Plain-English definitions of the aircraft parts, systems and flight concepts used across chipvortex.com. This glossary grows continuously — if a term you need is missing, request it and we will add it.
A
Aileron — A hinged control surface on the trailing edge of each wing that rolls the aircraft left or right. When one aileron goes up, the other goes down.
Airfoil — The cross-sectional shape of a wing or blade, designed so that air moving over it generates lift.
Angle of attack — The angle between the wing’s chord line and the oncoming airflow. Increase it too far and the wing stalls.
APU (Auxiliary Power Unit) — A small turbine engine, usually in the tail, that provides electrical power and bleed air on the ground and starts the main engines.
Avionics — The aircraft’s electronic systems: navigation, communication, flight instruments and flight management.
B
Bleed air — Hot, high-pressure air taken from the engine compressor and used for cabin pressurisation, air conditioning and anti-icing.
Bulkhead — A structural wall inside the fuselage. The aft pressure bulkhead seals the pressurised cabin at the rear.
C
Camber — The curvature of an airfoil. More camber generally means more lift at low speed.
Chord — The straight-line distance from a wing’s leading edge to its trailing edge.
Cowling — The removable covering around an engine that smooths airflow and allows maintenance access.
D
Drag — The aerodynamic force that resists an aircraft’s motion through the air.
Drift down — The controlled descent an aircraft performs after losing an engine at cruise altitude, settling at the altitude it can maintain on the remaining engine(s).
E
Elevator — The hinged surface on the horizontal stabiliser that pitches the nose up or down.
Empennage — The complete tail assembly: vertical and horizontal stabilisers plus rudder and elevator.
F
Flaps — Surfaces on the wing’s trailing edge that extend to increase lift (and drag) for takeoff and landing.
Fuselage — The aircraft’s main body, housing the cockpit, cabin and cargo.
G
Gross weight — The total weight of the aircraft including fuel, crew, passengers and cargo.
Ground effect — The increase in lift and reduction in drag experienced when flying within roughly one wingspan of the surface.
H
Horizontal stabiliser — The small wing at the tail that keeps the aircraft stable in pitch.
Hydraulic system — Uses pressurised fluid to move heavy components such as landing gear, flaps and flight controls.
L
Landing gear — The wheels, struts and brakes that support the aircraft on the ground.
Leading edge — The front edge of the wing, first to meet the airflow.
Lift — The upward aerodynamic force generated mainly by the wings, opposing weight.
N
Nacelle — The streamlined housing that holds an engine, typically under the wing.
P
Pitch — Rotation of the aircraft nose up or down, controlled by the elevator.
Pitot tube — A forward-facing probe that measures ram air pressure to indicate airspeed.
R
Roll — Rotation around the aircraft’s nose-to-tail axis, controlled by the ailerons.
Rudder — The hinged surface on the vertical stabiliser that yaws the nose left or right.
S
Slats — Leading-edge surfaces that extend to delay the stall at low speed.
Spoilers — Panels on the wing’s upper surface that rise to dump lift and add drag, used for descent and after touchdown.
Stall — The loss of lift that occurs when the angle of attack exceeds the wing’s critical angle.
T
Thrust — The forward force produced by engines or propellers.
Thrust reverser — A mechanism that redirects engine exhaust forward to slow the aircraft after landing.
Trailing edge — The rear edge of the wing where the airflow rejoins.
Trim — Small adjustments that relieve control pressure so the aircraft holds an attitude hands-off.
V
Vertical stabiliser — The tail fin that keeps the aircraft stable in yaw.
V-speeds — Standardised reference speeds (V1 decision speed, VR rotation, V2 takeoff safety speed, and others) used for flight operations.
W
Winglet — The upturned wing tip that reduces drag caused by wingtip vortices.
Y
Yaw — Rotation of the nose left or right around the vertical axis, controlled by the rudder.
Last updated: August 7, 2026. See also our Aviation Acronyms and Engineering Dictionary.