AAA or Triple A - Anti-Aircraft Artillery

Aardvark - F-111 fighter bomber

ACM - Air Combat Maneuvering or dogfighting; USAF term is ACT for Air
Combat Tactics.

AGL - Above Ground Level.  Pilots try to stay above this.

AICC - Airborne Intercept Command Communications channel.  NORAD uses
this freq for air intercepts.

Air-to-ground - Gunnery or bombing from the air to surface targets.
Also known as air-to-mud, moving mud, and moving dirt.

Alpha Monitor - Primary ground station standing by to assist military
aircraft on SAC HF frequencies.  Also transmits emergency action
messages for bombers on alert.

Alpha One, Two, Three - Alpha One refers to an aircraft in perfect
condition.  Alpha Two means there are minor faults.  Alpha Three usually
denotes a major equipment failure.  Pilots will call these
"gripes."

Aurora - Top Secret hypersonic replacement for the SR-71 Blackbird spy
aircraft.

Angle-Off - The angle between the longitude axis of a defender and
line-of-sight of an attacker.  Example: "I can't get the angles on
him."

Atoll - A Soviet heat-seeking air-to-air missile.  Fighters prefer to
stay away from these.

AWACS - Airborne Warning and Control System. Refers to E-3 sentry and
E-2 Hawkeye radar platforms.  The guys who fly these are called "Scope
dopes."

Bag - Flight suit, also known as "speed jeans."

Bandit - An aircraft identified as hostile, otherwise known as "bad
guy."

Bingo - Minimum fuel for safe return.

Bogey - An approaching aircraft not yet identified as bad or good.  A
fighter will electronically "interrogate" the aircraft with his IFF
(identify friend or foe) receiver and if set to the right transponder
code will ID as friend.  Otherwise it's a bad guy.

Bolter - Failure by a Navy jet to engage the arrester cable while
landing on an aircraft carrier.

Break - A sharp turn, used to avoid an attacking aircraft or missile.
Example: "SAM break right."
Also used by refueling tankers to indicate
an emergency seperation from the refueling probe.  Can be used to signal
a break in communications for a pause or to get attention. Example:
"Break, break. Alpha Hotel on frequency with request."

Burner - Navy trainer jet.  T-2 Buckeye

Buff - B-52 bomber. Stands for Big Ugly Fat (uh, Fellow)  The last
initial doesn't stand for fellow, but can't be printed here.

Buster - Full military engine power without afterburners.

CAG - Carrier Air Group commander (Navy)

CAP - Combat Air Patrol.  There are different types of CAPs.
  BARCAP: Two fighters positioned between threat and aircraft carrier.
  FORECAP: Two fighters placed to intercept threat to a strike force of bombers.
  MIGCAP: Fighters free to intercept any threat.
  RESCAP: Fighter to provide protection for downed flier.
  TARCAP: Fighters positioned to protect a strike force to and from a target.

Check Six - Look straight behind you.  Also a common greeting among
fighter pilots.

Clock Positions - Calls relative to things outside an aircraft as if
nose were 12 o'clock, the tail at 6 o'clock, the right wing at 3 o'clock
and left at 9 o'clock.  Example: "You have a MIG on your six (6
o'clock)." The aircraft is right behind.  Usually the last thing a pilot
hears before he is shot down.

Dash Two - Second ship in a two aircraft formations.

Double Nuts - CAGs aircraft usually numbered 100 or 00

Double Ugly - Nickname for the much admired F-4 Phantom also known as
"Rhino"

Drone - Remotely piloted aircraft used for gunnery practice.

ECM  Electronic Counter Measures.  Jamming or electronic spoofing used
to confuse enemy radio or radar.

Electric Jet - F-16 Fighting Falcon

ELINT - Electronic Intelligence.  The gathering of electronic emissions
related to communications, weapons control or reconnisance.

Feet Wet/Dry - Aircraft over water or shore

Ferret - EC-135 aircraft used for gathering signal intelligence. Usually
bearing call sign "Cobra."

Fights On - Signals the beginning of a dogfight.

FOD - Foreign Object Damage.  Jet engines can ingest foreign objects
which can seriously damage an aircraft.

Fox One or Two - Radio call indicating a launch of a  Sparrow (Fox One)
or a Sidewinder (Fox Two) missile.

Gas Passer - Slang for an aerial refueling boom operator.

GIB - Refers to radar intercept officer in a two seat fighter.  Also
known as RIO or Wizzo.

Gomer - Slang for dogfight adversary

Hack - Any aircraft used for ferrying pilots

Hanger Queen - Aircraft used for spare parts or a lousy aircraft that
seems more time in the hanger than in the air.

Helo - Helicopter

Hummer - E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft

IFE - InFlight Emergency
Knock it off - Signals the end of a dogfight

Loud Handle - Ejection seat handle

Merged - The point at which two aircraft come together

No Joy - Failure to make visual sighting

Nugget - New pilot

Nylon Letdown - Ejection, parachuting

Pet Rocks - Nuclear weapons. Call this because they are never used,
thank goodness.

Poser - Guy who looks like Tom Cruise in a flight jacket but not worth
much else.  A put down for a bad pilot

SAM - Surface-to-air missile.  Also stands for any flight with VIP's on
board.  Stands for Special Air Mission.  Example:  SAM 2600 is Air Force
One.

Scooter - A-4  Skyhawk attack aircraft

Sierra Hotel - Pilot phonetics for "Sh-t hot" the fighter pilot's
favorite expression for approval.

SLUF - A-7 Corsair.  Nicknamed Short Ugly Fat Fellow (or something
close)

Speed of Heat (Warp One) - Mach One, breaking the sound barrier.

T-Ts Machine - Colorful expression that means a good righteous aircraft.
Pilots consider the F-8 Crusader the T-Ts machine of all time.  Sorry
ladies, but most fighter pilots are male.

Trash Hauler - Cargo or troop pilot

Turkey - Nickname of the F-14 Tomcat

Tweet - Nickname of the T-37 jet trainer.  Named because of the
high-pitched sound the engines make.

Warthog - Nickname of the A-10 Thunderbolt Two

White Rocket - Nickname of the T-38 jet trainer

Whiskey Delta - "Weak D--K"   A pilot who can't cut it.  Such a
terrible put down that it is rarely used.

Wingman - Second pilot in a two ship pair.  Responsible for ensuring
that a leader's six is not shot at.

Wobbly Goblin - Nickname for the F-117a Stealth fighter.

Zulu - GMT International Time

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