Glossary
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z
A
- Aileron
- A small hinged portion of an airplane’s wing, used to make an airplane roll, or turn around its long axis.
- Airfoil
- A surface, such as an airplane wing, shaped to produce more lift than resistance when driven through the air.
- All-weather fighter
- A radar-equipped jet fighter airplane which can operate at night or in the worst weather.
- All-weather interceptor
- A radar-equipped jet fighter airplane which can operate at night or in the worst weather.
- Autogyro
- An aircraft equipped with a rotating wing, or rotor, to sustain itself in the air, and a propeller to move forward.
B
- Barnstormer
- A pilot who, in the early years of aviation, gave airplane rides to people and performed aerobatics for a fee.
- Bracing wire
- A solid steel wire used to support the structure of an airplane’s wings or fuselage.
- British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
- An agreement which, during World War II, made Canada the heart of a huge Commonwealth aircrew training scheme.
C
- Cabin pressurization
- A mechanism used to maintain air pressure in an airplane’s sealed cabin at a level suitable for passengers.
- Canard
- An airplane designed to have its normal horizontal tail surface on the front rather than the rear of its fuselage.
- Cantilevered
- Is said of an airplane part, like an engine nacelle, which is rigidly supported at one end and free at the other.
- Caster
- To swivel or rotate slightly.
- Centre-pod configuration
- A type of airplane whose fairly short fuselage is not connected to the tail surfaces.
- Cowling
- A removable metal covering placed over and around an airplane’s engine(s).
- Cross-over exhaust
- A mechanism through which the exhaust from one side of an in-line engine is carried to the other.
D
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- A British decoration rewarding acts of bravery performed by officers and warrant officers while flying in combat.
- Dope
- A varnish like liquid applied to the fabric covering of an airplane to increase its strength and make it water proof.
E
- Elevator
- A small control surface hinged to the rear of the horizontal stabilizer and used to tilt an airplane up or down.
- Engine cowl
- A removable metal covering placed over and around an airplane’s engine.
F
- Forward elevator
- A control surface used to tilt an airplane up or down and mounted on the front rather than the rear of an airplane.
- Free-blown
- Is said of a piece of glass or plexiglass blown and shaped manually without the help of a mould.
G
- Glider tug
- An airplane, usually quite large, used to tow a military glider loaded with ground troops and equipment.
- Great Depression
- A severe economic crisis which began in the United States in 1929 and affected the world during the 1930s.
H
- High-lift wing
- A special type of wing capable of creating a lifting force greater than that of a conventional wing.
I
- In-line engine
- An engine in which the cylinders are mounted in a straight line or else in two, connected at an angle.
L
- Laminar-flow wing
- A specially designed wing whose shape creates less air resistance, or drag, than a conventional wing.
- Lateral control
- The ability to make an airplane roll, or turn around its long axis, according to its pilot’s wishes.
- Leading and trailing edges
- The foremost and rearmost edges of a wing.
- Low-wing
- Is said of an airplane in which the single set of wings is mounted at, or near, the bottom of its fuselage.
M
- Magnetic survey
- A search conducted by air to locate hidden metal deposits by making use of their effects on specially arranged magnets.
N
- Nacelle
- A shelter, enclosed or not and unconnected to the tail surfaces, where the crew sits.
- NATO
- A postwar alliance which integrated the armed forces of a number of Western nations in both Europe and North America.
- Night lozenge
- A night version of Germany’s printed camouflage scheme in which the coloured polygons were overprinted in black.
- North American Air Defence Command (NORAD)
- A Canada United States agreement integrating the air defence networks of both countries.
- Nose cowl
- A removable metal covering placed over and around an airplane’s engine.
P
- Presentation aircraft
- A military airplane payed for by a person or group, which is then donated to an air force.
- Pressurized
- Is said of an airplane’s sealed cabin in which the air pressure is kept at a level suitable for passengers.
- Propeller spinner
- A coneshaped piece of an airplane, mounted on a propeller, which reduces air resistance, or drag.
- Pusher
- An airplane whose propeller(s) can be found behind its wings.
- Pusher engine
- An engine mounted behind an airplane’s wing(s) and whose propeller pushes rather pull it through the air.
R
- Radial engine
- A type of engine, usually air-cooled, whose cylinders are arranged like the spokes of a wheel.
