Shadow Flight

Glossary

ACM — Air Combat Maneuvering; dog-fighting.

ACO — Air Control Officer.

ADIZ — Air Defense Identification Zone.

ADVCAP — Advanced Capability.

AEGIS — Air Defense System on Ticonderoga Class Cruisers.

ALCM — Air Launched Cruise Missiles.

Alpha Strike — All-out carrier air wing attack.

ASW — Antisubmarine Warfare.

AWACS — Airborne Warning And Control System.

Ball — The optical landing device on an aircraft carrier. Also referred to as "meatball."

BARCAP — Barrier Combat Air Patrol, used to protect vessels at sea.

Blue Water Operations — Carrier flight operations beyond the range of land bases.

Bogie — Unidentified or enemy aircraft.

Bolter — Carrier landing attempt in which the tail hook misses the arresting wire, necessitating a go-around.

Bow — Front end of ship.

Bridge — Command post in a ship superstructure.

CAG — Commander of the Air Group; oversees all squadrons embarked on a carrier.

CAP — Combat Air Patrol.

CATCC — Carrier Air Traffic Control Center (Cat-see).

Check Six — Refers to visual observation behind an aircraft. Fighter pilots must check behind them constantly to ensure that enemy aircraft are not in an attack position.

CIC — Combat Information Center — central battle management post in naval surface combat.

CINCLANT — Commander In Chief of Atlantic Fleet.

CINCPAC — Commander In Chief of Pacific Fleet.

CNO — Chief of Naval Operations.

Dash Two — Second plane in a two-aircraft section; the wingman.

Departure — Refers to an aircraft departing from controlled flight.

DME — Distance Measuring Equipment. Distance provided to a pilot in nautical miles from a known point.

ELINT — Electronic Intelligence.

Feet Dry / Wet — Pilot radio call indicating a position over land/water.

FOD — Foreign Object Damage to a jet engine.

Fox One/Two/Three — Pilot radio calls indicating the firing of a Sparrow, Sidewinder, or Phoenix missile.

Furball — Multiaircraft fighter engagement.

G-force — Force pressed on a body by changes in velocity, measured in increments of earth gravity.

G-LOC — G-induced Loss of Consciousness.

Gomers — Air combat adversaries.

Hawkeye — E-2C early warning and control aircraft; radar eyes of the fleet.

Hornet — F/A-18 fighter/attack aircraft.

Hot pump — Refueling aircraft while engine is running.

ICS Intercom — System in cockpits of multiseat aircraft.

IFF — Military transponder used to identify aircraft (Identification Friend or Foe).

IFR — Instrument Flight Rules.

Intruder — A-6 attack aircraft.

Knot — One nautical mile per hour. A nautical mile equals 1.1 statute miles.

LAMPS — Light Airborne Multipurpose System; shipborne helicopter used for antisubmarine warfare.

LCAC — Air-cushioned landing craft.

Loose Deuce — Navy and Marine Corps tactical fighter formation.

LSO — Landing Signal Officer. Squadron pilot responsible for assisting other aviators onto flight deck of aircraft carrier; also called Paddles.

Mach — Term, named for physicist Ernst Mach, used to describe speed of an object in relation to the speed of sound.

MAD — Magnetic Anomaly Detector, used to locate submerged submarines.

Main mount — Aircraft main landing gear.

Marshall — Aircraft holding pattern behind aircraft carrier.

MILSTAR — Advanced military satellite communications system.

NATOPS — Naval Aviation Training and Operations manual. Provides rules and regulations for safe and proper operation of all navy and marine corps aircraft and helicopters.

NEACP — National Emergency Airborne Command Post (KNEECAP).

Nugget — Rookie naval aviator.

PRI-FLY — Control tower on aircraft carrier.

Phoenix — AIM-54 long-range air-to-air missile.

Plane Guard — Helicopter assigned to search and rescue during carrier flight operations.

Push Time — Designated time for aircraft to start approach to carrier.

RAM — Radar-Absorbent Material.

Ramp — Aft end of flight deck; rounddown.

RCS — Radar Cross Section.

RIO — Radar Intercept Officer; naval flight officer in backseat of F-14 Tomcat and F-4 Phantom aircraft.

ROE — Rules Of Engagement.

SAC — Strategic Air Command.

SAM — Surface-to-Air Missile.

SAR — Search And Rescue.

Section takeoff — Two aircraft taking off in formation.

Sidewinder — AIM-9 heat-seeking air-to-air missile.

Sparrow — AIM-7 radar-guided air-to-air missile.

SUCAP — Surface Combat Air Patrol.

Tally — Derivative of tallyho; target in sight.

Tomcat — F-14 fighter aircraft; also called "turkey."

Trap — Arrested landing on aircraft carrier.

Unload — Release pressure on aircraft control stick to ease g load.

VFR — Visual Flight Rules.

V/STOL — Very Short Takeoff and Landing aircraft.

Viking — S-3 ASW aircraft; also called Hoover.

Vulture's Row — Observation deck on superstructure (island) of carrier.