Started as a question by new member karlwatt

50-Grit Pass This is making a flying pass so low that part of the airplane is ground away. Can result in plane ending up in multiple pieces. See Yard Sale.


3D Style of flying in which the plane is flying below Stall speed. The plane is using engine thrust, instead of lift generated by the Wings to remain airborne.

AFPD Aerofly Professional Deluxe. One brand of Flight Simulator. See Sim.

After Hours This refers to the evening after a Fly-in, contest, or swap meet. During this social gathering Foamies are flying under lights, the beer or other libations are flowing, the stories all start with "This ain't no Shiz!!" This is the time that friendship are formed, memories are created, and brain cells are drowned.

Aileron Control Surface located on the Trailing Edge of the Wing. Controls the roll of the aircraft.

Angle of Attack Refers to the angle of the Wing compared to the line of travel of the aircraft.

A.O.A. Angle of Attack


ARC Almost Ready to Cover. This an airplane kit in which the plane is built to the point where it is ready to apply the covering.


Aresti A system used to write down aerobatic maneuvers, figures and sequences. Developed by the Spanish aerobatic ace José Louis Aresti.


ARF Almost Ready to Fly. This is an airplane kit in which the plane is built and covered. Most of these kits require a minimum of time to get the plane ready to fly. Normally you have to hinge the Control Surfaces, and install the Landing Gear.


Aunt Jemima This is a maneuver that most pilots try to avoid. It is pulling out to low from a maneuver not leaving room to regain flight. This results in the plane hitting the ground in a horizontal position and the upper structure of the aircraft attempts to join the lower structure. (Submitted addition by LawnJockey) May be a Tall Stack or Short stack depending on the height of the remaining pile of rubble.

Avalanche Loop with a Snap Roll at the top.

BAD-ASS Performing flight maneuvers in such a way that it gain respect and praise from your fellow pilots.

BEC Battery eliminator circuit. Part of an ESC, allows one battery to power the motor, receiver and servos on an electric plane.

Benji A Benji; to take self induced issue and tell the truth. Example: Dude I didn't check the model in my program and Biffed my plane. No problem with anything I just messed up. (Term created by Biff)

Biffed Crashed. (I can't recall who originally coined the term. Named after our own Biff.)

Biffcast These are Interviews with some of the greats of our hobby / sport. ""Biff"" the mouth of the south, imparts humor and insight with the help of the names you all know.

Big Gulp Drink always enjoyed at the field. (Submitted by analog boy)

Blender Maneuver that starts with a rolling downline then Snaps into an inverted flat Spin. Originally named the Panic by Quique Somenzini.

Boat Anchor A plane being referred to as too heavy. (Submitted by analog boy)

Brick Refers to a plane that has a high Wing Loading.



Brushed Motor Brushed Motor An electric motor that has a wound armature. Carbon brushes transfer the electric power to the armature. The motor can have either a wound stator (Field Coil) or permanent magnets.(Correction submitted by Flyinfool)


Brushless Motor An electric Motor in which the winding are stationary. There are two types, In-runner and outrunner


Cast of Characters This is a list of some of the early members of the site. To be included in this, list a member had to request to be part of it. The Bios were written by other members and are good natured joking.


Center of gravity The static balance point of the aircraft.

CG see Center of Gravity.

chicken stick Wooden shaft used to start engines. (Submitted by analog boy)


Circle Flier These are the people at the club who come out and fly nothing but trainers or war birds. They spend hours flying the Pattern almost always only left turns, have never figured out what a Rudder is for.


CoC See Cast of Characters.


Community Service The act of combing the runway for the parts of the airplane that just contacted the earth in a less than graceful manner. See Yard Sale.

Control Surface Movable portion of the aircraft controlled by the radio system. Controls Pitch, Roll, Yaw.

Crash Any time airborne aircraft stops being airborne.

Crop Circle 1. This is the strange pattern left in a cultivated field as the direct result on the impact of a once flying model aircraft. These sited are visited and studied to determine how they were created. 2. The act of fellow flyers helping to find a downed plane in a tall crop such as wheat, or worst case corn.(Term submitted by 66stang, definition 1. by wizard 2. by green@3D)

Cuban Eight Figure eight started by flying 5/8 of a Loop. followed by 45 degree down line with a half roll, then 3/4 Loop with half Roll on down line. Pull to level.

