User Guide

Flight Simulator
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Microsoft
bank
The angle of an airplane’s wings with respect
to horizon; rotation about an aircraft’s
longitudinal axis.
center of gravity (CG)
The point at which an airplane would
balance if it were suspended by a cable. The
CG is also the point at which the aircraft’s
three axes—longitudinal, lateral, and
vertical—intersect and the point at which the
four fundamental forces of flight—lift, weight,
thrust, and drag—are assumed to act.
checklist
A procedure list used by pilots to systemati-
cally check and set an aircraft’s systems prior
to takeoff and landing, and during emergen-
cies.
checkride
A flight administered by an examiner from a
country’s aviation authority to test an
individual before issuing a pilot certificate to
that individual.
class (aircraft)
With respect to the certification of aircraft, a
broad grouping of aircraft with similar
characteristics of propulsion, flight, or
landing.
class (pilot rating)
A classification of aircraft used on pilot
certificates and ratings. In this respect,
“class” means aircraft with similar operating
characteristics; for example, single engine,
multi-engine, land, water, helicopter, and so
forth.
drag
The resistance of the aircraft to movement
through the air. Drag is one of the four
fundamental forces in flight; it opposes
thrust.
dual
The number of sets of controls in the plane
(i.e., two), or the fact that a pilot is flying
under the supervision of an instructor. See
also solo.
elevator
A movable control surface located on the
horizontal stabilizer of an aircraft’s empen-
nage (tail). Although its name implies that
the elevator makes the airplane climb or
descend, it actually controls only the
aircraft’s pitch attitude—the angle of the nose
above or below the horizon.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
In the United States, the federal government
agency responsible for the regulation and
promotion of aviation.
flaps
A hinged portion of an airplane’s wing,
generally on the trailing edge, that can be
lowered during takeoff and landing to
increase the wing’s lift and drag.
frame rate
In computer simulations, the speed at which
successive frames of the simulation display
on the screen. This is similar to the frames of
a movie passing through the light source of a
movie projector.
general aviation (GA)
In the United States, a term applied to all
aviation not related to the military or
scheduled airline service. It includes flight
training, charter flights, flying for pleasure,
and business-related aviation. The term is
also used to describe a broad class of aircraft
not used by the military or scheduled airlines.