tarmac
The area of an airport, other than the runway, where planes park or maneuver.
Aviation maintenance
479 entries in this trade.
taxi
The movement of an aircraft across an airport's surface under its own power; a phase of aircraft operation involving this movement.
TCA
Initialism of terminal control area.
TCAS
Initialism of traffic (alert and) collision avoidance system, a system for warning pilots of impending mid-air collisions and telling them what (if any) evasive action to take.
TCP
adjectiveAviation maintenance
Initialism of to complete party (followed by total number in group. Code used in OSI to advise an airline that other passengers are travelling with a person but are booked separately)
TE
Initialism of transporter-erector.
terrain
The surface of the earth; the ground.
TGO
Initialism of Trace Gas Orbiter, an atmosphere research orbiter send in 2016 by the ESA/Roscosmos collaborative project to Mars (ExoMars).
TGS
Initialism of taxiing guidance system.
theta
Pitch angle; the angle between an aircraft's longitudinal axis and the horizontal plane.
thin
adjectiveAviation maintenance
Of a route: relatively little used.
threshold
The start of the landing area of a runway.
TLI
Initialism of trans-lunar injection.
toboggan
To fly sharply downward so as to build up speed to facilitate in-flight refueling of a faster aircraft.
touchdown
The moment when an aircraft or spacecraft makes first or final contact with the ground during a landing.
TPM
Initialism of ticket point mileage.
trailing edge
The rearmost edge of a wing or other airfoil.
trajectory
The path of a body as it travels through space.
transfer window
A period of time during which a spacecraft orbiting one celestial body can travel to a different body and enter orbit around it without excessive expenditure of fuel or reaction mass.
transition
A published procedure for instrument flight, coming between the departure and en-route phases of flight, or between en-route flight and an approach/landing procedure.
trial balloon
A small balloon released into the sky to determine the direction and tendency of winds in the upper air before a manned ascent in a larger balloon; a ballon d'essai.
TSTO
adjectiveAviation maintenance
Initialism of two-stage to orbit.
turbojet
A jet engine that develops thrust solely from high-speed exhaust gases expelled from a turbine that drives a compressor.
turbulence
Specifically, a state of agitation or disturbance in the air which is disruptive to an aircraft.
turnaround
Preparations for takeoff, such as loading and servicing.
ULA
Initialism of United Launch Alliance.
umbilical
A cord connecting an astronaut to a spacecraft, or a craft to ground control prior to launch, etc.
umbilical cord
The line that supplies an astronaut with oxygen and communications when outside a spacecraft.
umbilicus
A tube connecting an astronaut or spacecraft to the mothership, through which supplies and samples can be transferred.
unable
Indicating that a requested course of action is not possible to carry out.
unberth
To remove a spaceship from a dock/berth/mount/mooring with the assistance of a device that moves the spaceship away from its fixed location.
undock
To depart a spaceship from a dock/berth/mount/mooring under its own power
uplift
To be accepted for carriage on a flight.
uplock
A mechanism that secures an aircraft's landing gear in the retracted position, helping to prevent an uncommanded gear deployment during flight.
upmass
The payload mass carried up to orbit from Earth.
USB
Initialism of unified S-band (a communication system used for the Apollo program).
USOS
Initialism of United States Orbital Segment (“the part of the International Space Station that was contributed by the United States of America, or using NASA specification-based modules”).
VAST
Acronym of volcanic ash strategic initiative team.
VC
Initialism of VIP cargo, a prefix code for very important persons transport aircraft.
VD
The design diving speed of an aircraft; the highest speed which the aircraft is planned to reach during flight testing. Always higher than VNE (the speed that must not be exceeded in service).
vector
A chosen course or direction for motion, as of an aircraft.
vertiport
An airport for VTOL aircraft.
VEX
Initialism of Venus Express.
Virgo
A large-scale gravitational wave detector located in Pisa, Italy.
VIRTIS
Initialism of Visible and Infrared Thermal Imaging Spectrometer.
VTHL
Initialism of vertical takeoff and horizontal landing.
VTOL
A fixed-wing aircraft that is capable of ascending into the air straight up as opposed to needing to accelerate horizontally first.
VTVL
Initialism of vertical takeoff and vertical landing.
wet
adjectiveAviation maintenance
Using afterburners or water injection for increased engine thrust.
wet lease
An agreement in which an airplane, including crew, maintenance and insurance, is leased to another organisation, usually for a short period of time.
wheelbarrow
To cause the weight of an aeroplane to become concentrated around the nosewheel.
wide-body
An airliner capable of seating six or more passengers in a single row of economy seating.
widebodied
adjectiveAviation maintenance
Of an airliner: that can seat more than six passengers in each row, in economy seating.
widebody
An airliner capable of seating seven or more passengers in a single row of economy seating, with two aisles or more.
wing in ground effect
ground effect on a wing of an aircraft flying close to the ground
winglet
A winglike structure at a wingtip set at an angle to the plane of the wing designed to reduce drag by its effect on wingtip vortices.
working mass
The total mass of the burnt fuel etc. ejected from a rocket to provide thrust.
YC
prototype cargoplane (prefix)
Zeppelin
A rigid airship dirigible, not restricted to Germany nor the early 20th century.