air traffic control
The service that directs aircraft movements to keep flights safe and organised, especially near airports.
Example: Air traffic control cleared the plane for landing.
C120 words · Advanced
Aviation & Maritime vocabulary — C1
Advanced aviation and maritime vocabulary for operations, including air traffic control, a taxiway or go-around, the starboard side of a ship and the standard operating procedure crews follow.
20 questions
Words in this set
20taxiway
/ˈtæksiweɪ/A path at an airport that aircraft use to move between the runway and the terminal.
Example:
The plane waited on the taxiway for its turn to depart.
go-around
A manoeuvre in which a pilot aborts a landing and climbs back up to try again.
Example:
The pilot performed a go-around after the runway wasn't clear.
first officer
The second-in-command pilot on a commercial aircraft, who assists the captain.
Example:
The first officer handled the radio while the captain flew.
displacement
/dɪˈspleɪsmənt/The weight of water that a ship pushes aside, used to measure its size.
Example:
The cargo ship has a displacement of over fifty thousand tonnes.
freeboard
The distance between a ship's waterline and its upper deck, which affects how much water it can safely take on.
Example:
Loading too much cargo reduced the ship's freeboard dangerously.
bow
/baʊ/The front part of a ship.
Example:
Waves crashed over the bow in the storm.
starboard
/ˈstɑrbərd/The right-hand side of a ship or aircraft, facing forward.
Example:
The captain ordered a turn to starboard to avoid the reef.
wake
/weɪk/The trail of disturbed water left behind a moving boat.
Example:
Fish jumped out of the boat's wake as it sped away.
trim
/trɪm/To adjust an aircraft's controls so it flies level without constant effort.
Example:
The pilot used the switch to trim the aircraft for cruise.
standard operating procedure
The written routine that must be followed for a task.
Example:
The standard operating procedure existed and nobody had read it.
crew resource management
Training in how a crew communicates and shares decisions.
Example:
Crew resource management turned the junior's doubt into a question.
minimum equipment list
The list of what may be broken and still allow a flight.
Example:
The minimum equipment list allowed it, and the captain did not.
payload range
The trade-off between how much you carry and how far you go.
Example:
Payload range decided the routing more than the schedule did.
great circle route
The shortest path between two points on the globe.
Example:
The great circle route looks wrong on every flat map.
dead reckoning
Working out position from speed, heading and time elapsed.
Example:
Dead reckoning got them within four miles with no instruments.
under keel clearance
The water left between the bottom of a ship and the seabed.
Example:
Under keel clearance was half a metre at the worst of the tide.
pilotage
The guiding of a ship into port by a local expert.
Example:
Pilotage is compulsory in that estuary for anything over eighty metres.
demurrage charge
A fee for keeping a ship or container longer than allowed.
Example:
The demurrage charge exceeded the value of the cargo.
flag of convenience
Registering a ship in another country for cheaper regulation.
Example:
A flag of convenience saved the owner far more than the crew cost.
