Often when listening to Airband / Aircraft radio, some of the codes used can get a bit confusing, so i will attempt to clarify what various things mean...
Hopefully by the end, you will know what a PAX is and whether you can push them under a aircraft's wheels.
AACC - Area Approach Control Centre.
ACC - Area Control Centre.
ACARS - Aircraft Communications Addressing System - Kinda like a messaging system so air and ground staff know whats happening with the aircraft.
ADF - Area Direction Finder.
AFB - Air Force Base.
ADIZ - Air Defense Identification Finder.
AFFIRMATIVE - Yes
AGL - Above Ground Level. (also a gas company but you already knew that)
AIREP - Transmitted report inc weather.
AIRSPEED - Aircraft speed in Knots.
AIRWAY - Beacon path for aircraft.
ALTERNATE - Airport used in diverted landing.
AM - Amplitude Modulation.
ANO - Air Navigation Order
ANR - Air Navigation Regulation
APU - Air Turn Back = Go back to the airport. May be due to an illness or bad weather.(can also mean Auxiliary Power Unit depending on situation)
ATA - Actual Time of Arrival.
ATC - Air Traffic Control.
ATS - Air Traffic Services.
ATIS - Automatic Terminal Information Service
AUSY - RAAF flying international route callsign.
AUSSIE - RAAF callsign.
AUW - All Up Weight.
BFO - Beat Frequency Oscillator (some shortwave radios have this)
BLOCK - Altitude clearance with lower/upper parameters.
BOGEY - Military term for 'Target Aircraft'.
BUNT - pushing the aircraft nose down into a dive (hang on to your hats)
CAT - Clear Air Turbulence (also a small fluffy animal but you already knew that)
CAVOK - Ceiling and Visibility better than expected.
CARRIER - Commercial Passenger Airline.
CBS - Cumulonimbus cloud formation (thunderstorm?)
CHARLIE CHARLIE - Slang term on HF 'Copy Your Message' (could also be a name of someone 'so good, we named you twice')
COMMS - Communications
CONFIG - Configuration or layout of the plane (seat layout)
CSM - Customer Service Manager = The poor bastard that cops all the shit when something goes wrong.
CTA - Controlled Airspace.
CX - Cancelled = Your flight has been Cancelled. You will now want to speak to the CSM.
CVR - Cockpit Voice Recorder
CW - Continuous Wave (Morse Code)
DELTA - Suffix to flight number meaning 'delivery flight'.
DIW - Dead in the Water (not good)
DME - Distance Measuring Equipment.
DMEA - 200Mhz Distance Measuring Equipment.
DX - Long Distance Communications.
ELT - Emergency Locator Transmitter.
ETA - Estimated Time of Arrival = 'are we there yet?'
ETD - Estimated Time Departure
ETOPS - Extended Range Twin Engine Operations = Approval for aircraft with two engines to fly long distances over water.
FIR - Flight Information Region.
FIS - Flight Information Service.
FLAMEOUT - Jet Engine Failure (do you believe in god?)
FLIGHT LEVEL - FL310 = 31,000 feet
FOD - Foreign Objects Debris = Bits and pieces found on the runway that can cause problems to aircraft when taking off or landing.
FRM - For Routine Maintenance
FREQ - Frequency = Mhz, Khz
FS - Flight Service
GCA - Ground Control Approach = sometimes used in military.
GNS - Omega Navigation System
GO ROUND - Aborted Landing = 'you screwed up, go round and try again'.
GPU - Ground Power Unit
GRADU - Gradually.
GREEN - Military speak for Scrambled Speech Mode
GROUNDSPEED - Speed in Knots = wind speed across the ground
HAC - High Altitude Chart
HEAVY - Aircraft bigger than a 707 (American slang)
HF - High Frequency (shortwave)
HOLD - Air pattern flown in a oval shape while waiting for clearance.
IAS - Indicated Airspeed
ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organisation
IFR - Instrument Flight Rules
ILS - Instrument Landing System
IMC - Instrument Meteorological Conditions
INS - Inertial Navigational System
INTER - Intermittent
J - Business Class
KHZ - Kilohertz (frequency)
KNOT - Nautical Mile per Hour.
