Glossary

This glossary contains information on terms, phrases and abbreviations used by the Aviation industry. While this list does not include all aviation terminology, it is the purpose of this glossary to aid the general viewer in better understanding aviation terms as it pertains to content on this website. A full list of aviation terminology can be found here.
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

C

Clearance limit

The fix, point, or location to which an aircraft is cleared when issued an air traffic clearance.

Coefficient of lift

The ratio between lift pressure and dynamic pressure.

Cold front

The boundary between two air masses where cold air is replacing warm air.

Compass course

A true course corrected for variation and deviation errors.

Compass locator

A low-power, low- or medium-frequency (L/MF) radio beacon installed at the site of the outer or middle marker of an ILS.

Compass rose

A small circle graduated in 360° increments, to show direction expressed in degrees.

Complex aircraft

An aircraft with retractable landing gear, flaps, and a controllable pitch propeller.

A point used to define a navigation track for an airborne computer system such as GPS or FMS.

Condensation

A change of state of water from a gas (water vapor) to a liquid.

Condensation nuclei

Small particles of solid matter in the air on which water vapor condenses.

Cone of confusion

A cone-shaped volume of airspace directly above a VOR station where no signal is received, causing the CDI to fluctuate.

Configuration

This is a general term, which normally refers to the position of the landing gear and flaps.

Constant-speed propeller

A controllable-pitch propeller whose pitch is automatically varied in flight by a governor to maintain a constant rpm in spite of varying air loads.

Continuous flow oxygen system.

System that supplies a constant supply of pure oxygen to a rebreather bag that dilutes the pure oxygen with exhaled gases and thus supplies a healthy mix of oxygen and ambient air to the mask. Primarily used in passenger cabins of commercial airliners.

Control display unit

A display interfaced with the master computer, providing the pilot with a single control point for all navigations systems, thereby reducing the number of required flight deck panels.