English for Aviation: Essential Vocabulary & Phrases

"roger"

Confirmation that a radio message has been received and understood

""Turn right heading 270." — "Roger, turning right heading 270, Alpha Bravo Charlie.""

"wilco"

Acknowledgement that an instruction has been received and will be complied with

""Climb and maintain flight level 350." — "Wilco, climbing to flight level 350, Speedbird 42.""

"say again"

A request for the previous transmission to be repeated in full

"The pilot keyed the microphone and said "Say again, unable to hear due to static.""

"readability"

A scale from 1 to 5 describing the clarity of a radio transmission

""How do you read?" — "Readability 4, you are slightly distorted but words are distinguishable.""

"squawk"

An instruction to set a specific four-digit transponder code

""Squawk 7421 and ident." — "Squawking 7421 and ident, Delta Uniform Foxtrot.""

"go around"

An instruction or decision to abort a landing approach and climb away from the runway

"The controller called "Go around, runway occupied" just as the aircraft crossed the outer marker."

"cleared for takeoff"

An ATC authorisation allowing an aircraft to take off from the runway

""Cleared for takeoff runway 28 Left, wind 270 at 12 knots" — the crew advanced the throttles."

"hold short"

An instruction to stop and wait before crossing a designated runway or taxiway

""Hold short of runway 09, traffic landing." — "Holding short of runway 09, understood.""

"flight level"

A standard pressure altitude expressed in hundreds of feet above the 1013.25 hPa datum

"The aircraft levelled off at flight level 380, approximately 38,000 feet above sea level."

"top of descent"

The point in a flight at which the aircraft begins its descent toward the destination airport

"The first officer called "Top of descent in eight minutes" and began entering the descent profile."

"holding pattern"

A predetermined manoeuvre that keeps an aircraft within a specified airspace while awaiting further clearance

"ATC instructed the flight to enter a holding pattern due to heavy traffic on the approach."

"instrument meteorological conditions"

Weather conditions requiring navigation by instruments alone, with visibility below VFR minimums

"The crew filed an IFR flight plan as instrument meteorological conditions were forecast along the route."

"decision altitude"

The altitude during an instrument approach at which the pilot must decide to continue landing or execute a missed approach

"At decision altitude, the runway environment was not in sight and the crew initiated a go-around."

"rotation speed"

The airspeed at which the pilot applies back pressure to lift the nose off the runway during takeoff

"The co-pilot called "Rotate" and the captain smoothly raised the nose at rotation speed."

"crosswind component"

The portion of wind velocity acting perpendicular to the runway centreline

"The crosswind component of 22 knots was within limits but required careful rudder control on landing."

"point of no return"

The point in a flight beyond which there is insufficient fuel to turn back to the departure airport

"The dispatcher calculated the point of no return and briefed the captain before departure."

"separation minima"

The minimum prescribed distance or time interval required between aircraft to prevent collision

"The controller applied radar separation minima of 5 nautical miles to the two conflicting flights."

"traffic information"

A report issued by ATC to alert a pilot to the presence and position of other aircraft

""Traffic information: Boeing 737 at your 2 o'clock, 5 miles, descending through your level.""

"traffic flow management"

Measures taken to balance aircraft demand against available airport and airspace capacity

"Due to storms over Chicago, traffic flow management imposed a ground delay programme across the region."

"handoff"

The transfer of radar identification and communication responsibility from one ATC sector to another

"The en-route controller completed a handoff to the approach sector as the aircraft descended."

"ATIS"

Automatic Terminal Information Service — a continuous broadcast of current aerodrome operational information

"The crew copied ATIS information Charlie before requesting departure clearance."

"radar vectoring"

Directions given by ATC using radar to guide an aircraft to a specific location

"The approach controller began radar vectoring the aircraft onto the ILS localiser."

"flow control"

ATC restrictions that regulate the rate at which aircraft depart or enter a congested area

"Flow control delayed the departure by 40 minutes due to arrival saturation at the destination."

"airspace class"

A designation (A through G) defining the operational rules and service levels within a portion of airspace

"Entering Class B airspace without an ATC clearance is a serious airspace incursion violation."

"Mayday"

The internationally recognised distress signal indicating a life-threatening emergency requiring immediate assistance

""Mayday, Mayday, Mayday, engine failure, request immediate return to field." — ATC cleared the airspace immediately."

