Aviation Slang, Jargon, and New Words from Double-Tongued Dictionary

Citations in the Category Aviation

Aeronautics, airplanes, aeroplanes, aircraft, airports, jets, aerodromes, helicopters, landing strips, air terminals, airlines, pilots, flight attendants, airfares, aerospace, etc. You can also see entries assigned to this category.

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brick v. Because of miscalculation, their load was too heavy, so they “bricked” the seaplane. [English Aviation Slang] [full cite] (May. 19, 2006)

buddy box n. Depending on the systems used, a novice pilot can try his or her wings under the tutelage of a more experienced pilot using what is called a “buddy box.” The student’s control box and the instructor’s control box are linked with a cable. The linked boxes allow the training pilot to take control of the model should the student get into trouble. [English Aviation Pastimes & Hobbies] [full cite] (Jul. 29, 2006)

burnt toast n. Smoke in the cockpit is so common that pilots even have a name for it: “burnt toast.” Usually a pilot can find the source of the smoke and get rid of it—much like unplugging the toaster at home—but if not, smoke can have tragic consequences.…“Burnt toast is not that thick of a smoke, but any time you’ve got a burnt toast source that gets enough fuel, it can become a dense and continuous smoke.” [English Aviation Slang] [full cite] (Jul. 24, 2007)

burnt toast event n. A lot of it…is what we call “burnt toast” events. They’re like a near miss; you have no idea at the time how serious it is—or could have been. Sometimes it’s minor, other times maintenance teams open up the belly and all of the insulation is charred. [English Aviation Slang] [full cite] (Jul. 24, 2007)

chalk n. Chalk—A squad of soldiers, usually about a dozen, assigned to a helicopter. [English Aviation Military] [full cite] (Feb. 1, 2005)

chalk n. The following information is placed on a 3x5 inch index card and handed to the pilot by the chalk leader. This serves as a contract between the pilot and the chalk of soldiers to ensure coordination of LZ data. In case the chalk lands in a different LZ, the pilot will write the grid of the new LZ and hand the 3x5 card back to the chalk leader before the soldiers exit the helicopter. [English Aviation Military] [full cite] (Feb. 1, 2005)

chemtrail n. The chemicals are deposited into the sky by jets, and they leave trails that resemble those left by planes when flying at certain altitudes. The trails that we are used to seeing, which are caused by condensation, are called “contrails.” However, those that contain the chemicals are named “Chemtrails.” [English Aviation Environment] [full cite] (Apr. 4, 2007)

chimp box n. More interesting to me is not really manual control of the flight but what was known as the “chimp box.” This is analogous to an autopilot. Basically automating the whole flight. [English Aviation] [full cite] (Nov. 17, 2007)

comfort capsule n. The paper reported that at least four ranking generals have been deeply involved in designing airborne “comfort capsules.” These two-room luxury pods, with all the amenities of sports arena skyboxes, would be inserted into the fuselage of military aircraft to carry top brass and their V.I.P. guests. [English Aviation Military] [full cite] (Jul. 25, 2008)

cow’s head n. Cow’s head: Refuel coupling on an aircraft. [English Aviation Slang] [full cite] (Dec. 17, 2007)

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