GLOSSARY OF AVIATION ACRONYMS AND ABBREVIATIONS
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AVIATION TERMS

(A)

AAutotuned NAVAID

AAt or Above (constrained altitude)

AA American

AAATS Australian Advanced Air Traffic Services

AAC Aeronautical Administration Communication (a class of communication which supports administrative communication)

AAS Advanced Automation System (the end systems for all FAA air traffic control, located at the ARTCCs)

AATT Advanced Aviation Transportation Technology

ABM Abeam

A/C Aircraft

AC Air Canada

ACARS Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System

ACARS ARINC communications and address reporting system (digital communications system used primarily for aircraft-to-airline messages)

ACARS MU ACARS Management Unit

ACAS Airborne Collision and Avoidance System

ACF Area Control Facility

ACFS Advanced Concepts Flight Simulator (a generic "glass cockpit")

ACK Acknowledge

ACMS Aircraft Condition Monitoring System

ACT Active

ADC Air Data Computer

ADF Automatic Direction Finder

ADI Attitude Director lndicator

ADLP Aircraft Data Link Processor (the Mode S subnetwork function onboard the aircraft that implements the OSI network layer protocols)

ADMA Aviation Distributors and Manufactureres Association

ADS Automatic Dependent Surveillance

AECB Atomic Energy Control Board

AERA Automated Enroute ATC

AFCS Automatic Flight Control System

AFDS Autopilot Flight Director System (also A/P F/D)

AFS Automatic Flight System

AGATE Advanced General Aviation Transport Experiments

AGL Above Ground Level

AHRS Altitude Heading Reference System

AIRS Advanced Infrared Sounder

A/l Anti-ice

AI Artificial Intelligence

AL Allegheny

Alert Indicator (visual or auditory) which provides information to the flightcrew in a timely manner about an event requiring pilot awareness.

ALPA Air Line Pilots Association

ALT Altitude

ALT Alternate

ALTN Alternate

ALT HOLD Altitude Hold Mode

AM Amplitude Modulation

AM Aeromexico

AMSS Aeronautical Mobile Satellite Service

ANA All Nippon Airways

AOA Angle-of-Attack

AOC Aeronautical Operation Control (communications which support safety and regularity of flight that normally take place between aircraft and the operator)

AOCS Attitude and Orbit Control System

AOM Aircraft Operating Manual

AOPA Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association

A/P Autopilot

APA Allied Pilots Association

APC Aeronautical Passenger Communication (a class of communication which supports passenger communication)

APMS Automated Performance Measurement System

APPR Approach/Approach Mode

APR April

APRT Airport

APU Auxiliary Power Unit

AQP Advanced Qualification Program

ARAC Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee

ARINC Aeronautical Radio Incorporated

ARPA Advanced Research Projects Agency

ARR Arrival

ARTCC Air Route Traffic Control Center

ARTS Automated Radar Terminal System

ASCII American Standard Code for Interface and Interchange

ASI Air Speed Indicator

ASR Airport Surveillance Radar

ASRS Aviation Safety Reporting System (aviation incident reporting system run by NASA for FAA)

AT At (an altitude)

A/T Autothrottle

ATA Air Transport Association

ATA Actual Time of Arrival

ATC Air Traffic Control (a generic term for a joint civil/military system for controlling traffic within a specific area)

ATCS Advanced Train Control Systems

ATCSCC Air Traffic Control System Command Center

ATHR Autothrust System

ATIS Automatic Terminal Information Service (recorded voice message that provides weather and airport services information)

ATM Air Transportation Management

ATN Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (the collection of ground subnetworks, air/ground subnetworks and airborne subnetworks interconnected by ATN routers that support computer-to-computer, internetwork communication and message transfer between host computers using the OSI ISO protocol architecture)

ATS Automatic Throttle System

ATSC Air Traffic Service Communications (Communications related to air traffic services. This includes ATC, aeronautical and meteorological information, position reporting and services related to safety and regularity of flight)

AUG August

AV Avianca

AVAIL Available

AVHRR Advanced Very High-Resolution Radiometer

AWACS Airborne Warning And Control System

AWAS Automated Weather Advisory Station

AWIPS Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System

(B)

B At or Below (constrained altitude)

BALPA British Air Line Pilots Association

BASIS British Airways Safety Information System

BF MarkAir

BIT(E) Built-ln-Test (Equipment)

BRG Bearing

BRT Brightness

(C)

C Centigrade

CAA Civil Aviation Authority (Great Britain)