- Radome
- A detachable nose cone made of plastic-type material, used to cover and protect an airplane’s radar antenna.
- Ramjet
- A type of jet engine with very few moving parts which consists of a specially shaped tube open at both ends.
- Rate of roll
- A measure of the speed with which an airplane can turn around its long axis, or roll.
- Rocket-powered
- Is said of an airplane powered by a rocket engine.
- Rotary
- An aircooled engine whose cylinders, arranged like the spokes of a wheel, rotate around a fixed crankshaft.
- Rotary-engined
- Is said of an airplane which has a rotary engine whose cylinders, arranged like a wheel’s spokes, turn around a fixed crankshaft.
- Rotary-winged
- Is said of an aircraft equipped with a rotating wing, or rotor, which resembles a huge horizontal propeller.
- Rotor-head
- A most important part of a rotary-winged aircraft, which includes the blades and rotor mechanism.
S
- Service ceiling
- The altitude above sea level beyond which an airplane can no longer climb more than 30 m (100 ft) per minute.
- Slatted
- Is said of a wing equipped with a leading-edge which can pop in or out at low speed, thus improving controllability.
- Solid-propellant
- A type of rocket fuel, in solid form, moulded into a solid block.
- Sonobuoy
- An airdropped buoy fitted with sensitive microphones and a radio, used to detect submarines running underwater.
- Spar
- A principal section of the wing structure of an airplane, going from tip to tip.
- Stressed skin
- A type of airplane outer covering, designed to carry the tension and compression forces encountered in flight.
- Supercharged
- Is said of an engine equipped with a pump designed to supply it with its necessary supply of air, at high altitude.
- Supersonic
- Is said of an airplane capable of exceeding the speed of sound, 1 160 km/h (720 mph) or so at high altitude.
- Swept-wing
- A wing in which both the leading and trailing edges are slanted backward, to reduce air resistance at high speed.
T
- Tail-hook
- A special hook mounted at the rear of a aircraft carrier-based airplane and used to bring it to a quick halt when landing.
- Tandem-winged
- Is said of an airplane with wings of similar size mounted one in front of the other, on pretty much the same level.
- Target tug
- An airplane used to tow objects, or targets, fired at by other airplanes or anti-aircraft guns for practice.
- Tilt-wing
- A wing designed to swivel up or down, thus making it possible for an airplane to take off and land vertically.
- Tricycle configuration
- A type of landing gear in which one set of wheels is placed well forward, under the nose of an airplane.
- Tricycle landing gear
- A type of landing gear in which one set of wheels is placed well forward, under the nose of an airplane.
- Tricycle undercarriage
- A type of landing gear in which one set of wheels is placed well forward, under the nose of an airplane.
- Trim-tab
- A small auxiliary surface hinged on an airplane’s control surfaces, used to bring it into balance or trim.
- Turboprop
- Is said of an airplane powered by a type of jet engine, the turboprop, equipped with a turbine-driven propeller.
- Twin-boom configuration
- A type of airplane whose tail surfaces were connected to its wings by two long fuselage-like structures.
U
- Undercarriage strut
- A part of an airplane’s structure, designed to resist distortion, which supports the landing gear.
- Upper turret
- A powered and revolving mechanism armed with machine guns to be mounted on top of an airplane’s fuselage.
V
- Variable-pitch propeller
- A engine-driven device, designed to drive an airplane forward, whose efficiency can be improved by turning its blades in midflight.
- Victoria Cross
- A British medal awarded to military personnel for acts of extreme bravery in the presence of an enemy.
W
- Wheel pants
- A piece of an airplane’s structure which envelops its wheels and reduces air resistance, or drag.
- Wing spar
- A principal section of the wing structure of an airplane, going from tip to tip.
- Wing strut
- A part of an airplane’s structure, bracing the upper and lower wing and designed to resist distortion.
- Wing tip
- The outer end of an airplane’s wing.
- Wing tip extension
- Small section added to the end, or tip of a wing.
- Wingtip
- The outer end of an airplane’s wing.
- Wing warping
- A twisting of the tips of an airplane’s wings, up on one side and down on the other, used to make an airplane roll.
Z
- Zeppelin
- Named for its German inventor, this airship craft is controllable, powered, lighter than air, with a rigid structure.