Controlled flight into terrain (CFIT).  An accident whereby an airworthy aircraft, under pilot control, inadvertently flies into terrain, an obstacle, or water. 

Course.  The intended direction of flight in the horizontal plane measured in degrees from north. 

Crew resource management (CRM).  The application of team management concepts in the flight deck environment. It was initially known as cockpit resource management, but as CRM programs evolved to include cabin crews, maintenance personnel, and others, the phrase “crew resource management” was adopted. This includes single pilots, as in most general aviation aircraft. Pilots of small aircraft, as well as crews of larger aircraft, must make effective use of all available resources: human, hardware, and information. A current definition includes all groups routinely working with the flight crew who are involved in decisions required to operate a flight safely. These groups include, but are not limited to pilots, dispatchers, cabin crewmembers, maintenance personnel, and air traffic controllers. CRM is one way of addressing the challenge of optimizing the human/machine interface and accompanying interpersonal activities. 

CRM.  See crew resource management. 

DA.  See decision altitude. 

Dead reckoning.  Navigation of an airplane solely by means of computations based on airspeed, course, heading, wind direction and speed, groundspeed, and elapsed time. 

Decision altitude (DA). A specified altitude in the precision approach, charted in feet MSL, at which a missed approach must be initiated if the required visual reference to continue the approach has not been established. 

Decision height (DH).  A specified altitude in the precision approach, charted in height above threshold elevation, at which a decision must be made either to continue the approach or to execute a missed approach. 

DH.  See decision height. 

Direct User Access Terminal System (DUATS).  A system that provides current FAA weather and flight plan filing services to certified civil pilots via personal computer, modem, or telephone access to the system. Pilots can request specific types of weather briefings and other pertinent data for planned flights. 

DUATS.  See direct user access terminal system. 

EFAS. See En Route Flight Advisory Service. 

EFD.  See electronic flight display. 

Electronic flight display (EFD).  For the purpose of standardization, any flight instrument display that uses LCD or other image-producing system (cathode ray tube (CRT), etc.) 

Emergency.  A distress or urgent condition. 

En Route Flight Advisory Service (EFAS).  An en route weather-only AFSS service. 

External pressures.  Influences external to the flight that create a sense of pressure to complete a flight—often at the expense of safety. 

FAA.  Federal Aviation Administration. 

Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).  An agency of the United States Department of Transportation with authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the United States. 

Flight director indicator (FDI).  One of the major components of a flight director system, it provides steering commands that the pilot (or the autopilot, if coupled) follows. 

Flight level (FL). A measure of altitude (in hundreds of feet) used by aircraft flying above 18,000 feet with the altimeter set at 29.92 "Hg. 

Flight management system (FMS). Provides pilot and crew with highly accurate and automatic long-range navigation capability, blending available inputs from long- and short- range sensors. 

Flightpath. The line, course, or track along which an aircraft is flying or is intended to be flown. 

FMS. See flight management system. 

General aviation.  All flights other than military and scheduled airline flights, both private and commercial. 

GPS Landing System (GLS).  An instrument approach with lateral and vertical guidance with integrity limits (similar to barometric vertical navigation (Baro VNAV). 