"Pan-Pan"

The internationally recognised urgency signal indicating a serious situation not immediately threatening life

"The crew transmitted "Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan, Pan-Pan, medical emergency, request priority handling.""

"crew resource management"

A set of training procedures for using all available resources to ensure safe flight operations

"Good crew resource management meant the first officer spoke up when the captain overlooked the checklist item."

"sterile cockpit"

A rule prohibiting non-essential activities and conversation below 10,000 feet to reduce distraction

"The purser was reminded of the sterile cockpit rule when she called the flight deck during initial climb."

"TCAS resolution advisory"

An automated instruction from the Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System directing pilots to climb or descend

"The crew immediately followed the TCAS resolution advisory and climbed to avoid the conflicting traffic."

"airworthiness directive"

A mandatory order issued by a civil aviation authority requiring corrective action on an aircraft type

"An airworthiness directive required inspection of all fuel system check valves within 200 flight hours."

"mandatory occurrence report"

A formal report that operators and crew are legally required to submit following certain safety-related events

"After the runway incursion, the captain submitted a mandatory occurrence report to the national authority."

"just culture"

A safety philosophy that encourages open reporting of errors without fear of punishment while maintaining accountability

"The airline's just culture policy meant pilots reported near-misses without fear of disciplinary action."

"hydraulic actuator"

A device that converts hydraulic pressure into mechanical movement to operate flight control surfaces

"A leak in the hydraulic actuator caused sluggish response from the elevator during descent."

"bleed air"

High-pressure air extracted from the engine compressor and used for pressurisation, heating, and anti-icing

"The maintenance log showed a crack in the bleed air duct leading to the wing anti-ice system."

"glass cockpit"

A flight deck that uses digital electronic displays rather than traditional analogue instruments

"Transitioning from a glass cockpit to an older analogue aircraft required additional retraining."

"primary flight display"

The main electronic screen showing attitude, airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, and heading

"An amber flag appeared on the primary flight display indicating loss of the air data computer."

"fuel burn"

The rate at which an aircraft consumes fuel, typically measured in kilograms or pounds per hour

"Higher-than-planned fuel burn forced the crew to declare an emergency and divert to the nearest airport."

"autopilot disconnect"

The action of disengaging the automated flight control system, returning manual control to the pilot

"The captain called "Autopilot disconnect" and took control to execute the visual circuit manually."

"pressure altitude"

Altitude measured relative to a standard pressure of 1013.25 hPa, used at higher flight levels

"Above the transition level, all crew set their altimeters to standard and reported pressure altitude."

"engine pressure ratio"

A ratio of turbine discharge pressure to engine inlet pressure used as a measure of engine thrust

"The engineer checked that the engine pressure ratio matched the performance charts for the ambient conditions."

"pushback"

The procedure of moving an aircraft backwards from a gate using a tow vehicle before engine start

"The captain requested pushback clearance and the ground crew connected the towbar to the nose gear."

"aircraft on ground"

A priority status code (AOG) indicating an aircraft is unable to fly due to a technical defect requiring immediate repair

"A hydraulic leak grounded the aircraft and the airline declared it aircraft on ground, delaying 300 passengers."

"weight and balance manifest"

A document prepared before flight showing the distribution of passengers, cargo, and fuel to confirm the aircraft is within limits

"The dispatcher issued the weight and balance manifest confirming the centre of gravity was within the approved envelope."

"minimum equipment list"

An approved list specifying which systems can be inoperative while still permitting safe dispatch of the aircraft

"The aircraft was dispatched under the minimum equipment list with one weather radar inoperative."

"ground power unit"

An external electrical power source connected to an aircraft while it is on the ground

"The crew requested the ground power unit be connected before starting the auxiliary power unit."

"de-icing"

The process of removing ice, snow, or frost from an aircraft surface before flight

"Ground crews began de-icing the wings with hot glycol fluid as snowfall continued to accumulate."

"slot time"

A specific time window allocated by ATC or flow management for an aircraft to push back or depart

"The dispatcher called to confirm the flight had received a slot time of 14:35 due to airport congestion."

"taxiway incursion"

An occurrence where an aircraft or vehicle enters a taxiway without authorisation, creating a collision hazard

"The taxiway incursion was reported after a ground vehicle crossed the hold short line without clearance."