User Guide

Appendix B: Glossary
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B
solo
Flight during which only one pilot is flying the
aircraft. See also dual.
spot plane
A view in Flight Simulator that allows you to
see the airplane you are flying as though
viewing it from another plane flying along-
side.
stall
A sudden loss of lift caused by a disruption
of the normal smooth flow of air over the
upper surface of a wing. A stall is an
aerodynamic phenomenon and has nothing
to do with the engine. A stall occurs when a
wing’s angle of attack reaches a specific
value, called the critical angle of attack.
standard rate turn
A turn of either 3 degrees or 1.5 degrees per
second. Small aircraft typically use the 3
degrees/second rate, which results in a 360-
degree turn after 2 minutes. Large, fast
aircraft typically use the slower rate, which
results in a 360-degree turn in 4 minutes.
Pilots use the standard rate turn while flying
under Instrument Flight Rules (IFR). It
provides a steady, predictable, and easy-to-
control rate of turn.
stick
A tubular control in some aircraft, usually
between the pilot’s knees, used to control the
aircraft about its roll and pitch axis (the same
function as a yoke).
straight-and-level flight
Like a balancing act, straight-and-level flight
requires that you make smooth, small
corrections to keep from wobbling all over
the sky. To master straight-and-level flight,
you must hold a constant altitude and a
constant heading.
supersonic
Speed that exceeds the speed of sound;
Mach 1 or greater.
tachometer
The instrument that shows the speed of
rotation of the engine. It is marked in
revolutions per minute (rpm).
throttle
The cockpit control that most directly
determines the power output of the engine.
thrust
The forward force generated by a propeller or
jet engine that moves the aircraft forward
through the air. One of the four major forces,
thrust is opposed by drag.
traffic pattern
The traffic flow prescribed for aircraft landing
and takeoff from an airport.
trim
To adjust a movable tab on a control surface,
usually the elevator, to relieve pressure on
the flight controls. Trim is necessary because
as an aircraft changes speed, the amount of
air flowing over the control surfaces varies.
Without trim, a pilot would have to hold
forward- or back-pressure on the yoke or
column to maintain a specific airspeed or
pitch attitude. Larger aircraft also have
aileron and rudder trim.
vertical stabilizer
The vertical tail surface on an aircraft;
sometimes called a “fin.” The vertical
stabilizer is fixed on most aircraft. With the
attached rudder, the vertical stabilizer
provides directional stability by controlling
movement about the vertical (yaw) axis.