-off", "cleared flight-planned
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CRITICAL ALTITUDE |
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The highest density altitude at which it is possible to maintain the maximum continuous rated power or manifold pressure of an aero engine.
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CRITICAL ENGINE |
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The engine on a multi-engined aircraft whose failure would most seriously effect performance or handling of the aircraft, through asymmetric effects or loss of power to systems such as hydraulics.
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CVR |
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Cockpit voice recorder. A tape recorder installed on the flight decks of commercial transport aircraft and helicopters and some business aeroplanes to record crew conversation, RT transmissions and cockpit background noises (e.g. trim-wheel operation, flap motor running) in case required for incident or accident investigation.
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DH - |
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Decision height. The height on a precision approach at which a pilot must have the runway approach lights in sight to continue the descent, or if not, must initiate a go-around.
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DI - |
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Direction indicator. A gyro instrument which indicates the magnetic heading of an aircraft. The DI, also known as the directional gyro (DG), is free of the turning errors associated with magnetic compasses but is prone to precession (wander) and must be reset against the magnetic compass at intervals. ALSO -
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DME - |
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Distance-measuring equipment. A combination of ground and airborne equipment which gives a continuous slant range distance-from-station readout by measuring time-lapse of a signal transmitted by the aircraft to the station and responded back. DMEs can also provide groundspeed and time-to-station readouts by
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DP |
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Dew point
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DR |
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Dead (deduced) reckoning. Plotting position by calculating the effect of speed, course, time and wind against last known position.
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DRY |
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When referring to aircraft hire charges means `without fuel', as opposed to wet, with fuel.
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DZ
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Dropping zone, for parachuting etc.
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FIC |
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Flight
Information Centre.
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FL
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Flight level, a level of constant atmospheric pressure shown by an altimeter set to a standard 1013.2
millibars, expressed in rounds hundreds of feet, thus FL330 is 33,000 feet.
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FLAG
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Warning signal incorporated in certain navigation and flight instruments indicating that the instrument is not operating satisfactorily or that the strength of signals being received from ground stations is below acceptable limits.
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FLAT
RATING
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Throttling
or other restriction of engine power ouput
(usually in turboprops and turboshafts) at
sea level to enable it to give constant
predictable power at higher operating
altitudes.
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FLAME OUT |
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Combustion failure in a turbine engine resulting in power loss.
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FLICKER EFFECT
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Nausea, dizziness or vertigo which can be brought on by flickering at certain frequencies of a bright light source such as sunlight or strobe when viewed through a rotating propeller or rotor blades.
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FMS
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Flight management system.
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FOD
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Foreign object damage, usually to turbine engines through ingestion of runway debris etc.
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FPM
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Feet per minute, a measure of an aircraft's rate of climb or descent. Similarly m/s or mps, metres per second.
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CPL
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Commercial Pilot's Licence
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CLASS G AIRSPACE
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Airspace not designated as Class A, B, C, D or E. Uncontrolled Airspace
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COMMUTER
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An air carrier operator operating under 14 CFR 135 that carries passengers on at least five round trips per week on at least one route between two or more points according to its published flight schedules.
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CONTACT FLIGHT
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Navigation in which altitude and flight path can be maintained by visual reference to the ground and its landmarks. Similar to
VFR.
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CONTOUR FLIGHT
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Contact Flight in and around mountainous areas following visual reference to the terrain's
countours.
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CONTRAILS
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Streaks of condensed water vapor created in the air by aircraft flying at high altitudes.
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DRIFT
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The angle between the heading of an aircraft and its Track, or flight path, over the ground as affected by winds.
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DRY WEIGHT
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The weight of an engine exclusive of any fuel, oil, and coolant.
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ETA |
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Estimated Time of Arrival.
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ETD |
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Estimated Time of Departure.
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FEATHERING |
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In the event of engine failure, the process of adjusting a controllable-pitch propeller to a pitch position where the blade angle is about 90° to the plane of rotation in order to stop wind milling.
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FIN
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The fixed part of a vertical airfoil that controls the yaw of an aircraft; the movable part being the RUDDER. Sometime referred to as Vertical Stabilizer.
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FIREWALL
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A fire-resistant bulkhead that isolates the engine from other parts of an airplane's structure.
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FISH TAILING |
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A rudder-controlled side-to-side [yawing] motion to reduce air speed, generally prior to landing.
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FLAP |
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A movable, usually hinged airfoil set in the trailing edge of an aircraft wing, designed to increase lift or drag by changing the camber of the wing or used to slow an aircraft during landing by increasing lift.
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FLARE
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A maneuver performed moments before landing in which the nose of an aircraft is pitched up to minimize the touchdown rate of speed.
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FLIGHT ENVELOPE |
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An aircraft's performance limits, specifically the curves of speed plotted against other variables to indicate the limits of speed, altitude, and acceleration that a particular aircraft can not safely exceed.
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FLIGHT LEVEL (FL)
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A level of constant atmospheric pressure related to a reference datum of 29.92 inches of mercury. Each is stated in three digits that represent hundreds of feet. Flight level 250 represents a barometric altimeter indication of 25,000'. Flight level 255 an indication of 25,500'.
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FLOATPLANE
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A water-based aircraft with one or more mounted pontoons, as differentiated from a hulled SEAPLANE or Flying Boat, but sometimes used generically.
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FLYING WIRES
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Inter-plane bracing wires that help support wing loads when the plane is in flight. Direction of travel is upward and outward from the fuselage to the inter-plane struts. Also known as LIFT WIRES, the opposite of LANDING WIRES.
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FUSELAGE
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An aircraft's main body structure housing the flight crew, passengers, and cargo and to which the wings, tail and, in most
single-engined airplanes, engine are attached.
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