CAB Civil Aeronautics Board

CAAC Civil Aviation Authority of China

CAS Calibrated (Computed) Air Speed

CASE Computer Aided Software Engineering

CAT Clear Air Turbulence

CAT Category

Cat II A Cat II approach involves weather minimums of a 200 ft ceiling and 2600 ft RVR

CBT Computer Based Training

CDI Course Deviation Indicator

CDU Control display unit (pilots' interface to the FMS)

CDTI Cockpit Display of Traffic Information

CENA Centred' Études de la Navigation Aérienne (France)

CFIT Controlled Flight Into Terrain

CG Center of Gravity

CGS Centimeter-gram-second

Cl Cost Index

CI China Airlines

CIT Compressor Inlet Temperature

CLB Climb Detent of the Thrust Levers

CLR Clear

CMC Central Maintenance Computer

CNS Communications Navigations and Surveillance

CO Continetnal

COM Cockpit Operating Manual

CON Continuous

CO ROUTE Company Route (also CO RTE)

COTR Contracting Officer's Technical Representative

COTS Commercial Off The Shelf

CP Control Panel

CPCS Cabin Pressure Control System

CPDLC Controller Pilot Datalink Communications

CPU Central Processing Unit

CRC Cyclic Redundancy Check

CRITTER Civil Rotorcraft IFR Terminal-Area Technology Enhancement Research

CRM Cockpit Resource Management

CRM Crew Research Management

CRS Course

CRT Cathode Ray Tube

CRZ Cruise

CSD Constant Speed Drive

CTA Controlled-Time of Arrival

CTA Control Area (ICAO Term)

CTAS Center TRACON Automation System

CTC Centralized Train Central

CTR Center

CTR Civil Tilt Rotor

CTRL Control

CVSRF Crew-Vehicle Simulation Research Facility (NASA Ames)

CWS Control Wheel Steering

(D)

D Derated

DA Descent Advisor

DBS Direct Broadcast Satellite

DE-TO PR Derated Takeoff Engine Pressure Ratio

D-TO Nl Derated Takeoff Engine Fan Speed

DADC Digital Air Data Computer

DATALINK Digitized Information Transfer (air/ground)

DC Direct Current Electricity

D/D Drift Down

DEC December

DEC Digital Equipment Corporation

DECR Decrement

DEL Delete

DEP Departure

DES Descent

DEST Destination

DEV Deviation

DFDAU Digital Flight Data Acquisition Unit

DFDR Digital Flight Data Recorder

DFGS/C Digital Flight Guidance System/Computer

DFW Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

DGPS Differential GPS

DH Decision Height

DIR Direct

DIR/INTC Direct Intercept

DIS Distance

DISCR Discrepancy

DIST Distance

DL Delta

DLP Data Link Processor (the FAA's ground automation system that supports the Mode S subnetwork (GDLP), internetwork (ATN router) and non-ATC data link application processes)

DLR German Aerospace Research Establishment

DME Distance Measuring Equipment (ground navigational aid that can provide display of distance to selected ground navigational radio transmitter)

DMU Data Management Unit

DNTKFX DownTrack Fix

DOT Department of Transportation

DOD Department of Defense

DRU Data Retrival Unit

DSPY Display (annunciation on CDU)

DTG Distance-to-go

(E)

E East

EADI Electronic Attitude Director Indicator

EAS Equivalent Airspeed

ECAM Electronic Centralized Aircraft Monitor

ECON Economy (minimum cost speed schedule)

ECS Environmental Control System

E/D End-of-Descent

EDF Electricité de France

EEC Electronic Engine Control

EFC Expected Further Clearance

EFIS Electronic Flight Instrument System

EGT Exhaust Gas Temperature

EHSI Electronic Horizontal Situation Indicator

EICAS Engine Indicating Crew Alerting System

EIU Electronic Interface Unit

ELT Emergency Locator Transmitter

EMP Electromagnetic Pulse

EMS Emergency Medical Services

ENG Engine

E/O Engine-Out

EPR Engine Pressure Ratio

EPROM Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory

EST Estimated

ETA EstimatedTime of Arrival

ETX End of Transmission

EXEC Execute

(F)

F Fahrenheit

FA Final Approach

FAA Federal Aviation Administration

FADEC Full Authority Digital Engine Control

FAIL FMC Fail

Failure The inability of a system, subsytem, unit or part to perform within previously specified limits.

