Aviation Abbreviations and Acronyms

Please select a letter from below. You will then be presented with a list of aviation terminology beginning with that letter.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

EAA - Experimental Aircraft Association, the American homebuilders' organisation.

EADI - electronic attitude director indicator. An ADI with CRT cockpit display forming part of an EFIS, below.

EAS - equivalent airspeed.

EAT - estimated (or expected) approach time.

EBAA - European Business Aircraft Association.

ECAC - European Civil Aviation Conference.

ECOGAS - European Council of General Aviation Support.

ECU - environmental control unit.

ED - emergency distance.

EET - estimated elapsed time.

EFAS - electronic flash approach light system.

EFATO - engine failure at (or after) take-off

EFIS - electronic flight instrument system, in which multi- function CRT displays replace traditional instruments for providing flight, navigation and aircraft systems information, forming a so-called 'glass cockpit'. Now common in commercial transports, corporate aircraft and helicopters, military fighters and some GA piston singles and twins.

EGT - exhaust gas temperature (gauge). A device which provides a cockpit readout of the exhaust gas temperature of an aircraft's (piston) engine(s), enabling the pilot to lean the mixture for maximum fuel efficiency.

EHSI - electronic horizontal situation indicator. CRT-based HSI forming part of an EFIS.

EICAS - engine indication and crew alerting system. CRT display which monitors engine performance and alerts the crew to system or airframe failure. Found in new-generation transports and business jets.

EICMS - engine in flight monitoring system

ELT - emergency locator transmitter. A small radio transmitter fixed to an aircraft's structure which is automatically activated by impact or water immersion and transmits a code on emergency frequencies enabling SAR satellites or search units equipped with DF to locate the crash or ditching site. Carriage mandatory in the USA, but not in UK. Sometimes styled ADELT, automatically deployable ELT, or ELB, emergency locator beacon.

empty weight - weight of the basic aeroplane including all fixed equipment, plus unusable fuel, oil, hydraulic and other fluids.

encoding altimeter - an altimeter which gives a digital output to the transponder (which see) for automatic transmission of the aircraft's pressure altitude to ATC.

EOBT - estimated off blocks time.

EPNdB - effective perceived noise decibel. Unit of measurement of aircraft noise levels.

ER - extended range.

eshp - equivalent shaft horsepower.

ETA - estimated time of arrival. Also ETD, estimated time of departure; ETE, estimated time en route.

ETOPS - extended range twin operations, usually long over water flights by airliners.

ETPS - Empire Test Pilots School, based at the Aircraft & Armament Experimental Establishment, Boscombe Down.

Eurocontrol - organisation, headquartered in The Netherlands, comprising Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Netherlands and UK for coordinating enroute air traffic control in Europe.