## Glossary 

14 CFR.  See Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations. 

Acceptable risk.  That part of identified risk that is allowed to persist without further engineering or management action. Making this decision is a difficult yet necessary responsibility of the managing activity. This decision is made with full knowledge that it is the user who is exposed to this risk. 

ADM.  See aeronautical decision-making. 

Aeronautical decision-making.  A systematic approach to the mental process used consistently by pilots to determine the best course of action in response to a given set of circumstances. It is what a pilot intends to do based on the latest information he or she has. 

Aerodynamics.  The science of the action of air on an object, and with the motion of air on other gases. Aerodynamics deals with the production of lift by the aircraft, the relative wind, and the atmosphere. 

Aircraft.  A device that is used, or intended to be used, for flight. 

A/FD.  See Airport/Facility Directory. 

Airman Certification Standards.  A holistic, integrated presentation of specific knowledge, skills, and risk management elements and performance metrics for each Area of Operation and Task. The ACS defines what an applicant must know, consider, and do to pass the knowledge and practical tests for a certificate or rating. 

Airplane Flight Manual (AFM).  A document developed by the airplane manufacturer and approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It is specific to a particular make and model airplane by serial number, and it contains operating procedures and limitations. 

Airport/Facility Directory (A/FD).  An FAA publication containing information on all airports, communications, and NAVAIDs. 

ATC.  Air Traffic Control. 

Attitude management.  The ability to recognize hazardous attitudes in oneself and the willingness to modify them as necessary through the application of an appropriate antidote thought. 

Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS).  Weather reporting system which provides surface observations every minute via digitized voice broadcasts and printed reports. 

Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS). Automated weather reporting system consisting of various sensors, a processor, a computer-generated voice subsystem, and a transmitter to broadcast weather data. 

Automatic terminal information service (ATIS).  The continuous broadcast of recorded non-control information in selected terminal areas. Its purpose is to improve controller effectiveness and relieve frequency congestion by automating repetitive transmission of essential but routine information. 

Autopilot.  An automatic flight control system that keeps an aircraft in level flight or on a set course. Automatic pilots can be directed by the pilot, or they may be coupled to a radio navigation signal. 

Aviation medical examiner (AME).  A physician with training in aviation medicine designated by the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI). 

Aviation Routine Weather Report (METAR).  Observation of current surface weather reported in a standard international format. 

AWOS.  See Automated Weather Observing System. 

Checklist.  A tool that is used as a human factors aid in aviation safety. It is a systematic and sequential list of all operations that must be performed to accomplish a task properly. 

