AVIATION TERMS AND DEFINITIONS  

ADF…AUTOMATIC DIRECTION FINDER. A navigational instrument in an aircraft that  has a pointed needle that will point to a Non Direction Beacon, when tuned to that  particular frequency. The aircraft can be turned to track directly to the beacon by  keeping the needle pointed directly on the nose of the aircraft. 

NDB …. NON-DIRECTION BEACON. A beacon or radio signal that emits a signal on  a particular low frequency band. The signal can be picked up by an ADF and the  needle will point towards the beacon, allowing the aircraft to be navigated to wards the  NDB. 

GPS …. GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM. A satellite navigation system that is based  on 24 satellites that communicate to each other and give very accurate positioning  information to an aircraft that has a GPS receiver. The GPS navigation system can  provide the pilot with very accurate position information, ground speed and tracking  and distance information.

This system does not need ground based beacons to provide any of its navigation information. 

MGTOW …. MAXIMUM GROSS TAKE-OFF WEIGHT. The legal maximum allowed  take-off weight of any aircraft. The all up weight of any aircraft cannot legally exceed  the MGTOW.  

ETA …. ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL. The estimated time that an aircraft will arrive  at its destination based on several factors including forecast winds, altitude,  temperature, true airspeed and routing over the ground. 

ATC …. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL. The ground based Government or Military agency  that provides guidance and separation to all aircraft that operate in any particular ATC  jurisdiction. 

CAPT …. CAPTAIN. On aircraft that required two pilots, one pilot is the in-charge pilot  and is referred to as the CAPTAIN. The other pilot is the F/O or FIRST OFFICER and is  the second in-charge pilot. If anything happens to the CAPTAIN, the F/O becomes the Captain. 

DG ... DIRECTIONAL GYRO COMPASS.  A gyroscope stabilized compass that was set to the magnetic compass to provide a stable and accurate directional instrument  for navigational purposes on an aircraft. 

PROCEDURE TURN ...A pre-determined turn of defined degrees that is used to help position an aircraft during an instrument approach to an airport. This turn could be 30,  45, 90 or 180 degrees.