Glossary of Aviation Terms

Abbriviation Term Description
A/C Aircraft Aircraft
AAR Airport Acceptance Rate or Airport Arrival Rate The number of arrivals an airport is capable of accepting each hour.
AC Aircraft Aircraft
ACFT Aircraft Aircraft
AD Arrival Delays Arrival traffic is experiencing delays. This usually indicates that arrival traffic is doing airborne holding.
ADVZY Advisory Advisory
ADZY Advisory Advisory
AFP An AFP is a traffic management (TM) process administered by the ATCSCC An AFP is a traffic management (TM) process administered by the ATCSCC
ARPT Airport Airport
ARSR Air Route Surveillance Radar Air Route Surveillance Radar
ARTCC Air Route Traffic Control Center Air Route Traffic Control Center
ASR Airport Surveillance Radar Airport Surveillance Radar
ATC Air Traffic Control Air Traffic Control
ATCSCC Air Traffic Control System Command Center Air Traffic Control System Command Center
ATCT Airport Traffic Control Tower Airport Traffic Control Tower
CDM Collaborative Decision Making Collaborative Decision Making
CDR Coded Departure Routes Coded Departure Routes
CIGS Ceilings Ceilings
CLSD Closed Closed
DD Departure delays Departure traffic is experiencing delays. Depending on the length of delay, traffic will be experiencing longer than normal taxi times or holding at the gate.
EDCT Expect Departure Clearance Time Expect Departure Clearance Time
EMERG Emergency Emergency
EQUIP Equipment Equipment
FEA/FCA Flow Evaluation Area (FEA) / Flow Constrained Area (FCA) Flow Evaluation Area (FEA) / Flow Constrained Area (FCA)
FSM Flight Schedule Monitor Flight Schedule Monitor
FSS Flight Service Station Flight Service Station
GA CDR General Aviation Coded Departure Routes General Aviation Coded Departure Routes
GDP Ground Delay Program Ground Delay Program
GPS Global Positioning System Global Positioning System
GS Ground Stop Ground Stop
ICR Integrated collaborative rerouting A process that builds on FEA/FCAs. The ICR process requires that a constraint is identified early. Traffic management may issue a planning (PLN) advisory describing the system constraint and providing route guidance. System stakeholders are allowed an opportunity to consider the area of concern, and provide early intent (EI) messages that communicate their decisions in response to the constraint. EI messages update enhanced traffic management system (ETMS) flight trajectories, monitor alert values and routing intentions. At the expiration of the EI window, traffic management can then analyze the customer responses and decide if the actions taken have resolved the issue, or if recommended routes, required routes, airspace flow programs (AFP) and/or other traffic management initiatives (TMIs) will be necessary to further reduce demand. ICR allows system stakeholders flexibility in managing their flights based on an identified NAS constraint, reducing the possibility of more restrictive initiatives. Traffic flow management (TFM) tools benefit from enhanced flight information and collaborative responses to system capacity actions.
IFR Instrument Flight Rules A set of rules governing the conduct of flight under instrument meteorological conditions.
ILS Instrument Landing System A ground based precision approach system that provides course and vertical guidance to landing aircraft.
LAADR Low Altitude Arrival/Departure Routing Low Altitude Arrival/Departure Routing
LAHSO Land and Hold Short Operations Operations which include simultaneous takeoffs and landings and/or simultaneous landings when a landing aircraft is able and is instructed by the controller to hold short of the intersecting runway/taxiway or designated hold-short point. Pilots are expected to promptly inform the controller if the hold short clearance cannot be accepted.
LO CIGS Low Ceilings Low ceilings. Low clouds.
LOC Localizer The component of an ILS that provides course guidance to the runway.
MINIT Minutes in Trail A specified interval between aircraft expressed in time.
MIT Miles in Trail A specified interval between aircraft expressed in nautical miles.
MULTI-TAXI Many aircraft trying to taxi at once, creating congestion. Many aircraft trying to taxi at once, creating congestion.
N90 New York TRACON New York TRACON
NAS National Airspace System The common network of U.S. airspace; air navigation facilities, equipment and services, airports or landing areas.
NAVAID Navigational Aid Any visual or electronic device, airborne or on the surface, which provides point-to-point guidance information or position data to aircraft in flight.
NM Nautical Mile International unit equal to 6076.115 feet (1852 meters).
