| Acronym |
Meaning |
| AAR |
Airport Acceptance Rate or Airport Arrival Rate.
The number of arrivals an airport is capable of accepting
each hour. |
| AC or A/C |
Aircraft |
| ADZY |
Advisory |
| ARPT |
Airport |
| ARSR |
Air Route Surveillance Radar.Air Route Traffic Control Center
(ARTCC) radar used primarily to detect and display an aircraft's
position while en route between terminal areas. The ARSR enables
controllers to provide radar air traffic control service when
aircraft are within the ARSR coverage. In some instances,
ARSR may enable an ARTCC to provide terminal radar services
similar to but usually more limited than those provided by
a radar approach control. |
| ARTCC |
Air Route Traffic Control Center. A facility established
to provide air traffic control service to aircraft operating
on IFR flight plans within controlled airspace and principally
during the en route phase of flight. When equipment capabilities
and controller workload permit, certain advisory/assistance
services may be provided to VFR aircraft. There are 20 ARTCCs
in the continental U.S. |
| ASR |
Airport Surveillance Radar. Approach control radar used
to detect and display an aircraft's position in the terminal
area. ASR provides range and azimuth information but does
not provide elevation data. Coverage of the ASR can extend
up to 60 miles. |
| ATC |
Air Traffic Control. A service operated by appropriate authority
to promote the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic. |
| ATCSCC |
Air Traffic Control System Command Center |
| ATCT |
Airport Traffic Control Tower. A terminal facility that
uses air/ground communications, visual signaling, and other
devices to provide ATC services to aircraft operating in the
vicinity of an airport or on the movement area. Authorizes
aircraft to land or takeoff at the airport controlled by the
tower or to transit the Class D airspace area regardless of
flight plan or weather conditions (IFR or VFR). A tower may
also provide approach control services (radar or nonradar). |
| CDM |
Collaborative Decision Making. Cooperative effort between
the various components of aviation transportation, both government
and industry, to exchange information for better decision
making. |
| CDR |
Coded Departure Routes. Predefined routes used to route
air traffic around areas of severe weather. |
| CIGS |
Ceilings. The height above the ground of the base of the
lowest layer of clouds when over half of the sky is obscured.
|
| CLSD |
Closed |
| EDCT |
Expect Departure Clearance Time. Time issued to a flight
to indicate when it can expect to receive departure clearance.
EDCTs are issued as part of Traffic Management Programs, such
as a Ground Delay Program (GDP). |
| EMERG |
Emergency |
| EQUIP |
Equipment |
| FSM |
Flight Schedule Monitor. A tool used by Air Traffic Management
Specialists to monitor air traffic demand at airports. |
| FSS |
Flight Service Station. Air traffic facilities which provide
pilot briefing, en route communications and VFR search and
rescue services, assist lost aircraft and aircraft in emergency
situations, relay ATC clearances, originate Notices to Airmen,
broadcast aviation weather and NAS information, receive and
process IFR flight plans, and monitor NAVAIDs. In addition,
at selected locations, FSSs provide En Route Flight Advisory
Service (Flight Watch), take weather observations, issue airport
advisories, and advise Customs and Immigration of transborder
flights. |
| GDP |
Ground Delay Program. Ground Delay Programs are implemented
to control air traffic volume to airports where the projected
traffic demand is expected to exceed the airport's acceptance
rate for a lengthy period of time. Lengthy periods of demand
exceeding acceptance rate are normally a result of the airport's
acceptance rate being reduced for some reason. The most common
reason for a reduction in acceptance rate is adverse weather
such as low ceilings and visibility.
How it works:
Flights that are destined to the affected airport are issued
Expect Departure Clearance Times (EDCT) at their point of
departure. Flights that have been issued EDCTs are not permitted
to depart until their Expect Departure Clearance Time. These
ECDTs are calculated in such a way as to meter the rate that
traffic arrives at the affected airport; ensuring that demand
is equal to acceptance rate. The length of delays that result
from the implementation of a Ground Delay Program is a factor
of two things; how much greater than the acceptance rate the
original demand was, and for what length of time the original
demand was expected to exceed the acceptance rate. |
| GPS |
Global Positioning System |
| GS |
Ground Stop. Ground Stops are implemented for a number
of reasons. The most common reasons are:
To control air traffic volume to airports when the projected
traffic demand is expected to exceed the airport's acceptance
rate for a short period of time.
To temporarily stop traffic allowing for the implementation
of a longer-term solution, such as a Ground Delay Program.
The affected airport's acceptance rate has been reduced
to zero.
How it works:
Flights that are destined to the affected airport are held
at their departure point for the duration of the Ground
Stop.
|
| IFR |
Instrument Flight Rules. A set of rules governing the conduct
of flight under instrument meteorological conditions. |
| ILS |
Instrument Landing System. A ground based precision approach
system that provides course and vertical guidance to landing
aircraft. |
| LAADR |
Low Altitude Airway Departure Route. |
| LAHSO |
Land and Hold Short Operation. Operations which include
simultaneous takeoffs and landings and/or simultaneous landings
when a landing aircraft is able and is instructed by the controller
to hold-short of the intersecting runway/taxiway or designated
hold-short point. Pilots are expected to promptly inform the
controller if the hold short clearance cannot be accepted. |
| LO CIGS |
Low Ceilings. Low clouds. |
| LOC |
Localizer. The component of an ILS that provides course
guidance to the runway. |
| MINIT |
Minutes in Trail. A specified interval between aircraft
expressed in time. |
| MIT |
Miles in Trail. A specified interval between aircraft expressed
in nautical miles. |
| MULTI-TAXI |
Many aircraft trying to taxi at once, creating congestion.
