Pilot/Controller Glossary

the types of routes that comprise the United States
route structure.
AIRBORNE- An aircraft is considered airborne
when all parts of the aircraft are off the ground.
AIRBORNE DELAY- Amount of delay to be
encountered in airborne holding.
AIRBORNE REROUTE (ABRR)- A capability
within the Traffic Flow Management System used for
the timely development and implementation of
tactical reroutes for airborne aircraft. This capability
defines a set of aircraft-specific reroutes that address
a certain traffic flow problem and then electronically
transmits them to En Route Automation Moderniza
tion (ERAM) for execution by the appropriate sector
controllers.
AIRCRAFT- Device(s) that are used or intended to
be used for flight in the air, and when used in air traffic
control terminology, may include the flight crew.
(See ICAO term AIRCRAFT.)

AIRCRAFT [ICAO]- Any machine that can derive
support in the atmosphere from the reactions of the air
other than the reactions of the air against the earth"s
surface.
AIRCRAFT APPROACH CATEGORY- A
grouping of aircraft based on a speed of 1.3 times the
stall speed in the landing configuration at maximum
gross landing weight. An aircraft must fit in only one
category. If it is necessary to maneuver at speeds in
excess of the upper limit of a speed range for a
category, the minimums for the category for that
speed must be used. For example, an aircraft which
falls in Category A, but is circling to land at a speed
in excess of 91 knots, must use the approach
Category B minimums when circling to land. The
categories are as follows:
a. Category A- Speed less than 91 knots.
b. Category B- Speed 91 knots or more but less
than 121 knots.
c. Category C- Speed 121 knots or more but less
than 141 knots.
d. Category D- Speed 141 knots or more but less
than 166 knots.
e. Category E- Speed 166 knots or more.
(Refer to 14 CFR Part 97.)

AIRCRAFT CLASSES- For the purposes of Wake
Turbulence Separation Minima, ATC classifies
aircraft as Super, Heavy, Large, and Small as follows:
a. Super. The Airbus A380800 (A388) and the
Antonov An225 (A225) are classified as super.
b. Heavy- Aircraft capable of takeoff weights of
300,000 pounds or more whether or not they are
operating at this weight during a particular phase of
flight.
c. Large- Aircraft of more than 41,000 pounds,
maximum certificated takeoff weight, up to but not
including 300,000 pounds.
d. Small- Aircraft of 41,000 pounds or less
maximum certificated takeoff weight.
(Refer to AIM.)

AIRCRAFT CONFLICT- Predicted conflict, within
EDST of two aircraft, or between aircraft and
airspace. A Red alert is used for conflicts when the
predicted minimum separation is 5 nautical miles or
less. A Yellow alert is used when the predicted
minimum separation is between 5 and approximately
12 nautical miles. A Blue alert is used for conflicts
between an aircraft and predefined airspace.
(See EN ROUTE DECISION SUPPORT
TOOL.)
AIRCRAFT LIST (ACL)- A view available with
EDST that lists aircraft currently in or predicted to be
in a particular sector"s airspace. The view contains
textual flight data information in line format and may
be sorted into various orders based on the specific
needs of the sector team.
(See EN ROUTE DECISION SUPPORT
TOOL.)
AIRCRAFT
SURGE
LAUNCH
AND
RECOVERY- Procedures used at USAF bases to
provide increased launch and recovery rates in
instrument flight rules conditions. ASLAR is based
on:
a. Reduced separation between aircraft which is
based on time or distance. Standard arrival separation
applies between participants including multiple
flights until the DRAG point. The DRAG point is a
published location on an ASLAR approach where
aircraft landing second in a formation slows to a
predetermined airspeed. The DRAG point is the
reference point at which MARSA applies as
expanding elements effect separation within a flight
or between subsequent participating flights.