Stranger to the Ground

Radiocompass—A radio connected to an indicator which very often points to selected low-frequency broadcast and navigation stations on the ground.

Radome—The fiberglass housing that covers radar antennas on the nose of multiengine and all-weather air defense airplanes.

Ramp—An area on which airplanes are parked.

Rpm—Revolutions per minute, measured from zero to 100 percent of possible engine speed on a tachometer installed in the cockpit.

Scissors—In air combat, a series of hard turn reversals.

Servomotor—An electric motor, controlled from the cockpit, assisting in the job of aircraft control.

Shoulderboards—Insignia distinguishing cadets from officers and enlisted men in the Air Force.

Sight caging lever—A handle beneath the gunsight that locks the delicate working parts of the sight against the shocks of taxiing, takeoff and landing.

Slipstream—The flow of air along the structure of an aircraft in flight.

Spar—The primary component of a wing or tail assembly, upon which most of the structure’s loads are taken.

Speed brakes

—A pair of large perforated steel slabs on the fuselage aft of the wing. They are hydraulically forced into the slipstream to slow the aircraft quickly from high speeds.

Stabilator—A contraction of “stabilizer” and “elevator”; the one-piece horizontal tail of an F-84F. It is connected to the pilot’s control stick and establishes the nose-up/nose-down attitude of the airplane.

TACAN—Tactical Air Navigation. Like the radiocompass, a navigation radio connected to a needle that points to a selected station on the ground. Unlike the radiocompass, it is connected also to Distance Measuring Equipment (DME) that shows the distance in nautical miles from the aircraft to the station.

Thermocouples—A set of temperature sensing probes installed in the exhaust of a jet engine.

Throttle—A lever on the left side of the cockpit through which the pilot controls fuel flow and engine power.

Trim button—A five-position thumb button set at the top of the control stick grip. With the trim button the pilot can adjust the flight control system to allow the lightest “stick forces” during flight.

Turbine blade—Also “turbine bucket.” A curved, high-strength steel blade attached to the turbine wheel and mounted in such a way as to catch the fire of the combustion chambers and rotate the wheel.

UHF—In radio communications, ultra high frequency.

Vertical speed indicator—An instrument that measures rates of climb and descent in feet per minute; from zero during level flight to 6,000 fpm when climbing or diving.

Vertigo—Confusion of a pilot’s instinctive sense of direction when flying with reference to instruments alone.

Yaw—Motion of an aircraft to the left and right about its vertical axis.

Yo-yo

—In air combat, a steep climb and dive exchanging airspeed for altitude in an attempt to gain a more favorable attacking position.

A glossary of technical terms has been included in this eBook.

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