FAF Final Approach Fix

FANS Future Air Navigation Systems

FAR Federal Aviation Regulations (federal rules under which flight operations are conducted)

FAR Federal Acquisition Regulation

FAST Final Approach Spacing Tool

FBO Fixed Based Operator

FCC Flight Control Computer

FCU Flight Control Unit

F/D (FD) Flight Director

FDAMS Flight Data Acquisition and Management System

FDC Flight Data Company

FDR Flight Data Recorder

FEATS Future European Air Traffic System

FEB February

FF Fuel Flow

FGS/C Flight Guidance System/Computer

FIR Flight Information Region

Fix Position in space usually on aircraft's flight plan

FL Flight Level

FL 310 For example, FL310 is an altitude 31,000 ft. above sea level; used for altitudes above 18,000 ft

FLCH Flight Level Change

FLIDRAS Flight Data Replay and Analysis System

FLT Flight

FMA Flight Mode Annunciator: display on or near the PFDs of the current modes of autoflight system

FMC Flight Management Computer (also FMCS - FMC System)

FMGC Flight Management Guidance Computer

FMGS Flight Management Guidance System

FMS Flight Management System

FO First officer

FOQA Flight Operations Quality Assurance

FPA Flight Path Angle

FPA Focal Plane Array

FPM Feet Per Minute

FQIS Fuel Quantity Indicating System

FR From

FRA Flap Retraction Altitude

FRA Federal Railroad Administration

FREQ Frequency

FSF Flight Safety Foundation

FT Feet

(G)

GA Go-Around

GA General Aviation

GAR Go-Around

GCA Ground-controlled Approach

GDLP Ground Data Link Processor (the Mode S subnetwork function within the ground system that implements the OSI network layer protocols)

GHz Gigahertz

GMT Greenwich MeanTime

GNSS Global Navigation Satellite System

GPS Global Positioning System

GPWS Ground Proximity Warning System (warns of inadequate separation from ground and excessive sink rate close to ground)

GRAF Ground Replay and Analysis Facility

GRP Geographical Reference Points

GS Glide Slope

GS Ground Speed

G/S Glideslope

GSFC Goddard Space Flight Center

GW Gross Weight

(H)

HAC Hughes Aircraft Co.

HAI Helicopter Association International

HBARO Barometric Altitude

HDG Heading

HDG SEL Heading Select

HDOT Inertial Vertical Speed

HE Altitude Error

HF High Frequency

Hl High

HIRS High-Resolution Infrared Sounder

Host Computer Facility located at the ARTCC which operates user application software, as well as certain peer network layer protocols required to communicate with adjacent ATN routers.

Host Processor "End system" as defined by ISO that includes the OSI upper layer protocols (i.e., transport layer and above) and application processes

HP Holding Pattern

HPRES Pressure Altitude

HSI Horizontal Situation Indicator

HUD Head-Up Display

(I)

IA Inspection Authorization

IAOA Indicated Angle-of-Attack

IAS Indicated Airspeed

ICAAS Integrated Control in Avionics for Air Superiority

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization

ID Identifier

IDENT Identification

IEPR Integrated Engine Pressure Ratio

IF Intermediate Frequency

IFR Instrument Flight Rules

IFRB International Frequency Registration Board

IGFET Insulated Gate Field Effect Transistor

ILS Instrument Landing System (uses precision localizer and glide-slope radio transmitters near a runway to provide landing approach guidance)

IMC Instrument Meteorological Conditions

INBD Inbound

INFO Information

in.hg. inches of mercury

INIT Initialization

INR Image Navigation and Registration

INS Inertial Navigation System

INTC Intercept

IPT Integrated Product Team

IRS Inertial Reference System

IRU Inertial Reference Unit

ISA International Standard Atmosphere

ISO International Standards Organization

ITU International Telecommunications Union

(J)

JAL Japan Air Lines

JAN January

JAR Joint Airworthiness Regulations

JATO Jet Assisted Takeoff

JL Japan Air Lines

JSRA Joint Sponsored Research Agreement

JUL July

JUN June

(K)

KG Kilogram

kHz kilohertz

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

km Kilometer

KT (kts) Knots

kW Kilowatt

(L)

L Left

LAT Latitude

LAX Identifier for Los Angeles

LCN Local Communications Network.

LDGPS Local DGPS

LFR Low-frequency Radio Range

LIM Limit

LMM Compass locator at the middle marker

LNAV Lateral Navigation (provides computer description of aircraft's planned lateral flight path that can be tracked by the autoflight system; lateral path can be shown on map display.)

