W Flashcards
Wake turbulence
Wingtip vortices that are created when
an airplane generates lift. When an airplane generates lift,
air spills over the wingtips from the high pressure areas
below the wings to the low pressure areas above them. This
flow causes rapidly rotating whirlpools of air called wingtip
vortices or wake turbulence.
Warm front
The boundary area formed when a warm air mass contacts and flows over a colder air mass. Warm fronts cause low ceilings and rain.
Warning area
An area containing hazards to any aircraft not participating in the activities being conducted in the area. Warning areas may contain intensive military training, gunnery exercises, or special weapons testing.
Waste gate
A controllable valve in the tailpipe of an aircraft
reciprocating engine equipped with a turbocharger. The valve
is controlled to vary the amount of exhaust gases forced
through the turbocharger turbine.
Waypoint
A designated geographical location used for route
definition or progress-reporting purposes and is defined in
terms of latitude/longitude coordinates.
Weather and radar processor (WARP)
A device that
provides real-time, accurate, predictive, and strategic weather
information presented in an integrated manner in the National
Airspace System (NAS).
Weather depiction chart
Details surface conditions as
derived from METAR and other surface observations.
Weight
The force exerted by an aircraft from the pull of gravity.
Wide area augmentation system (WAAS)
A differential
global positioning system (DGPS) that improves the accuracy
of the system by determining position error from the GPS
satellites, then transmitting the error, or corrective factors,
to the airborne GPS receiver.
Wind correction angle (WCA)
The angle between the
desired track and the heading of the aircraft necessary to
keep the aircraft tracking over the desired track.
Wind direction indicators
Indicators that include a
wind sock, wind tee, or tetrahedron. Visual reference will
determine wind direction and runway in use.
Wind shear
A sudden, drastic shift in windspeed, direction or both that may occur in the horizontal or vertical plane.
Winds and temperature aloft forecast (FD)
A twice daily
forecast that provides wind and temperature forecasts for
specific locations in the contiguous United States.
Wing area
The total surface of the wing (in square feet),
which includes control surfaces and may include wing area
covered by the fuselage (main body of the airplane), and
engine nacelles.
Wings
Airfoils attached to each side of the fuselage and are the main lifting surfaces that support the airplane in flight.
