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Glossary

Beginner

One approved term per concept, in plain language. Where a term has its own page, the term links to it.

A

Section titled “A”
  • AIRAC cycle — the real-world 28-day update cycle for navigation data; the game follows it through Navigraph.
  • aircraft label — the text block beside a radar target, showing callsign, altitude, speed and route.
  • altimeter setting — the pressure value you give aircraft so every altimeter in your sector agrees.
  • approach (IAP) — a published instrument route from an entry fix to a runway or missed approach point.
  • assumed aircraft — an aircraft you have middle-clicked to control; commands apply only to these.

C

Section titled “C”
  • callsign — the spoken name of a flight; say it first in every instruction.
  • clearance — any instruction you give an aircraft: heading, altitude, speed, route or approach.
  • COM panel — the communications panel; it shows what the game heard and what it acted on.
  • controlled sector — the circle of airspace around your airport; everything inside it is yours to instruct.

D

Section titled “D”
  • descend via — a clearance to follow an arrival route’s published altitude steps all the way down.
  • direct-to — a clearance to fly straight to a named waypoint, with the aircraft navigating itself.
  • disregard — the spoken undo; it cancels your last instruction within about ten seconds.

F

Section titled “F”
  • flight level (FL) — altitude divided by one hundred, used high up; flight level 100 is about 10,000 feet.
  • flight strip (TFC) — the panel with one aircraft’s details: route, cruise level, aircraft type, wake category.

G

Section titled “G”
  • glide path (G/P) — the published vertical guidance used by a GLS approach. Not in 0.6.1.24
  • glide slope (G/S) — the electronic vertical guidance used by an ILS, and by an LDA when published. Not in 0.6.1.24
  • GLS — a precision approach that uses a published GBAS landing path. Not in 0.6.1.24
  • GPS approach — a published satellite-navigation approach, distinct from the RNAV label in navdata. Not in 0.6.1.24

H

Section titled “H”
  • handoff — telling an aircraft to contact the next facility: tower or center.
  • heading — a compass direction from 0 to 360; 090 is east, 180 is south.
  • hold / holding pattern — a published racetrack pattern over a fix, flown to delay an aircraft.

I

Section titled “I”
  • ILS — Instrument Landing System: the precision approach type that guides aircraft to the runway.

L

Section titled “L”
  • LDA — Localizer-type Directional Aid: an offset localizer approach, with a glide slope only when published. Not in 0.6.1.24
  • localizer (LOC) — radio guidance that keeps an aircraft on a published final course. Not in 0.6.1.24
  • localizer back course (LOC BC) — the published reverse side of a localizer course; it never uses the front-course glide slope. Not in 0.6.1.24

M

Section titled “M”
  • Mach — high-altitude speed as a decimal of the speed of sound, like mach point seven eight.
  • managed path (PATH) — vertical guidance from a coded final descent angle, not an electronic glide slope. Not in 0.6.1.24
  • minimum vectoring altitude (MVA / MRVA) — the lowest safe altitude for vectoring in an area; the game warns you below it.

N

Section titled “N”
  • Navigraph — the navigation-data provider the game uses; subscribers get the current cycle, everyone else a bundled one.
  • NDB / NDB-DME approach — a published approach based on a non-directional beacon, with DME when named. Not in 0.6.1.24

P

Section titled “P”
  • PSR ring — the outer coverage ring, 100 NM beyond the SSR ring; the limit of what the radar shows.
  • push-to-talk (PTT) — hold CONTROL while you speak and release when finished, like a real radio.

Q

Section titled “Q”
  • QNH — the local air-pressure setting; giving it makes every altimeter in your sector agree.

R

Section titled “R”
  • readback — the pilot repeating your instruction, so you can check it was understood correctly.
  • RNAV — a satellite-based approach type; the game lists approaches by their real type per runway.
  • RNP AR — an authorization-required RNAV approach that must be joined through its full published procedure. Not in 0.6.1.24

S

Section titled “S”
  • SID — Standard Instrument Departure: the published route a departing aircraft flies from the runway.
  • step-down approach — an approach that descends through published altitude restrictions without claiming a glide path. Not in 0.6.1.24
  • squawk — the four-digit transponder code assigned to an aircraft, shown on its flight strip.
  • SSR ring — the first coverage ring, 100 NM out from your sector; how far out you see traffic.
  • STAR — Standard Arrival Route: the published route that brings arrivals in toward the airport.

T

Section titled “T”
  • transition (feeder) — the published segment connecting the end of a STAR to the start of the approach.
  • transition altitude — the height where feet change to flight levels; the game switches automatically for clearances.

V

Section titled “V”
  • vector / vectors — heading instructions you give to steer an aircraft yourself.
  • VOR / VOR-DME approach — a published approach based on a VOR, with DME when named. Not in 0.6.1.24
  • VORTAC — a civil VOR/DME facility collocated with TACAN; the game does not add TACAN-only approaches. Not in 0.6.1.24

W

Section titled “W”
  • wake category — an aircraft’s wake-turbulence class — Heavy, Medium or Light — shown on the flight strip.
  • waypoint / fix — a named point in the sky, like RULOS; routes and clearances use them.

Missing a term? It may be a command — check the command reference.

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