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Featured Replies

C-21, Please don't forget:

CSIP - Combat & Special Interest Programs, a staple of USAFE life (ex: Combat Proud, Combat Touch, Combat Care, Combat Flightline, Combat Wingman, Combat Fitness)

NSTR - Nothing Significant To Report (a common acronym on sitreps)

YGBSM - You Gotta Be Shittin' Me

Amazingly, some folks haven't gotten the handle on these yet:

WX - Weather

MX - Maintenance

Cheers!

Linda

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  • If I throw an acronym out there that isn't common knowledge, I almost always provide a translation. I also take the time to learn what acronyms are before using them: How many of you know what thes

Originally posted by Karl:

MWS - Major Weapons System i.e. an F15, C17, etc.

Oh, and a supplement to FTU I've seen Flying Training Unit and RTU - Replacement Training Unit

A lot of people still use MWS and RTU, but they're outdated terms. MWS is now MDS (Mission Design Series) so that it can generically be applied to any aircraft (not just weapon systems) and FTU is the replacement term for RTU.

A couple others on the admin side since they show up a lot in the other threads-

MPF - Military Personnel Flight. The office at your base that will (at their own convenience and schedule permitting) handle issues like orders and ID cards.

AFPC - Air Force Personnel Center. Kind of like MPF at the AF-wide level. They handle all assignments and decide things like how many assignments will go to base X and when.

DEERS - Defense Enrollment Eligibility Reporting System. The system that registers your family for AF benefits such as TRICARE.

TRICARE - AF-sponsored medical service for dependents.

A couple of hawg terms I've picked up on:

Green sh!t = HUD

IFFCC = Integrated Flight and Fire Control Computer - Makes our green sh!t look like fancy airplanes like the F-16.

EGI = Embedded GPS/Inertial Navigation

BSA = Basic Surface Attack

SAT = Surface Attack Tactics

CAS = Close Air Support

BFM = Who knows? ;) j/k Basic Fighter Maneuvers

DACBT = Dissimilar Air Combat Training

LOWAT = Low altitude training

LATN = Low altitude tactical navigation

TGP = Targeting Pod

FAC = Forward Air Controller

FAC(A) = Forward Air Controller (Airborne) Same, but a Hog instead of on the ground

CSAR = Combat Search and Rescue

JAAT = Joint Air Attack Training

fwiw - for whatever it's worth

:>

TLA - Three Letter Acronym

DL - Down Low i.e. if you have some REALLY good gouge, you say "Keep it on the DL" as you give it out to your buddies.

Hose - screwing someone over, particularly in the pattern or by doing something stupid or unpredictable to your wingman.

G-Ex - G awareness exercise

"Excuse me, sir. Seeing as how the V.P. is such a V.I.P., shouldn't we keep the P.C. on the Q.T., cause if it leaks to the V.C., he could end up an M.I.A., and then we'd all be put on K.P."

PAR, pronounced "P" "A" R", not "par" - precision approach radar; a type of instrument approach.

i know comm officers that call it a "par" and it kills me. i had never heard anyone call it a "par" before, so if there are pilots who call it "par" too, well i still think it's silly.

:>

IFE - In Flight Emergency

Stick jockey - Fighter pilot

BUFF (B-52) Big Ugly Fat F*ck

B1-RD - Bird...ex "Do you see that B1-RD on short final?"

CGU-11 - Sea Gull...ex "Yes, but it looks like a CGU-11, not a B1-RD" (This really confuses co-pilots)

The following 3 are used by stick jockeys and ABM's that want to pretend they're stick jockeys:

Container - a box

Skull, cranium - your HEAD

Bo-at - a boat

Trash and Ass - Herk saying for hauling cargo and pax.

Eng - Flight engineer

FE - Flight engineer

God - Flight engineer

HMFIC - Flight engineer

SNAFU - Situation Normal, All F*cked Up

WAG - Wild Ass Guess

SWAG - Super Wild Ass Guess

FM - F*ckin' Magic (As in, "Hey SSgt TED, how's that doohickey right there work?" "FM Sir, FM.")

