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The following are common abbreviations used within the aviation industry.

A - C

Abbreviation Meaning
aal Above aerodrome level
ac Aircraft
ACAS Airborne Collision Avoidance System
ACC Area Control Centre
ACN Airspace Co-ordination Notice
A/D Aerodrome
ADC Aerodrome Control(ler)
ADF Automatic Direction Finding Equipment
ADR Advisory Route
AEF Air Experience Flight
AEW Airborne Early Warning
AFIS(O) Aerodrome Flight Information Services (Officer)
agl Above Ground Level
AIAA Area of Intense Aerial Activity
AIC Aeronautical Information Circular
AIP Aeronautical Information Publication
AIS Aeronautical Information Services
alt Altitude
amsl Above mean sea level
AOB Angle of bank
A/P Autopilot
APP Approach Control(ler)
APR Approach Radar Control(ler)
ARP Aerodrome Reference Point
ASR Airfield Surveillance Radar
ATC Air Traffic Control
ATCC Air Traffic Control Centre
ATCO Air Traffic Control Officer
ATCRU Air Traffic Control Radar Unit
ATIS Automatic Terminal Information Service
ATM Aerodrome Traffic Monitor
ATS (U) Air Traffic Service (Unit)
ATSA Air Traffic Service Assistant
ATSOCAS ATSs Outside Controlled Airspace
ATSI Air Traffic Services Investigations
ATZ Aerodrome Traffic Zone
AWACS Airborne Warning and Control System
AWR Air Weapons Range
BGA British Gliding Association
BHAB British Helicopter Advisory Board
BHPA British Hang Gliding and Paragliding Association
BINA ERS British Isles/N Atlantic En Route Supplement
BMAA British Microlight Aircraft Association
c cira
CAA Civil Aviation Authority
CANP Civil Air Notification Procedure
CAS Controlled Airspace
CAT Clear Air Turbulence
CAVOK Visibility, cloud and present weather better than prescribed values or conditions
Cct Circuit
CFI Chief Flying Instructor
CinC Fleet Commander in Chief Fleet, Royal Navy
CLAC Clear Above Cloud
CLAH Clear Above Haze
CLBC Clear Below Cloud
CLBL Clear Between Layers
CLOC Clear of Cloud
CMATZ Combined MATZ
CPA Closest Point of Approach
C/S Callsign
CTA Control Area
CTR/CTZ Control Zone
CWS Collision Warning System
Close A - C

D - H

Abbreviation Meaning
DA Decision Altitude
DAAvn Director Army Aviation
DAP Downlinked Ac Parameters [Mode S]
DAP Directorate of Airspace Policy CAA
D & D Distress & Diversion Cell
DF Direction Finding (Finder)
DH Decision Height
DME Distance Measuring Equipment
DUA Dedicated User Area
E East
EAT Expect Approach Time
elev Elevation
ERS En Route Supplement
est estimated
FAT Final Approach Track
FIR Flight Information Region
FIS Flight Information Service
FISO Flight Information Service Officer
FMS Flight Management System
FO First Officer
fpm Feet Per Minute
fps Flight Progress Strip
GAT General Air Traffic
GCA Ground Controlled Approach
GCI Ground Controlled Interception
GMC Ground Movement Controller
GP Glide Path
GS Groundspeed
H Horizontal
HISL High Intensity Strobe Light
HLS Helicopter Landing Site
HMR Helicopter Main Route
HPZ Helicopter Protected Zone
HQ Air HQ Air Command
HUD Head Up Display
Close D - H

I - P

Abbreviation Meaning
IAS Indicated Air Speed
iaw In accordance with
ICF Initial Contact Frequency
IFF Identification Friend or Foe
IFR Instrument Flight Rules
ILS Instrument Landing System
IMC Instrument Meteorological Conditions
JOI Joint Operating Instruction
JSP Joint Services Publication
KHz Kilohertz
kt Knots
km Kilometres
L Left
LACC London Area Control Centre (Swanwick)
LARS Lower Airspace Radar Service
LATCC(Mil) London Air Traffic Control Centre (Military)
LFA Low Flying Area
LFC Low Flying Chart
LH Left hand
LLZ Localizer
LJAO London Joint Area Organisation (Swanwick (MIL))
LoA Letter of Agreement
LTMA London TMA
MACC Manchester Area Control Centre
MATS Manual of Air Traffic Services
MATZ Military Aerodrome Traffic Zone
mb Millibars
MHz Megahertz
MOD Ministry of Defence
MRSA Mandatory Radar Service Area
MSD Minimum Separation Distance
N North
NATS National Air Traffic Services
NDB Non - Directional Beacon
nm Nautical Miles
NMC No Mode C
NK Not Known
NR Not Recorded
NVG Night Vision Goggles
OAC Oceanic Area Control
OACC Oceanic Area Control Centre
OAT Operational Air Traffic
O/H Overhead
OJTI On-the-Job Training Instructor
OLDI On-Line Data Interchange
PAR Precision Approach Radar
PFL Practice Forced Landing
PF Pilot Flying
PI Practice Interception
PINS Pipeline Inspector Notification System
PNF Pilot Non-flying
Close I - P

Q - Z

Abbreviation Meaning
QDM Magnetic heading (zero wind)
QFE Atmospheric pressure at aerodrome/airport elevation (or at runway threshold)
QFI Qualified Flying Instructor
QHI Qualified Helicopter Instructor
QNH Altimeter sub - scale setting to obtain elevation when on the ground
R Right
RA Resolution Advisory (TCAS)
RAS Radar Advisory Service
RAT Restricted Area (Temporary)
RCO Range Control Officer
RH Right hand
RIS Radar Information Service
ROC Rate of Climb
ROD Rate of Descent
RPS Regional Pressure Setting
RT Radio Telephony
RTB Return to base
RVSM Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum
RW Runway
RVR Runway Visual Range
S South
SAP Simulated Attack Profile
SAS Standard Altimeter Setting
SC Sector Controller
ScATCC (Mil) Scottish Air Traffic Control Centre (Military) (Prestwick)
ScOACC Scottish and Oceanic Area Control Centre (Prestwick)
SFL Selected Flight Level [Mode S DAP]
SID Standard Instrument Departure
SMF Separation Monitoring Function
SOP Standard Operating Procedures
SRA Surveillance Radar Approach
SRE Surveillance Radar Element of precision approach radar system
SSR Secondary Surveillance Radar
STAR Standard Instrument Arrival Route
STCA Short Term Conflict Alert
SVFR Special VFR
TA Traffic Advisory (TCAS)
TAS True Air Speed
TBC Tactical Booking Cell
TC Terminal Control
TCAS Traffic Alert & Collision Avoidance System
TRA Temporary Restricted Area
TFR Terrain Following Radar
TI Traffic Information
TMA Terminal Control Area
TRUCE Training in Unusual Circumstances and Emergencies
UAR Upper Air Route
UHF Ultra High Frequency
UIR Upper Flight Information Region
UKDLFS United Kingdom Day Low Flying System
UKNLFS United Kingdom Night Low Flying System
UNL Unlimited
USAF(E) United States Airforce (Europe)
UT Under Training
UTA Upper Control Area
UTC Coordinated Universal Time
V Vertical
VCR Visual Control Room
VDF Very High Frequency Direction Finder
VFR Visual Flight Rules
VHF Very High Frequency
VMC Visual Meteorological Conditions
VOR Very High Frequency Omni Range
VRP Visual Reference Point
W West
Close Q - Z

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