|
| N90 |
New York TRACON |
| NAS |
National Airspace System. The common network of U.S. airspace;
air navigation facilities, equipment and services, airports
or landing areas. |
| NAVAID |
Navigational Aid. Any visual or electronic device, airborne
or on the surface, which provides point-to-point guidance
information or position data to aircraft in flight. |
| NM |
Nautical Mile. International unit equal to 6076.115 feet
(1852 meters). |
| NOTAM |
Notice to Airmen. A notice containing information (not
known sufficiently in advance to publicize by other means)
concerning the establishment, condition, or change in any
component (facility, service, or procedure of, or hazard in
the National Airspace System) the timely knowledge of which
is essential to personnel concerned with flight operations.
|
| NRP |
National Route Plan. The NRP is a set of rules and procedures
which are designed to increase the flexibility of user flight
planning within published guidelines. |
| OTS |
Out of service |
| RLSD |
Released |
| RRTES |
Reroutes |
| RWY |
Runway |
| RWY CONFIG |
Runway Configuration |
| RY |
Runway |
| SPO |
Strategic Plan of Operation. See SPT. |
| SPT |
Strategic Planning Team. The Strategic Planning Team acts
as a focal point for the development of collaborative Strategic
Plans of Operation. Their goal is to provide advanced planning
information for system users and air traffic facilities in
order to maximize the utilization of the NAS in an organized
and equitable manner. |
| STMP |
Special Traffic Management Program. Reservation program
implemented to regulate arrivals and/or departures at airports
that are in areas hosting special events such as the Masters
Golf Tournament and Indianapolis 500. |
| SVRWX |
Severe Weather |
| SWAP |
Severe Weather Avoidance Plan. An approved plan to minimize
the affect of severe weather on traffic flows in impacted
terminal and/or ARTCC areas. SWAP is normally implemented
to provide the least disruption to the ATC system when flight
through portions of airspace is difficult or impossible due
to severe weather. |
| TACAN |
Tactical Air Navigation Aid. An ultra-high frequency electronic
rho-theta air navigation aid which provides suitably equipped
aircraft a continuous indication of bearing and distance to
the TACAN station. |
| TFC |
Traffic |
| TRACON |
Terminal Radar Control Facility. A terminal ATC facility
that uses radar and nonradar capabilities to provide approach
control services to aircraft arriving, departing, or transiting
airspace controlled by the facility. |
| TSD |
Traffic Situation Display. A tool used by Traffic Management
Specialists to monitor the position of air traffic and to
determine the traffic demand on airports and sectors. |
| TSTMS |
Thunderstorms |
| UTC |
Coordinated Universal Time (abbreviated as UTC, and therefore
often spelled out as Universal Time Coordinated and sometimes
as Universal Coordinated Time) is the standard time common
to every place in the world. Formerly and still widely called
Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) and also World Time, UTC nominally
reflects the mean solar time along the Earth's prime meridian. |
| VAPS |
Visual Approaches. An approach conducted under Instrument
Flight Rules that authorizes the pilot to proceed visually
and clear of clouds to the airport. Usually this will be used
in conjunction with Visual Separation. When using Visual Separation,
a pilot sees the other aircraft involved, and upon instructions
from the controller, provides his own separation by maneuvering
his aircraft as necessary to avoid it. Visual Separation requires
less spacing between aircraft than radar separation allowing
more aircraft to land in a given period of time. |
| VFR |
Visual Flight Rules. Rules that govern the procedures for
conducting flight under visual conditions. The term "VFR"
is also used in the United States to indicate weather conditions
that are equal to or greater than minimum VFR requirements.
In addition, it is used by pilots and controllers to indicate
type of flight plan. |
| VOL |
Volume. Usually used to indicate that the volume of aircraft
exceeds the airport's capacity. |
| VOR |
Very High Frequency Omni Directional Range. A ground-based
electronic navigation aid transmitting very high frequency
navigation signals, 360 degrees in azimuth, oriented from
magnetic north. Used as the basis for navigation in the National
Airspace System. The VOR periodically identifies itself by
Morse Code and may have an additional voice identification
feature. Voice features may be used by ATC or FSS for transmitting
instructions/information to pilots. |
| VORTAC |
A navigation aid providing VOR azimuth, TACAN azimuth, and
TACAN distance measuring equipment (DME) at one site. |
| VSBY |
Visibility. The ability, as determined by atmospheric conditions
and expressed in units of distance, to see and identify prominent
unlighted objects by day and prominent lighted objects by
night. |
| WND |
Wind |
| WX |
Weather |
| WX DEV |
Weather Deviation |
| Z |
Zulu Time. Another term used to designate Coordinated Universal
Time (UTC), the standard time common to every place in the
world. Formerly and still widely called Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT) and also World Time, UTC nominally reflects the mean
solar time along the Earth's prime meridian. |
| ZAB |
Albuquerque Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZAU |
Chicago Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZBW |
Boston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZDC |
Washington Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZFW |
Dallas-Ft Worth Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
|
| ZHU |
Houston Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZID |
Indianapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZJX |
Jacksonville Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZKC |
Kansas City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZLA |
Los Angeles Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZLC |
Salt Lake City Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC)
|
| ZMA |
Miami Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZME |
Memphis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZMP |
Minneapolis Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZNY |
New York Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZOA |
Oakland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZOB |
Cleveland Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZSE |
Seattle Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
| ZTL |
Atlanta Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) |
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