LO Low

LOC Localizer Beam

LOE Line Oriented Evaluation

LOFT Line Oriented Flight Training

LOM Compass Locator at the Outer Marker

LON Longitude

LORAN Long Range Navigation

LOS Line-Oriented Simulation

LRC Long Range Cruise

LRU Line Replaceable Unit

LVL CHG Level Change

(M)

M Mach Number

M Manual Tuned NAVAID

MAA Maximum Authorized IFR Altitude

MAG Magnetic

MAINT Maintenance

MAN Manual

MAP Missed Approach

MAR March

M/ASI Mach/Airspeed Indicator

MAX Maximum

MAX CLB Maximum engine thrust for two-engine climb

MAX CRZ Maximum engine thrust for two-engine cruise

MCA Minimum Crossing Altitude

MCDU Multipurpose Control Display Unit

MCP Mode Control Panel (pilots' interface to the autoflight system; usually located centrally just below cockpit glare shield)

MCT Maximum Continuous Thrust

MCW Modulated Continuous Wave

MDA McDonnell-Douglas Aerospace

MDA Minimum Descent Altitude

MDL Multipurpose Data Link

MEA Minimum Enroute Altitude

MEL Minimum Equipment List

MIDAS Man-Machine Integration Design and Analysis System (NASA Ames)

MIDAS Multi-discipline Data Analysis System

MILSPEC Military Specifications

MIN Minutes

MIN Minimum

MIT Massachusetts Institute of Technology

MLA ManeuverLimited Altitude

MLE Landing Gear Extended Placard Mach Number

MLS Microwave Landing System

MMO Mach Max Operating

MN Magnetic North

MOA Memorandum of Agreement

MOCA Minimum Obstruction Clearance Altitude

MOD Modified/Modification

Mode S Type of secondary surveillance radar (SSR) equipment which provides Mode A and Mode C interrogations, discrete address (Mode S) interrogations from the ground or air, and a data link capability

MODIS Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectrometer

MRA Minimum Reception Altitude

MSG Message

MSL Mean Sea Level

MTBF Mean Time Between Failures

MU Management Unit

MWP Meteorological Weather Processor

(N)

N North

NACA National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics

NADIN II National Airspace Data Interchange Network II (the national digital message switching network for aeronautical data)

NAS National Airspace System

NAS National Aircraft Standard

NASA National Aeronautics and Space Administration

N/A Not Applicable

NATCA National Air Traffic Controllers Association

NAV Navigation

NAVAID Navigational Aid

NBAA National Business Aircraft Association

NGATM New Generation Air Traffic Manager

ND Navigation Display

NDB Nondirectional Radio Beacon

NESDIS National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service

NLM Network Loadable Module

NLR National Research Laboratory (The Netherlands)

NM Nautical Mile

NMC National Meteorological Center

NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

NOTAM Notice for Airman

NOV November

NRP National Route Program

NTSB National Transportation Safety Board

NW Northwest Airlines

NWS National Weather Service

Nl Engine Revolutions per Minute (percent)

(O)

OAG Official Airline Guide

OAT Outside AirTemperature

OATS Orbit and Attitude Tracking

OBTEX Offboard Targeting Experiments

OCT October

ODAPS Operational OGE Data Acquisition and Patch Subsystem

OFST Lateral Offset Active Light

OGE Operational Ground Equipment

OIS OGE Input Simulator

OO SkyWest Airlines

OP Operational

OPT Optimum

O-QAR Optical Quick Access Recorder

OSI Open Sytem Interconnection (ISO defined communications architecture used in data link to permit heterogeneous data communication systems to be interconnected in order to allow the reliable exchange of messages without regard to the implementation of the networks and physical media through which the messages pass)

OTFP Operational Traffic Flow Planning

OV Overseas National Airways

(P)

P Procedure-Required Tuned NAVAID

PA Pan Am

PAR Precision Approach Radar

PAWES Performance Assessment and Workload Evaluation

PBD Place Bearing/Distance (way point)

PD Profile Descent

PDB Performance Data Base

PDC Pre Departure Clearance

PERF Performance

PF Pilot Flying

PFD Primary Flight Display

PHARE Program for Harmonized ATC Research in Europe

PHIBUF Performance Buffet Limit

PHINOM Nominal Bank Angle

PIREPS Pilot Reports

PMS Performance Management System

PND Primary Navigation Display

PNF Pilot Not Flying

POS Position

POS INIT Position Initialization

POS REF Position Reference

PPI Plan Position Indicator

PPOS Present Position

PREV Previous

PROC Procedure

PROF Profile

PROG Progress Page on MCDU

PROV Provisional

PS Pacific Southwest Airways

PT Total Pressure

PTH Path

PVD Plan View Display

(Q)

