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

T

Track.

The actual path made over the ground in flight.

Tracking.

Flying a heading that will maintain the desired track to or from the station regardless of crosswind conditions.

Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance System (TCAS).

An airborne system developed by the FAA that operates independently from the ground-based Air Traffic Control system. Designed to increase flight deck awareness of proximate aircraft and to serve as a “last line of defense” for the prevention of midair collisions.

Traffic information service (TIS).

A ground-based service providing information to the flight deck via data link using the S-mode transponder and altitude encoder to improve the safety and efficiency of “see and avoid” flight through an automatic display that informs the pilot of nearby traffic.

Trailing edge.

The portion of the airfoil where the airflow over the upper surface rejoins the lower surface airflow.

Transcribed Weather Broadcast (TWEB).

Meteorological and aeronautical data recorded on tapes and broadcast over selected NAVAIDs. Generally, the broadcast contains route-oriented data with specially prepared NWS forecasts, inflight advisories, and winds aloft. It also includes selected current information such as weather reports (METAR/SPECI), NOTAMs, and special notices.

Transponder code.

One of 4,096 four-digit discrete codes ATC assigns to distinguish between aircraft.

Transponder.

The airborne portion of the ATC radar beacon system.

Trend.

Immediate indication of the direction of aircraft movement, as shown on instruments.

Tricycle gear.

Landing gear employing a third wheel located on the nose of the aircraft.

Trim tab.

A small auxiliary hinged portion of a movable control surface that can be adjusted during flight to a position resulting in a balance of control forces.

Trim.

To adjust the aerodynamic forces on the control surfaces so that the aircraft maintains the set attitude without any control input.

Tropopause

. The boundary layer between the troposphere and the mesosphere which acts as a lid to confine most of the water vapor, and the associated weather, to the troposphere.

Troposphere.

The layer of the atmosphere extending from the surface to a height of 20,000 to 60,000 feet, depending on latitude.

True airspeed.

Actual airspeed, determined by applying a correction for pressure altitude and temperature to the CAS.