LATITUDE - Meridians running east / west
LOCALISER - Radio aid to assist landing
LONGITUDE - Meridians running north / south
LSALT - Lowest Safe Altitude
MACH - Speed of Sound.
MAVERICK - Military speak for 'Target aircraft'
MEDEVAC - Medical Evacuation Flight
MET - Meteorology aka weather
METAR - Aviation Routine Weather Report
MISSED APPROACH - 'you screwed up, go round and try again'.
MIKE SIERRA - Maintenance Status
MLS - Microwave Landing System
MTOW - Maximum Takeoff Weight
NAUTICAL MILE - Equal to 1.151 statute miles
NAVAID - Navigational Aid
NEGATIVE - No
NDB - Non Directional Beacon
NIGHT VMC - Night Visual Meteorological (weather) Conditions
NOSAR - No Search & Rescue Watch Required
NOSIG - No Significant Change
NOTAM - Notice to Airmen = Information for pilots regardless of gender.
OAT - Outside Air Temperature
OCA - Oceanic Control Area
OCTA - Outside Controlled Airspace
OKTA - 1/8 of sky covered by cloud
OMEGA - Worldwide Navigational System using 8 Low Frequency radio stations across the globe.
OPS - Operations
ORBIT - similar to holding pattern.
OVERSHOOT - Go round, sometimes emergency related or done in practice.
PAR - Precision Approach Radar
PAX - Passengers.
POB - Persons on board
QNH - Altimeter sub-scale setting giving elevation if the aircraft was on the ground (barometric pressure adjusted to sea level)
QSL - Conformation of Reception
RAAF - Royal Australian Air Force
RED - Military speak for 'In Clear Communications'
RNC - Radio Navigational Charts.
RNP - Required Navigational Performance = Its a really really good GPS system in the cockpit.
RT - Radio Telephone
ROGER - Communication Acknowledged
ROMEO DELTA ALPHA - Re-despatch accepted by flight crew.
ROMEO DELTA UNIFORM - Re-despatch not accepted by flight crew.
RVR - Runway Visual Range.
SAM - US Air Force special air mission.
SAR - Search and Rescue
SARTIME - Time Search action is required to commence.
SELCAL - Selective Calling Device (used on HF (High Frequency)
SHEAR - Sudden change / speed of wind direction.
SID - Standard Instrument Departure
SKED - Schedule
SOB - Souls on Board (Passengers and crew)
SQUAWK CODE - Transponder code which identifies an aircraft on radar.
SSB - Single Sideband Radio Mode (used in Shortwave radio)
SSR - Secondary Surveillance Radar.
STOL - Short Takeoff and Landing
STUD - Frequencies for Military airfields. (also a name for myself)
TACAN - Tactical Aerial Navigation
TAS - True Air Speed
TEMPO - Temporary
TOPS - Cloud Tops (where angels live)
TOGA - Take Off, Go Around = Throttle setting that puts the plane in max power, often used when aborting landings due to weather, or a PAX (wearing a toga) on the runway.
TOW - Takeoff Weight
UHF - Ultra High Frequency.
UM - Unaccompanied Minor.
UNDERSHOOT - Just short of the runway.
UNIFORM - Military speak for UHF Radio.
US - Unserviceable Equipment.
USAF - United States Air Force.
USB - Upper Sideband Radio (used on shortwave radio)
VASIS - Visual Approach Slope Indicator System.
VECTOR - Directional Steering Oriented by Radar.
VFR - Visual Flight Rules.
VHF - Very High Frequency
VICTOR - Military speak for VHF Radio
VMC - Visual Meteorological (weather) Conditions
VOLMET - Scheduled Aviation Terminal Weather Broadcasts.
VOR - VHF Omni-Directional Radio Range
VSB - VHF Survival Beacon.
WHEELS UP LANDING - Landing where the wheels have failed to extend.
WX - Weather
Y - Economy Class (aka cattle class)
ZULU - Universal Co-Ordinated Time
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Thanks to Qantas & Bob Bell for some of the info used ...
Haha! Thanks Michael, excellent.
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