AEROSPACE ACRONYM & Abbreviation Guide

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December 2010

Avionics Magazine proudly presents the fifth edition of our biennial Aerospace Acronym & Abbreviation Guide. Updated with the latest terms from the magazine’s pages, this comprehensive guide has grown to more than 3,000 civil and military acronyms.

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

  • F/O first officer

  • F&E facilities and equipment

  • FA final approach

  • FAA Federal Aviation Administration (U.S.)

  • FAA/EURO FAA/Eurocontrol R&D committee

  • FAATC FAA Technical Center

  • FAB functional airspace blocks

  • FAB-T family of advanced beyond-line-of-sight terminals

  • FAC Federal Advisory Committee

  • FAC final approach course

  • FAC flight augmentation computer

  • FACT future airport capability task

  • FADEC full authority digital engine/elec­tronic control

  • FAF final approach fix

  • FAI first article inspection

  • FAMIS full aircraft management/inertial system

  • FANS Future Air Navigation System (ICAO)

  • FAR federal acquisition regulation

  • FAR federal aviation regulation

  • FAROA Final Approach Runway Occupancy Awareness

  • FAS final approach segment

  • FAST final approach spacing tool

  • FAT factory acceptance test

  • FBCB2 Force XXI Battle Command Bri­gade and Below

  • FBL fly by light

  • FBN fly by night

  • FBO fixed-base operator

  • FBW fly by wire

  • FC functional capability

  • FC foot candles

  • FC-AV Fibre Channel-Audio Video

  • FCA functional configuration audit

  • FCC Federal Communications Com­mission (U.S.)

  • FCC flight control computer

  • FCDC flight critical direct current

  • FCL flight crew licensing (EASA)

  • FCM future concepts for maintenance

  • FCMA FANS Central Monitoring Agency

  • FCP flight control panel

  • FCP flight control processor

  • FCS flight control system

  • FCS frame check sequence

  • FCS Future Combat Systems

  • FCS future concepts for simulators

  • FD fault detection

  • FD flight dynamics/director

  • FD final data

  • FDAF flight data acquisition function

  • FDAU flight data acquisitions unit

  • FDB flight plan data bank

  • FDDI fiber distribution data interface

  • FDE fault detection and exclusion

  • FDEP flight data entry panel

  • FDH flight deck handset

  • FDI fault detection and isolation

  • FDIMU flight data interface management unit

  • FDIO flight data input/output

  • FDM flight data monitoring

  • FDM frequency division multiplex

  • FDMA frequency division multiple access

  • FDMS flight deck merging and spacing

  • FDPS flight data processing system

  • FDR flight data recorder

  • FDRS flight data recorder system

  • FDP flight data processor

  • FEATS Future European Air Traffic System

  • FEC forward error correction

  • FEP front-end processor

  • FERNS Far East Radio Navigation Service

  • FF fuel flow

  • FFS full flight simulator

  • FFT full flight trainer

  • FGC flight guidance computer

  • FGS flight guidance system

  • FHA functional hazard assessment

  • FIAO flight inspection area office

  • FIB forwarding information base

  • FIFO first in, first out

  • FIM fault isolation manual

  • FIR flight information region

  • FIS flight information services

  • FIS-B FIS-broadcast

  • FIX position in space usually on aircraft’s flight plan

  • FL flight level

  • FL foot lampert

  • FLCH flight level change

  • FLEX flexibility in the terminal environment

  • FLIR forward-looking infrared

  • FLTCK flight check

  • FltWinds flight and weather information and decision support

  • FLW forward-looking windshear radar

  • FM frequency modulation

  • FMA flight mode annunciator

  • FMAC Frequency Management Advisory Council

  • FMC flight management control/computer

  • FMC field programmable gate array mezzanine card

  • FMC future concepts for maintenance

  • FMCDU flight management control and display unit

  • FMCF flight management computer function

  • FMCS flight management computer system

  • FMCW frequency-modulated continuous wave

  • FMEA failure mode and effects analysis

  • FMF flight management function

  • FMGC flight management guidance computer

  • FMGEC flight management guidance envelope computer

  • FMP flight mode panel

  • FMS flight management system

  • FMS full mission simulator

  • FMS-ATM Flight Management System-Air Traffic Management

  • FMSG Frequency Management Study Group (ICAO)

  • FMST flight management system trainer

  • FMU fuel metering unit

  • FMV full motion video

  • FNPRM further notice of proposed rulemaking

  • FOC flight operations center

  • FOC full operational capability

  • FOC fuel/oil cooler

  • FOD foreign object debris

  • FODA flight operations data assurance

  • FOG fiber optic gyro

  • FONSI finding no significant (environmental) impact

  • FOQA flight operational quality assurance

  • FOS fiber optics subcommittee (AEEC)

  • FOSA flight operator surface application

  • FOV field of view

  • FOWG Fiber Optics Working Group (Naval Air Systems Command)

  • FPA flight path angle

  • FPA focal plane array

  • FPAC flight path acceleration

  • FPC flight profile comparator

  • FPGA field programmable gate array

  • FPM feet per minute

  • FPV flight path vector

  • FQIS fuel quality indicating system

  • FQPU fuel quality processor unit

  • FQR formal qualification review

  • FR frame relay

  • FRA flap retraction altitude

  • FRAD frame relay access device

  • FRCS flight recorder configuration standard

  • FRED flight recorder electronic documentation

  • FRM fault reporting manual

  • FRM flammability reduction means

  • FRM frame reject mode

  • FRMR frame reject

  • FRP Federal Radionavigation Plan (U.S.)

  • FRPA fixed reception pattern antenna

  • FRQ frequency

  • FSAS flight service automation system

  • FSDO Flight Standards District Office (FAA)

  • FSE FANS systems engineering

  • FSE field service engineer

  • FSEMC Flight Simulator Engineering and Maintenance Conference

  • FSEU flap slat electronics unit

  • FSF Flight Safety Foundation

  • FSM flight schedule monitoring

  • FSR field service representative

  • FSS flight service station

  • FSWE FANS software engineering

  • FT functional test

  • FT/ADIRS fault tolerant/air data inertial reference system

  • FTE flight technical error

  • FTK freight tonne kilometers

  • FTP file transfer protocol

  • FTPP fault tolerant power panel

  • FTS Federal Telecommunications System

  • FUE first unit equipped (U.S. Army)

  • FUSE family of unmanned systems experiments (U.S. Army)

  • FVHF future VHF system study (Eurocontrol)

  • FW failure warning

  • FWC flight warning computer

  • FWD forward

  • FWS flight warning system