NOTAM Notice to Airmen A notice containing information (not known sufficiently in advance to publicize by other means) concerning the establishment, condition, or change in any component (facility, service, or procedure of, or hazard in the National Airspace System) the timely knowledge of which is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations.
NRP North American Route Program The NRP is a set of rules and procedures which are designed to increase the flexibility of user flight planning within published guidelines.
OTS Out of service Out of service
RLSD Released Released
RRTES Reroutes Reroutes
RWY Runway Runway
RWY CONFIG Runway Configuration Runway Configuration
RY Runway Runway
SPO Strategic Plan of Operation See SPT
SPT Strategic Planning Team The Strategic Planning Team acts as a focal point for the development of collaborative Strategic Plans of Operation. Their goal is to provide advanced planning information for system users and air traffic facilities in order to maximize the utilization of the NAS in an organized and equitable manner.
STMP Special Traffic Management Program Reservation program implemented to regulate arrivals and/or departures at airports that are in areas hosting special events such as the Masters Golf Tournament and Indianapolis 500.
SVRWX Severe Weather Severe Weather
SWAP Severe Weather Avoidance Plan An approved plan to minimize the effect of severe weather on traffic flows in impacted terminal and/or ARTCC areas. SWAP is normally implemented to provide the least disruption to the ATC system when flight through portions of airspace is difficult or impossible due to severe weather.
TACAN Tactical Air Navigation Aid An ultra-high frequency electronic rho-theta air navigation aid which provides suitably equipped aircraft with a continuous indication of bearing and distance to the TACAN station.
TFC Traffic Traffic
TRACON Terminal Radar Control Facility A terminal ATC facility that uses radar and nonradar capabilities to provide approach control services to aircraft arriving, departing, or transiting airspace controlled by the facility.
TSD Traffic Situation Display A tool used by Traffic Management Specialists to monitor the position of air traffic and to determine the traffic demand on airports and sectors.
TSTMS Thunderstorms Thunderstorms
VAPS Visual Approaches An approach conducted under Instrument Flight Rules that authorizes the pilot to proceed visually and clear of clouds to the airport. Usually this will be used in conjunction with Visual Separation. When using Visual Separation, a pilot sees the other aircraft involved, and upon instructions from the controller, provides his own separation by maneuvering his aircraft as necessary to avoid it. Visual Separation requires less spacing between aircraft than radar separation allowing more aircraft to land in a given period of time.
VFR Visual Flight Rules Rules that govern the procedures for conducting flight under visual conditions. The term "VFR" is also used in the United States to indicate weather conditions that are equal to or greater than minimum VFR requirements. In addition, it is used by pilots and controllers to indicate type of flight plan.
VOL Volume Usually used to indicate that the volume of aircraft exceeds the airport's capacity.
VOR Very High Frequency Omni Directional Range A ground-based electronic navigation aid transmitting very high frequency navigation signals, 360 degrees in azimuth, oriented from magnetic north. Used as the basis for navigation in the National Airspace System. The VOR periodically identifies itself by Morse Code and may have an additional voice identification feature. Voice features may be used by ATC or FSS for transmitting instructions/information to pilots.
VORTAC VORTAC A navigation aid providing VOR azimuth, TACAN azimuth, and TACAN distance measuring equipment (DME) at one site.
VSBY Visibility The ability, as determined by atmospheric conditions and expressed in units of distance, to see and identify prominent unlighted objects by day and prominent lighted objects by night.
WND Wind Wind
WX Weather Weather
WX DEV Weather Deviation Weather Deviation
ZAB Albuquerque ARTCC Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZAU Chicago ARTCC Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZBW Boston ARTCC Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZDC Washington ARTCC Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZFW Dallas-Ft Worth ARTCC Dallas-Ft Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZHU Houston ARTCC Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZID Indianapolis ARTCC Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZJX Jacksonville ARTCC Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZKC Kansas City ARTCC Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZLA Los Angeles ARTCC Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZLC Salt Lake City ARTCC Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZMA Miami ARTCC Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZME Memphis ARTCC Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZMP Minneapolis ARTCC Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZNY New York ARTCC New York Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZOA Oakland ARTCC Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZOB Cleveland ARTCC Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZSE Seattle ARTCC Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
ZTL Atlanta ARTCC Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)