Dead Stick Condition when the engine stops running in flight.

Depth Charge This is what happens when you are in a Hover and run out of fuel. (Submitted by GremlinX)

Dirt Brakes when the landing is so hard it rips off the gear. pretty much when the plane is forced down instead of actually letting the plane land. every club has one of these guys. Similar to Turf Surf (Submitted by rede2fly)

Dirt Nap The end to an airplanes life. Terminal deceleration ending with portions of the aircraft underground. (Reminded of this term watching video posted by JeeUm).

Double Flusher A maneuver so far advanced that an airframe cannot survive. If you do one you will know. (Submitted by Hillmanr2)

Drillin' for Oil When your plane hits the ground nose first so hard that the entire engine is below the ground. (Submitted by ShortBus)

Dumb Thumb giving the wrong stick resulting in a Crash, I.E. Pulling up when inverted (my favorite). (Submitted by Shahid B)


Elevator 1. Control surface on the tail of the aircraft the controls the Pitch. 2. Aerobatic maneuver - When a plane is stalled and descends in a vertical line.

ESC Electronic Speed Control. Electronic device used to control the speed of the motor on electric plane. There are two types Brushed and Brushless.

E-TOC Electric Tournament of Champions. Some of the best RC pilots in the world competing at an indoor venue.

Explosion Performing a maneuver the over stress the airframe to the point that the plane re-kits itself in mid-air.

Falling Leaf Name used By Quique. On a down line, the plane is switching back a forth between upright and inverted flight. The almost goes from an upright Harrier to inverted Harrier.Also known as TickTock. (Submitted by YNOT)

Flap 1. Control surface on the trailing edge of the wing normally close to the Wing Root, when lowered increases the lift of the Wing and lowers stall speed. 2. Slang term used to describe the brief disagreement between husband and wife over the purchase of a new aircraft.

Flight Simulator A computer program that simulates flying a remote controlled airplane or helicopter. Useful to practice flying for beginners, and learning new maneuvers for experienced pilots. Video game for RC pilots. Also known and a Sim.

Floppy Chicken When a helicopter crashes and due to electrical and/or mechanical damage the engine cannot be shut off. The heli will continue to flop around on the ground at full power breaking any parts that may have survived the original crash. Very cool to watch if it ain't yours.(Submitted by Flyinfool)

Flying Giants 1. Web site dedicated to the RC community. Covers anything that flies controlled by radio control. 2. Members of the Flying Giants web site. This is a collection of the most dedicated, laid back, informative, funny and friendly RC modelers world wide.

Flying Switch Reference to pilots that only know two engine speeds, on or off. They believe that the left stick only has two positions all the way to the bottom, or all the way to the top, like a light switch. (Submitted by YNOT)

Flying Wires These are wires or cables that transfer the upward force on the outer ends of the wing to the fuselage.

Foamy This is a disposable airplane that is made of foam (Depron, FFF, EPP) and powered by electric motors. They are light, cheap and easy to build. Great for learning how to Huck.

Former Interior bulkheads in the Fuselage these pieces are cut to the desired cross-sectional shape of the aircraft, and give the fuselage it's shape.

Fun Police A.K.A Club Safety Officer. This is the red faced person that you see walking in your direction as you are Hucking low over the runway, or otherwise breaking as many of the club rules as possible. (Submitted by Shahid B)

G2 This is a version of Real Flight R/C flight Simulator. See Sim

G3 This is a version of Real Flight R/C flight Simulator. See Sim

Gear Short form of Landing Gear.

Glitch An unexpected, often unexplained, Radio interference. Causes either a sudden short violent movement of the aircraft, or a long term loss of control, ending in a Crash. Often excuse used for a Dumb Thumb.