QAR Quick Access Recorder

QNH Quantity

QRH The barometric pressure as reported by a particular station

QTY Quantity

QUAD Quadrant

(R)

R Right

R Route Tuned NAVAID

RAD Radial

RAD Radio

RAPS Recovery Access Presentation System

RASCAL Rotorcraft Air Crew Systems Concepts Airborne Laboratory

RCP Radio Control Panel

R/C Rate of Climb

RDP Radar Data Processing (system)

REF Reference

REQ Required/Requirement

REQ Request

RESTR Restriction

RESYNCING Resynchronizing

rf radio frequency

RMPs Radio Management Panels

RNAV Area Navigation (generic acronym for any device capable of aircraft guidance between pilot-defined waypoints

RNP Required Navigation Performance

Router An ATN network layer gateway which performs the relaying and routing of data packets across interconnecting subnetworks based on the source and destination network layer addresses and the desired quality of network service

RTA Required Time of Arrival

RTCA Radio Technical Committee on Aeronautics

RTE Route

RVR Runway Visual Range

RW Runway

(S)

S South

SA Situation Awareness

SAS Scandinavian Airlines System

SAT Static Air Temperature

SATCOM Satellite Communications

SBIR Small Business Innovative Research

S/C Step Climb

SEA/TAC Seattle/Tacoma International Airport

SEL Selected

SEP September

SESMA Special Event Search and Master Analysis

SID Standard Instrument Departure

SIGMET Significant Meteorological Information

SITA Société Internationale Télécommunique Aéronautique

SO Southern Airways

SOP Standard Operating Procedure

SOPA Standard Operating Procedure Amplified

SP Space

SPD Speed Mode

SPS Sensor Processing Subsystem

SQL Structured Query Language

SRP Selected Reference Point

SSFDR Solid-State Flight Data Recorder

SSM Sign Status Matrix

STAB Stabilizer

STAR StandardTerminal Arrival Route

STEPCLB StepClimb

STOL Short Takeoff and Landing

STTR Small Business Technology Transfer Resources

SUA Special Use Airspace

SWAP Severe Weather Avoidance Program

(T)

TACAN Tactical Air Navigation

TACH Tachometer

TAI Thermal Anti-lce

TAP Terminal Area Productivity

TAS True Airspeed

TAT Total AirTemperature

TATCA Terminal Air Traffic Control Automaiton

TBD To Be Determined

TBO Time between Overhauls

TBS To Be Specified

TCA Terminal Control Area

TCAS Traffic Alert & Collision Avoidance System

T/C (TOC) Top-of-Climb

T/D (TOD) Top of-Descent

TDWR Terminal Doppler Weather Radar (TDWR located and classifies windshear conditions and provides advisories in the terminal area. These data are available through the DLP.)

TEMP Temperature

TFM Traffic Flow Management

TGT Target

THDG True Heading

THR Thrust

THR HOLD Throttle Hold

TI Texas International

TIAS True Indicated Airspeed

TKE TrackAngle Error

TMA Traffic Management Advisor

TMC Thrust Management Computer

TMF Thrust Management Function

TMU Traffic Management Unit

TN True North

T/O (TO) Takeoff

TOD Top of Descent

TO EPR Takeoff Engine Pressure Ratio

TO Nl Takeoff Engine Fan Speed

TOGA Takeoff/Go-Around

TOT Total

TRA Thrust Reduction Altitude

TRACON Terminal Radar Approach Control Facility.

TRANS Transition

TRK Track (to a NAVAID)

TRU True

TSRV Transport Systems Research Facility

TT Total Temperature

TURB Turbulence

(U)

UA United

UHF Ultra-high Frequency

US USAir

USAF United States Air Force

(V)

V Velocity

VA Heading to an Altitude

VA Design Maneuvering Speed

VAR Variation

VAR Volt-amps Reactive

VAR Visual-aural Radio Range

VASI Visual Approach Slope Indicator

VBF(LO) Flaps up minimum buffet speed at current maneuver load factor minus altitude dependent variable

