Aviation Abbreviations

There are hundreds of aviation abbreviations used by people in the aviation industry. This list includes a few of them. Most are used by pilots in the cockpit.    

General Aviation Abbreviations

• ACAS  Airborne Collision Avoidance System
• ACARS  Aircraft Communication and Addressing Reporting System
• ACMS  Aircraft Condition Monitoring System
• AOA  Angle of Attack
• ASI   Airspeed Indicator
• CVR  Cockpit Voice Recorder
• DER  Departure End of Runway
• ELT   Emergency Locator Transmitter
• FDR  Flight Data Recorder
• GCA  Ground-controlled approach
• GPWS  Ground Proximity Warning System
• INS   Inertial Navigation System
• LNAV  Lateral Navigation
• MOC  Minimum Obstacle Clearance
• NDB  Non-Directional Beacon
• PAPI  Precision Approach Path Indicator
• PSR   Point of Safe Return
• RWY  Runway
• STAR  Standard Terminal Arrival Route
• TOD  Top of Descent
• TWR  Tower
• UTC  Universal Coordinated Time
• VASI  Visual Approach Slope Indicator
• WOFW  Weight-off-Wheels, indicates aircraft is off ground since lift off
• WONW  Weight-on-Wheels, indicates aircraft is on ground since touch down
• Z   Zulu Time (UTC)

Aviation Weather Abbreviations

Knowing the weather is also very important when you are flying. As such, there are a host of aviation weather-related abbreviations including:

• SIGMET  Significant Meteorological Advisory
• CLR Sky Clear
• FEW Few Clouds
• BR Light Fot
• FZ Freezing
• TS Thunderstorm