Grommet The club or organization member who does nothing to help, but complains or offers suggestion for others to do. Spends 5 hours complaining over what could be resolved in 15 minutes. Example:"Look at those rubber bands on the flight line! Every week I come out there are rubber bands on the flight line and in the pits. Next meeting I'm going to raise cain about these rubber bands. Somebody BETTER do something about these rubber bands. All somebody would have to do is bring a rake and it could be clean and neat in 15 minutes. Why doesn't somebody bring a rake? It's so simple, bring a rake and 15 minutes later the pits are clean! Let's have a meeting and get somebody to rake! Why doesn't somebody take some pride and rake the pits? I'm tired of looking at the mess!" (submitted by Biff)

Half Cuban Eight Airplane pulls up and executes five-eighths (5/8) Inside Loop to 45 degrees, does one-half (1/2) Roll then performs one-eight (1/8) Inside Loop back to level flight in the opposite direction as entry.


Half Reverse Cuban Eight Airplane pulls up and executes one-eighth (1/8) Inside Loop to 45 degrees, does one-half (1/2) Roll, then performs five-eights (5/8) Inside Loop back to level flight in the opposite direction as entry.

Hammerhead Airplane executes one-quarter (1/4) Loop to a vertical, slows to a Stall, Rudder turn 180 degrees, then recovers with another one-quarter (1/4) Loop to level flight in the direction.

Harrier Very slow forward flight with a hight Angle of Attack. Directional control by Rudder input.

Hatnapper A terrorist that threatens the lives of John Deere owner edition hats. (Submitted by Edge540T Flyer.)

Hedge Trimming When modeler take's it upon himself to maintain the shrubery with his airplane. i.e. coming into contact with tree branches, bushes, mushrooms or cactus.(submitted by krashmaster81)

High Alpha Extreme Angle of Attack. Normally greater than 40 Degrees.

Hoser or Hosehead Synonymous with Kanook. used as a term of endearment towards our Canadian Huckers.(submitted by krashmaster81)

Hover To hang the plane in the air by the prop.

Hoverfest Flight full of hovering (Submitted by analog boy)

Huck To fly a plane or helicopter in a manner that is low to the deck in 3D attitude. What the FlyingGiants is all about. Also referred to as Hucking

Hucker One who Hucks.

Huckaholic A person who has difficulty remaining more than 3 times the wingspan of the plane, above the ground for extended periods of time. Exceptions are made for Blenders, Waterfalls, KE Spins, Parachutes, Roller-Coasters and similar moves. These should all end at about 10 feet above ground. Example, a 102" yak should not be flown in a lame manner at an altitude exceeding 306" for extended period of time. (Submitted by Gus155)

Humpty-Bump 1/4 Loop to Vertical up line, half Loop, vertical down line to 1/4 to level flight

IMAC International Miniature Aerobatic Club. Also a flying sequence used in completions.

IMHO In My Humble Opinion. (Submitted by Edge540T Flyer.)

Immelmann Start straight and level, pull up into one-half (1/2) Loop immediately followed by one-half (1/2) Roll and finish flying straight and level and exactly 180 degrees from the heading at entry.

In-Runner A type of Brushless motor in which the winding are in the motor casing and the stator has the magnets. The magnets spin inside the case.

Inside Loop A Loop performed with the canopy of the airplane to the inside. A positive G maneuver.

Junk Minus 1 Finishing second to last place in any competition, read as an honor. (Submitted by ShortBus)

Kangaroo At least 3 or more bounces when Landing. (Submitted by rede2fly)

Kanook Canadian (another term started by shortbus)(Submitted by green@3D)

Knife Edge Spin The plane is in Knife Edge position rotating around the Wing as it descends. Extremely stressful on the airframe.

Knife Edge Airplane Flying rolled 90 degrees from normal upright flight. The plane is using Angle of Attack and flying on the fuselage.

Landing As used in reference to aircraft. A controlled Crash.

Landing Gear The only portion of the ground that is supposed to ever be in contact with the earth. Normally Wheels, can also be Skis, pontoons, or skids.

Landing Wires These are wires or cables that support the weight of the wing when a plane is sitting on the ground. Also asorbs the downward force on the
wings during landing.


