Aviation Glossary

Whether you're looking for a job or want to advance your career, this glossary of aviation terms, federal regulations, and abbreviations is essential to understanding the industry.

Commercial airliner taking off

Understanding Aircraft Maximum Gross Takeoff Weight – MGTOW

Updated July 25, 2019

Air traffic controllers working at screens in an Air Traffic Command Center.

The Future of Air Traffic: The Next Generation Air Traffic System

Updated November 29, 2019

Flight instructor and student inside small Piper aircraft

What's an Advisory Circular and Why Should You Care?

Updated April 21, 2019

Rear View Of Pilots Sitting In Cockpit

What's the Difference Between ADS-B Out and ADS-B In?

Updated February 18, 2020

Male pilot checking control panel in airplane cockpit

Here's What to Know About the Aviation Safety Action Program (ASAP)

Updated October 31, 2019

Cessna 180 parked in the desert

Aircraft Ownership: The Fixed Costs

aerial navigation gauges

A Brief Look at Aircraft Navigation Terms and Definitions

Airport control room

The National Airspace System Explained

VOR

VOR: A Look at the World's Most Reliable Navigation Aid

Pilots Sitting in the Cockpit, Adjusting the Controls

What Is WAAS and How Is It Different From GPS?

Pilots in cockpit of small airplane

Do You Know All of the Different NOTAMs?

Windsock

What an Airport Windsock Is Used for and How to Interpret It

TIS-B Explained: Traffic Information System Broadcast for NextGen

Gauges In Cockpit

Understand the Practical Use of the ADF/NDB Navigation System

A jet engine on an aircraft.

Aircraft Weight and Balance Definitions

An older woman preparing for a flight in a small aircraft.

What Qualifies an Aircraft as "Technologically Advanced"

Cockpit of jet

How Does FIS-B (Flight Information System Broadcast) Work?

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