Terms

Question 1

angle of attack

Answer 1

AOA or á: the angle between the chord line of the wing of an aircraft and the vector representing the
relative motion between the aircraft and the atmosphere. Information from the angle of attack sensor,
or alpha probe, is used to trigger a stall warning.

Question 2

tow-bar

Answer 2

bar connecting the aircraft nose gear to a tow vehicle for pushback and towing

Question 3

tow vehicle

Answer 3

a vehicle used especially during pushback to move an aircraft backwards from the stand or to pull it to
another location at the airport. It is also referred to as a tug or tractor

Question 4

Live Stock

Answer 4

animals and others that are kept on runway, taxi way or airport facilities.

Question 5

conveyor belt

Answer 5

rotating rubber belt for loading bulk cargo

Question 6

passenger steps

Answer 6

mobile stairs used for boarding and disembarking at outlying stands

Question 7

Barrier or Cone Markers

Answer 7

something such as a wall that prevents the movement

of something else

Question 8

Ambulance

Answer 8

a special vehicle used to take sick or injured people to hospital

Question 9

Fire Truck or Fire engine

Answer 9

a large vehicle that carries firefighters and their equipment to a fire

Question 10

A/C de-Icer

Answer 10

Ground deicing of aircraft is commonly performed in both commercial and general aviation. The fluids used in this operation are called deicing or anti-icing fluids.

Question 11

snow plough

Answer 11

vehicle which removes snow from runways with a large blade

Question 12

sweeper

Answer 12

vehicle with rotary brush for removing dirt and debris

Question 13

Debris

Answer 13

broken or torn pieces of something larger in the runway or taxi way

Question 14

Dolly or Flat bed Truck

Answer 14

a board or frame on wheels, usually with a handle at waist height, used for moving heavy objects such as luggage or any objects.

Question 14

Dolly or Flat bed Truck

Answer 14

a board or frame on wheels, usually with a handle at waist height, used for moving heavy objects such as furniture or machines:

Question 15

Marshaller or Wing walker

Answer 15

a person in charge of guiding the aircraft to its stand using hand signals: marshallers often use bats or
lighted batons to give signals

Question 16

Shuttle Bus

Answer 16

a vehicle or aircraft that travels regularly between two places:

Question 17

Tug or Pay mover

Answer 17

a towing vehicle, used especially during pushback. It is also referred to as a tractor or tow vehicle: We
are waiting for the tug to arrive so that we can push back

Question 18

Cargo Loader or Dorty

Answer 18

The cargo loader for narrow or wide-bodied aircraft (cargo platform) is used for loading and unloading of cargo placed in containers or on palletes.

Question 19

Tow Bar

Answer 19

bar connecting the aircraft nose gear to a tow vehicle for pushback and towing

Question 20

Hand Truck

Answer 20

a handcart that has a frame with two low wheels and a ledge at the bottom and handles at the top; used to move crates or other heavy objects

Question 21

Fork Lift

Answer 21

a vehicle with two bars in the front for moving and lifting heavy goods

Question 22

GPU or Pneumatic pressure Unit

Answer 22

ground power unit: independent electrical generator designed to provide an engine with electrical
power during turnaround when the aircraft engines and APU are shut down

Question 23

Fuel Tanker

Answer 23

vehicle containing aircraft fuel

Question 24

Tug

Answer 24

a towing vehicle, used especially during pushback. It is also referred to as a tractor or tow vehicle: We
are waiting for the tug to arrive so that we can push back

Question 25

runway incursion

Answer 25

when an aircraft, vehicle, pedestrian or animal inadvertently enters an active runway

Question 26

baggage cart

Answer 26

small towed vehicle for transporting baggage

Question 27

follow-me car

Answer 27

a car used to guide taxiing aircraft

Question 28

blow-out, Burst or Exploded

Answer 28

a tyre burst: The blow-out left some rubber debris 600 metres from the threshold of Runway 17 Left.

Question 29

Deflated or Flat tire

Answer 29

a tyre, escape slide or other inflatable device which is missing air / gas or empty: Will you change one
of our RH main gear tyres; it looks a little deflated.

a tire that does not have any or enough air in it

Question 30

overrun

Answer 30

a cleared level area at the end of a runway, available
in case a plane does not stop
quickly enough

Question 31

Skid Off

Answer 31

to cause (an aircraft) to slide sideways away from the centre of a turn when insufficiently banked or (of an aircraft) to slide in this manner

Question 32

bogged down

Answer 32

stuck in the mud, damp earth or sand: a tug is required to tow the Regional Jet which is bogged down
off Taxiway Lima.

Question 33

Run Off

Answer 33

Pending

Question 34

Airborne

Answer 34

1) in the air

2) installed or carried on the aircraft: The ADF is an airborne navaid

Question 35

APU

Answer 35

Auxiliary Power Unit: a small gas turbine engine, usually located in the tail cone, which is used on the
ground when the engines are shut down to generate electricity, to provide air conditioning and high
pressure air to start the engines. The APU can also be used in flight up to 25,000 feet for back-up
electrical power in the event of an engine failure

Question 36

bird strike

Answer 36

impact by a bird. Birds can hit the aircraft at different points. Effects will depend on the location of
the impact and the size and number of the birds (See Units 5 and 6). The ingestion of large birds may
cause engine stall or failure. Although windshields are tested for bird strikes, large birds can crack or
break windshields impairing vision and affecting cabin pressurisation. The crew will need to make a
precautionary landing.

Question 37

build-up

Answer 37

accumulation, accretion, growth

Question 38

CFIT

Answer 38

Controlled Flight Into Terrain: CFIT happens when an aircraft, which is airworthy and under the control
of the flight crew, is flown unintentionally into terrain, obstacles or water, usually without the crew
being aware.

Question 39

conveyor belt

loader

Answer 39

rotating rubber belt for loading bulk cargo

Question 40

crew resource management

Answer 40

CRM: a branch of human factors which analyses the ways in which team work and good communication can reduce the effects of human error. CRM training has become part of mainstream pilot training. See James Reason’s seminal works in this field: Human Error (1990) and Managing the risks of organisational accidents (1997)

Question 41

de-icing

Answer 41

ice removal performed by the airport services in cold weather either by aircraft passing under a gantry or by special tankers with hydraulic platforms which spray de-icing fluid onto the wings, flight control surfaces, empennage and fuselage.

Question 42

de-icing truck

Answer 42

vehicle with tank and hydraulic platform for spraying aircraft

Question 43

ETOPS

Answer 43

Extended Twin Operations: the use of long-haul, twin-engine aircraft over the sea, desert or arctic regions where there is no suitable airport within 60 minutes of flight which can be used in case of a diversion being necessary following the loss of an engine. A more facetious interpretation of the acronym ‘ETOPS’ is ‘Engines Turning Or Passengers Swimming’!

Question 44

Hangar

Answer 44

The large building inside which the planes are parked.

Question 45

Ramp or Apron

Answer 45

The space in front of the gates where the planes are usually parked.