Larry As in A Larry. Any club member that is like the Local Village Idiot with never ending bizarre questions. (Submitted by Texx)

Lawn Dart Any sleek looking aircraft with a pointy nose that is likely to get good ground penetration in a crash. Named after the now outlawed game that mothers used to give there children when they wanted a chance to reduce the number of their dependents. (Submitted by Flyinfool)


Leading Edge 1. The forward edge of the Wing or other surface of the aircraft. This is what splits the airflow over and under the Wing. 2. Articles written by the Flying Giants Crew about events and contests.

LHS Local Hobby Shop.(Submitted by Edge540T Flyer.)

Li-Ion Short for Lithium Ion rechargeable Batteries. These batteries Are lighter with a higher capacity than Ni-Cd or Ni-MH. They are more stable than Li-Po batteries.

Li-Po See Li-Poly.

Li-Poly Short for Lithium Polymer Batteries. These are a High discharge capacity, light weight, rechargeable battery. Rated at 3.7 volts per cell. Used mainly for electric aircraft. These batteries require a charger designed for Lithium batteries. If abused, not handled or charged properly these batteries can be a fire hazard.

LOL Laughing Out Loud. (Submitted by Edge540T Flyer.)

Longerons Strips of balsa or light ply the run the length of the fuselage. These pieces are attached to the Formers and build the frame of the fuselage.

Loop A vertical circle.

Micro Balloons Ultra-light extender makes epoxy or polyester resins lighter and more sandable.

Nall The Joe Nall Giant scale Fly-in. www.joenall.com

Ni-Cd Short for Nickel-Cadmium batteries. Rechargeable batteries used mainly for transmitter, receiver and other applications where weight is not a main factor.

Ni-MH Short for Nickel Metal Hydride batteries. These rechargeable batteries have a slightly greater capacity to weight ration that Ni-Cd batteries. Used mainly for transmitter and receiver battery packs.

O.P.P. Other Peoples Planes. Usually shouted with great joy as one is wringing out a plane that is owned by someone else. (Heard shouted during the video "my_yak_TT_march_15" Posted by HuckinHaxOr)

Outrunner A type of Brushless Motor in which the windings are on a fixed stator and the magnets are in the motor case. The case rotates around the fixed stator.

Outside Loop A Loop performed with the canopy of the airplane to the outside. A negative G maneuver.

Pancaked Elevator to Landing in one move. See Aunt Jemima.(Submitted by LawnJockey)

Parachute Dive transiting into Elevator.

Pattern 1. The path followed by an aircraft. Many Flying fields have a set pattern for landing. 2. Name used to describe a style of flying that follows a specific routine of aerobatic maneuvers. I.E. IMAC.

P.I.G. Pilot induced Glitch.(Submitted by Texx)

Pitch 1. Rotational axis around the Wing tips..Up and down. 2. Term used to describe the Angle of Attack of helicopter rotor blades.

Plank another term for airplane (rhymes with shank; as in "Shankbone") Submitted by Edge540T Flyer.

Plank Boner One who flies Planks (Submitted by GremlinX)

Pogo A plane in a Hover rapidly ascends and descends. See Rudder Bashing.

Power Box An electronic device used between the receiver and servos in a giant scale airplane. It is used to insure that the servos receive enough current.

Power Expander See Power Box.

Profile A type of RC airplane that uses a very thin fuselage that resembles a scale plane when viewed from the side

Pucker Factor The amount of underwear material sucked into your rectum when you almost Crash your favorite bird. (Submitted by Edge540T Flyer.)

QQ Aberration used for Quique Somenzini.

Quique Somenzini RC pilot / guru. Considered by many to be the Father of 3D flying.

Re-Kit The process of returning a completed aircraft to a bunch of unassembled pieces.

Reverse Cuban Eight Pull to 45 degree up line half Roll, 3/4 Loop to 45 degree up line, half Roll, 5/8 Loop back to level flight.

Roflmao Rolling On Floor Laughing My A$$ Off (Submitted by Edge540T Flyer.)

Roll 1. Rotational axis of the aircraft on a line through the center of the nose to the center of the tail. 2. Aerobatic maneuver. to make the aircraft rotate on the roll axis.

