Goose Bay: A widely known stop on North Atlantic and certain Arctic routes. It is located in western Labrador.
Ground control: The authority that handles the movement of aircraft on the ground, exclusive of takeoffs and landings, at major airports. Ground control normally has its own special radio frequency and personnel.
Ground effect: A phenomenon which gives extra lift to aircraft just before landing. Essentially it is an added cushion built up when the air deflected downward by the wings is slightly compressed against the ground.
Hardstand: A paved area at an airport where heavy aircraft can be safely parked.
Head: A military term, originated by the Navy, that means toilet.
Heading: The exact direction in which the nose of an aircraft is pointed. It can be, and frequently is, different from the path of the aircraft over the ground or water.
Head shed: The Pentagon, in Washington, D.C. (actually in Virginia). See also Puzzle palace.
Herc: Short for Hercules, the official name of the C-130 airlifter.
HH-3: The Air Force official designation for the twin-turbine Sikorsky rescue helicopter more popularly known as the Jolly Green Giant.
Hover-taxi: A frequently used helicopter technique; instead of rolling an aircraft along the ground on its wheels, the pilot will lift off a few feet and then fly just above the ground to where he is going. Some helicopters — those that have no wheels — do this of necessity.
Hundred-bour check: An inspection performed on aircraft after each 100 hours of use; normally it involves a minimum maintenance procedure.
IFR: Instrument Flight Rules.
ILS: Instrument Landing System.
Instrument approach: A precision approach to a properly equipped runway that can be executed by a qualified pilot solely by reference to instruments on the panel before him.
IO: Information Officer.
J Site: The common name for the BMEWS installation close to Thule.
Jigs: Tools used in the manufacturing of aircraft; essentially they hold components in proper alignment while the parts are welded or otherwise joined together.
Jolly: Short for Jolly Green Giant, the affectionate name for the Sikorsky HH-3 rescue helicopter, which gained great fame in Vietnam.
Knot: One nautical mile per hour. In round figures, fifty-two knots equals sixty miles per hour.
Latrine: Toilet.
LEM: Lunar Excursion Module.
Letdown: An aircraft’s descent from cruising altitude to a position where it can enter the landing pattern of its destination airport.
Loadmaster: A respected and highly skilled crew member who is responsible for the loading and unloading of an airlifter. He also makes certain that the load does not exceed allowable limits, is properly distributed, and is securely fastened down.
Long-legged: Having long-range capability.
Long-range cruise: An engine setting designed to get the maximum number of miles out of the available fuel at the sacrifice of some speed.
LORAN: An acronym for LOng RAnge Navigation; it is an electronic system, requiring specialized equipment capable of receiving two coupled transmitting stations simultaneously. LORAN is particularly effective over large bodies of water.
MAC: Military Airlift Command.
Mag drop: In almost all instances, aircraft piston engines have dual magnetos for greater ignition reliability. During normal operations both systems are continuously operated. Prior to takeoff, it is customary to run each engine for a brief test period on first one magneto and then the other to insure that both are functioning properly. The loss in rpm when running on either single magneto is known as the mag drop.
Mags: Magnetos, the alternators used to supply ignition to internal combustion engines; most aircraft piston engines have two for additional reliability.
Manifold pressure: The standard method for measuring the power output of an airborne piston engine.
Materiel: Military equipment and supplies.
Max gross: The theoretical maximum gross weight of an aircraft, including its fuel and payload, at which it can safely take off and fly.
Medevac: The transportation of medical patients by air; also, the special system set up to accomplish this.
Mixmaster: The popular name for the Bendix octant widely used by aerial navigators during World War II. See also Bendix Mixmaster.
Moonlight-requisition: A time-honored military technique for obtaining needed supplies or equipment which cannot conveniently be had through normal channels; it consists of helping yourself when no one is looking.
Mukluks: An Eskimo-invented foot covering worn inside boots in the Arctic for greater comfort and warmth.
Nacelle: The part of an aircraft’s structure that contains an engine, usually wing-mounted.
Navaids: A convenient abbreviation for aids to navigation, usually electronic ones.
NCO: Non-Commissioned Officer. Included are Air Force sergeants, Navy chiefs, et cetera. NCO’s frequently in positions of high trust and substantial responsibility.
NCOIC: Non-Commissioned Officer In Charge.
Non-directional beacon: A radio aid to air navigation that sends out a uniform signal in all directions.
NORAD: The North American Air Defense Command, a very complex and vital organization headquartered inside Cheyenne Mountain near Colorado Springs, Colorado. BMEWS provides data input to NORAD, as do other sources.
Number one: “Number one to land” is a tower directive informing a pilot that there are no planes ahead of him and that he may proceed with his final approach.
Octant: A navigational instrument similar to a sextant that is used for determining the height above the horizon of stars and other celestial bodies. Octants are almost exclusively used in aircraft.
OMNI: A very widely used omnidirectional air navigation system; it is most effective over land areas.
P Mountain: An isolated site in the environs of the Greenland BMEWS.
PAR: Precision Approach Radar.
PA system: Public Address System.
Pax: Passengers.
Personnel door: A small door set inside a main hangar door so that people can conveniently go in and out without disturbing the main installation.
Phase: A condition of abnormally severe weather.
Phase Alert: A warning that phase weather is shortly expected.