Aerospace Acronym and Abbreviation Guide

The Avionics Aerospace Acronym and Abbreviation Guide

December 2010

Avionics proudly presents the fifth edition of our biennial Aerospace Acronym and 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