Roller Coaster Its Similar to a Reverse Cuban Eight with snaps that reverses directions.(Correction Submitted by YNOT)

Rudder Control surface located on the Trailing Edge of the Vertical Stabilizer controls the Yaw of the aircraft.

Rudder Bashing When hovering the airplane. Allowing the plane to Tail Slide to far and striking the ground with the Rudder. Can result in a Yard Sale.

RTF Ready to Fly. This is the Ultimate in Beginners planes. Normally only requires removing from the box securing the Wing. Inserting or charging batteries. Comes complete with radio.

ShankBone Rotatory wing aircraft, also known as helicopter.

Shankboner One who flies Helicopters

Sim See Flight Simulator.

Snap See Snap Roll.

Snapasaurus A Snap Roll performed at a high rate of speed resulting in the sound of the air ripping. (not good if it is the sound of the wing ripping)

Snap Roll Roll caused by Stalling one Wing of the aircraft. The lift of the other Wing causes the airplane to perform a quick Roll around the Stalled Wing.

Spin Airplane is slowed to Stall break, followed by auto rotation on a downline.


Split S Airplane performs one-half (1/2) Roll in level flight then immediately executes one-half Inside Loop to level flight in opposite direction as entry.

Stall 1. Condition where the airspeed of the aircraft drops below the required speed to create sufficient lift to overcome gravity. 2. term used to describe a gas or glow fuel engine dying.

Stall Turn Airplane executes one-quarter (1/4) Loop to a vertical, slows to a Stall, Rudder turn 180 degrees, then recovers with another one-quarter (1/4) Loop to level flight in the direction.

Stoved A very brutal crash where the remains resemble what it would look like if an old cast iron stove were dropped on the aircraft. The remains are not good for much more that a few minutes of heat in a wood burning stove. (Submitted by Flyinfool)

Stovin See Stoved (submitted by Flyinfool)

Tail Slide Vertical up line, airplane comes to a complete Stall falling back on it's tail a visible distance. The plane will then tip either forward or back into a dive.

TDS Taking a Dirt Sample. when a plane/heli decides to crash into the earth through a Glitch or a Dumb Thumb. usually said when others ask what happened? my plane/heli took a dirt sample! (Submitted by gstjohn)

Terminal Velocity The point at which your plane blows apart during a blender. See: Explosion (Submitted by Teamsme)

Tick Tock On a down line, the plane is switching back a forth between upright and inverted flight. The almost goes from an upright Harrier to inverted Harrier. Also Known as Falling Leaf.(Correction Submitted by YNOT)

Thingie Term used to name any part of an aircraft when you cant remember it's actual name. (Not just for blonds any more) Example:
From a post by GremlinX "We make and glue in the former brace thingies"

Torque Roll From a Hover, the plane rotates around it's own axis. This is caused by Newtons law that states "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction"

Toy Airplane This is a term originally used by people outside the hobby to describe the Model aircraft enjoyed by model aviation enthusiasts. This term has gained popularity recently by model enthusiasts as a tongue-in-cheek reference to our expensive, scale replicas of actual aircraft.

Trailing Edge The rearward edge of Wing or other surface of the aircraft.

Trainerville When you get to the field and theres nothing but old guys with kadets, eagles etc (Submitted by analog boy)


Turf Surf When the gear rips out and the plane belly surfs along the grass runway..... Sad but true.. Similar to Dirt Brakes (Submitted by GremlinX)

Turtle Deck The portion of the fuselage from the canopy to the tail.

2 channel Flyer who never uses the throttle or Rudder...(submitted by cal mag)

UTI Unexpected Terrain Impact (Submitted by Fearless Flyer)

Vertical Stabilizer The upright portion of the tail of the aircraft. Keeps the aircraft tracking in a straight line on the Yaw axis.

Volvo Sedan Pulling a snap to hover ridiculously low, almost impossible to pull off. (Submitted by Teamsme, Even he says it doesn't make sense.)

Waterfall From a Hover the plane rolls in the pitch axis 360 Degrees back to a Hover. Resembles a very tight Loop.