TU Pronounced "Tango Uniform" - Tits Up ...As in no worky. "Hey SSgt TED, why's my radar not working?" "Sorry Sir, it's Tango Uniform."

NSTFS - no shit, true F-ing story

TLAR- That looks about right, i.e. "using the TLAR method" when navigating or flying formation.

  • 2 weeks later...
  • Author

Happy New Years,

I have *started* on this project. I have decided to call the page a Glossary rather than just an acronyms list so that I can include idioms and *pilot Speak* as well.

Check out the WORK IN PROGRESS at:

www.baseops.net/militarypilot/glossary.html

Please continue to add to this thread & critique, correct, add to what I already have. I will FEATURE this topic for a few more days, etc. until the page fills up.

Thanks.

These are prolly already well known but just in case

NOTAM - Notice To Airmen

METAR - I forgetthe acronym, and I think the other weather thing was ATF

Talking about TAF? Temporary Area Forecast!

or Terminal Aerodrome Forecast. It's obviously been a while since your intsrument training Airguardian.

METAR isn't an acronym to my knowledge. It's just an aviation routine weather report.

Heres a few more weather acronyms(IIRC)

HIWAS- Hazardous In-flight Weather Advisory Service

EFAS-Enroute flight advisory service

PIREP- Pilot Report

[ 02. January 2005, 15:17: Message edited by: c17wannabe ]

Ya all and c17wannabe,

METAR is an acronym.

It means: Meteorological Aviation Report.

I guess it's not really fair though because I'm working on my CFII.

  • 4 months later...

What does ITTFO stand for? I'm down to my last lifeline.

The 50-50 was totally worthless, as was the switch the question, so ask the audience.

And, for the love of God, please don't tell me to use the search!!!! :D

[ 30. May 2005, 21:06: Message edited by: KoolKat ]

  • 4 weeks later...

Flight Suit Insert- Pilot

Stick Actuator- Pilot

Organic Control Module- Pilot

AFU- All F'ed Up (actually saw an AR troop use it in a maintenance report)

A/R or R&R- Aerial Repair or Repair and Recover (troops that work on landing gear, flight controls aircraft ramp etc...)

APG- Crew Chiefs

E&E- Electro Environmental (electricians)

CNMS- Com/Nav Mission Systems (work on radios and RADAR)

G/C- Guidance and Control (work on instruments and other avionics)

TCTO- Time Compliance Technical Order

FCF- Functional Check Flight

WX- Weapons (as in weapons load troops or the actual munitions) or Weather

MUNS- Munitions

R^2 (R squared)- Removed and Replaced

CND- Could not duplicate discrepancy on the ground

Official Mode- Off

GTG- Good to go

Big Yellow Hammer- Chalk

BFH- Big F'n Hammer

Fuel Smell- Fuels Systems Technician

Lawn Mower Mechanic- Aerospace Ground Equipment Technician

Spark Chaser- E&E

Knuckle Dragger- Crew Chief

0 (zero)- Officer as in MX0 (maintenance officer...what I will be for another week)

[ 22. June 2005, 16:17: Message edited by: zrooster99 ]

Might as well keep it going now that it's here...

Fred - Already mentioned, but not what it stands for. Fred - F-ing Ridiculous Economic Disaster.

Well, as long as it's back up...

Rainmain made mention of the BBPOS in the B-2 post - Big Black Piece of Sh!t

That of course is a spin off from the LGPOS - Little Gray Piece of Sh!t - Viper

Spin On WAG

PWAG: Precision Wild Ass Guess

seen in many places. I first heard it from some PMEL dudes.

  • 3 years later...

Quick Revival

Anyone know why we use the word "Fox" for air to air weapons employment? Plenty out there on what the different types are but thats all old hat. Where did the use of this word come from?

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