VBFNG(HI) High speed CAS at N g's to buffet onset

VBFNG(LO) Low speed CAS at N g's to buffet onset

VCMAX Active Maximum Control Speed

VCMIN Active Minimum Control Speed

VC Design Cruising Speed

VD Design Diving Speed

VD Heading to a DME distance

VF Design Flap Speed

VFE Flaps Extended Placard Speed

VFR Visual Flight Rules

VFXR(R) Flap Retraction Speed

VFXR(X) Flap Extension Speed

VG Ground Velocity

VGND Ground Velocity

VH Maximum Level-flight Speed with Continuous Power

VHF Very-high Frequency

VHRR Very High-Resolution Radiometer

VISSR Visible Infrared Spin Scan Radiometer

Vl Heading to a course intercept

Vls Lowest Selectable Airspeed

VLE Landing Gear Extended Placard Airspeed

VLO Maximum Landing Gear of Operating Speed

VLOF Lift-off Speed

VM Heading to a manual termination

VMC Visual Meteorological Conditions

VMC Minimum Control Speed with Critical Engine Out

VM(LO) Minimum Maneuver Speed

VMAX Basic Clean Aircraft Maximum CAS

VMIN Basic Clean Aircraft Minimum CAS

VMO Velocity Max Operating

VNAV Vertical Navigation (provides computer description of aircraft's speed and altitude that can be tracked by autoflight system)

VNE Never-exceed Speed

VNO Maximum Structural Cruising Speed

VOM Volt-ohm-milliammeter

VOR VHF OmniRange Navigatgion System (ground navigational aid that can provide display of aircraft position relative to course through selected ground navigational radio transmitter)

VORTAC VHF Omni Range Radio/Tactical Air Navagation

VPATH Vertical Path

VR Heading to a radial

VR Takeoff Rotation Velocity

VREF Reference Velocity

VS Design Speed for Maximum Gust Intensity

V/S Vertical Speed/Vertical

VSCS Voice Switching and Control System

VSI Stalling Speed in a Specified Flight Configuration

VSO Stalling Speed in the Landing Configuration

VSTOL Vertical or Short Takeoff and Landing

VTK Vertical Track Distance

VTOL Vertical Takeoff and Landing

V/TRK Vertical Track

VTR Variable Takeoff Rating

VU Utility Speed

VX Speed for Best Angle of Climb

VY Speed for Best Rate of Climb

Vl Critical Engine Failure Velocity (Takeoff Decision Speed)

V2 Takeoff Climb Velocity

(W)

W West

WAAS Wide Area Augmentation System

Waypoint Position in space usually on aircraft's flight plan

WBC Weight and Balance Computer

WINDR Wind Direction

WINDMG Wind Magnitude

WPT Way point

W/MOD With Modification of Vertical Profile

WMSC Weather Message Switching Center

WMSCR Weather Message Switching Center Replacement

WO World Airways

W/STEP With Step Change in Altitude

WT Weight

WX Weather

WXR Weather Radar

(X)

XTK Crosstrack (cross track error)

XY Ryan Air

(Z)

Z Zulu (GMTtime)

ZFW Zero Fuel Weight

ZNY New York Air Route Traffic Control Center

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COGNITIVE SCIENCE TERMS

Action: goal directed behavior performed by an agent

Agent: any system component that executes tasks that process information

Attention allocation: process by which an agent samples information on media in the environment

Cognitive tasks: tasks that achieve their goals by processing information

Distraction: an event that causes attention to move away from task to which agent should continue to attend

Distributed cognition: term used to emphasize that cognitive tasks that are important to performance at system level are distributed across various people in the system and various artifacts and machines

Error-resistant system: system designed to minimize occurrence of errors

Error-tolerant system: system that can detect errors and correct them before they result in undesirable consequences

Expectation: representation of a state predicted to occur in a given situation; agents can compare expectations to what actually happens and thereby detect possible processing errors

Information: describes the relation between a structure (in the world) and some agent that interprets that structure; world is full of structure, but the only structures that are informative are those capable of affecting the behavior of the agent that is interpreting those structures

Information processing: tasks that depending on the situation, transform information represented in one medium to information represented in a different medium

Media: any physical things that can be used to represent information

Mediated information: information that has been transformed from its primary source

Mistake: an error in which the executed action is the intended action but the intended action is incorrect

Representation: structure in the world used to express information on a medium

Slip: an error in which the executed action is not the intended action

Side Effect: change in a machine state that is a byproduct of an agent using the machine to accomplish some task

Task: actions accomplished by agents to satisfy goals

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Distributed by Palm Pilot Plaza
Curator: Li Zhang