Wall From vertical flight by the us of extreme Elevator throw, the plane goes to a vertical position. Resemble the plane hitting a wall. Often ending in a Hover.

Wing This is the part of the aircraft that generates lift. The long flat or elongated teardrop shaped thing that sticks out of the side of the plane.

Wing Loading This is a measurement of weight of the aircraft to the Wing area.

Wing Rock This is a condition encountered while performing a Harrier. Describes an oscillation of the aircraft on the Roll axis.

Wing Root This is the portion of the Wing that connects to the fuselage of the aircraft.

Yard Sale The result of any maneuver that spreads portions of the aircraft over an area larger than the original shape of the plane.

Yankee anyone living north of the Mason-Dixon line (see Texx)
(Submitted by Edge540T Flyer)

Yaw Rotational movement around the CG of the aircraft in the horizontal plane.



Here are some terms used "Across the Pond" Submitted by devcon9.

3 channel Flyer who never uses the throttle

Arrival Think that’s pretty Universal……

Balsa shower Mid air……..

Digit Deficit Wrong input, just before the Crash…….

Divot Kid Someone who always takes a lump of turf out when Landing………

Egg beater Heli

Freighter Over weight model

Landing..! Usually shouted very sarcastically, when some ‘plants’ a model on the strip, leaving various parts scattered….

Old Fart/s The person or persons who’s favorite moan is…’ Why all this hovering, why don’t they just get a heli………’

ON-OFF Same, flyer who only knows 2 positions for throttle….

Pervert Owner of an extremely well built model

Plane Police Club’s safety officer

Planted Crashed

Plasma Vortex This is what you blame when you have completely lost it and crashed…

Plastic toy Anything Composite

Strip dodger Constant Deadsticks always too far out

Tent pegged botched Landing model stuck in ground

[/b]
This is a work in progress. I will try to keep the original list updated as new submissions are added.

Help out lets make this list as complete as possible.

This attachment is a Word file of the list formated for printing. Warning: This list is 12 pages long at this time.

Ok Any new terms to add or questions on "What the He!! does that mean?" Post it here

Man, you left out Depth Charge.. hovering and run out of gas...

PLank boner..

Originally Posted by GremlinX

Man, you left out Depth Charge.. hovering and run out of gas...

Originally Posted by GremlinX

PLank boner..

Added to original list.

Thanks

Keep them comming

Originally Posted by Shahid B

Plane Police is also called "Fun Police" over here, why not add

"Dumb Thumb" giving the wrong stick resulting in a crash, I.E. Pulling up when inverted (my favorite)

Added

That must of took some time to write, clears alot up for me.

Very good list, Wiz ol' buddy, I like it!!!

You forgot whats known as an UTI: Unexpected Terrain Impact

TDS Taking a Dirt Sample. when a plane/heli decides to crash into the earth through a glitch or a Dumb Thumb. usually said when others ask what happened? my plane/heli took a dirt sample!

We created a new one recently. Turf Surf...when the gear rips out and the plane belly surfs along the grass runway..... Sad but true..

Originally Posted by Fearless Flyer

You forgot whats known as an UTI: Unexpected Terrain Impact

Originally Posted by gstjohn

TDS Taking a Dirt Sample. when a plane/heli decides to crash into the earth through a glitch or a Dumb Thumb. usually said when others ask what happened? my plane/heli took a dirt sample!

Originally Posted by GremlinX

We created a new one recently. Turf Surf...when the gear rips out and the plane belly surfs along the grass runway..... Sad but true..

Added. Thanks for the submissions.

Huckaholic: A person who has dificulty remaining more than 3times the wingspan of the plane for extended periods of time.Exceptions are made for Blenders, waterfalls, KE Spins, Parachutes, Roller-Coasters and similar moves. These should all end at about 10 feet above ground.

For example, a 102" yak should not be flown in a lame manner at an altitude exceeding 306" for extended period of time.

(DIRT BRAKES) when the landing is so hard it rips off the gear. pretty much when the plane is forced down instead of actualy letting the plane land. every club has one of these guys.

KANGAROO = at least 3 or more bounces when landing