Aircraft Military Terminology

Technically, they don't really belong, although they are military "jargon," they are not specific. The first is a euphemism for a positive epithet, though it does have a specific connotation. The latter is merely an abreviation for a common insult.

It could be argued that Sierra Hotel belongs. If so, all kidding aside, simply define it as "extremely good." No need to specify the actual phrase abreviated/euphemized. 

I've got a few to add, mostly having to do with Army Aviation to add;

AAF= Army Airfield

AGPU= Aviation Ground Power Unit

ALSE= Aviation Life Support Equipment 

ATK= Attack (in referencing an Attack unit ie. AH-64A)

ASB= Aviation Support Battalion 

GSE= Ground Support Equipment

GB= Gearbox

MR= Main Rotor

MLG= Main Landing Gear

TR= Tail Rotor

TLG= Tail Landing Gear

PMS= Preventitive Maintenance Service

   I'm sure there's a bunch more out there that i know. This is just all i can think of for right now. Thought i would get some Rotary Wing Representation in here...

This will spark some comments:

Nose Picker   aka Crew Chief or the one who has the phone numbers to the technicians who really fix the aircraft, tucked safely away in his uniform pocket.

Second Wipe: Assistant Crew Chief, the one who gets to do all the dirty cleanup jobs. Only knows two phone numbers, his mom's and his Crew Chiefs.

Third Wipe: The assistant to the assistant. Just learning the difference between canopy polish and shoe polish. Doesn't know how to use the phone yet. 

We use to rag on these guys all the time. They were the most responsible guys you'll ever meet and they took great pride in their aircraft.

Of course they were always asking me for stuff! 

HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

This will spark some comments: Nose Picker   aka Crew Chief or the one who has the phone numbers to the technicians who really fix the aircraft, tucked safely away in his uniform pocket.

DesertRat wrote:

I've got a few to add, mostly having to do with Army Aviation to add; AAF= Army Airfield AGPU= Aviation Ground Power Unit ALSE= Aviation Life Support Equipment  ATK= Attack (in referencing an Attack unit ie. AH-64A) ASB= Aviation Support Battalion  GSE= Ground Support Equipment GB= Gearbox MR= Main Rotor MLG= Main Landing Gear TR= Tail Rotor TLG= Tail Landing Gear PMS= Preventitive Maintenance Service      I'm sure there's a bunch more out there that i know. This is just all i can think of for right now. Thought i would get some Rotary Wing Representation in here...

List updated.  I already had MLG and GSE listed.

Huh! Wonder how i had missed those on the list

Thanks Berny!

HawkeyeHobbies wrote:

This will spark some comments: Nose Picker   aka Crew Chief or the one who has the phone numbers to the technicians who really fix the aircraft, tucked safely away in his uniform pocket. Second Wipe: Assistant Crew Chief, the one who gets to do all the dirty cleanup jobs. Only knows two phone numbers, his mom's and his Crew Chiefs. Third Wipe: The assistant to the assistant. Just learning the difference between canopy polish and shoe polish. Doesn't know how to use the phone yet.  We use to rag on these guys all the time. They were the most responsible guys you'll ever meet and they took great pride in their aircraft. Of course they were always asking me for stuff!

How about some of these

Pilot: Stick actuator, stick agitator, throttle jockey, aero space weapons delivery platform system operator.

WSO: Back seat driver, scope dope

Electrician: Spark chaser, sparktician.

Hydraulics: Bubble chaser

Engines: Motor man

Structural Repair: Tin bender, scrap metal

Egress: Chair fixer

Auto Pilot: Power stearing repairman

Weapons Loader: BB stacker

Armament Shop: Muzzle swabbers

Defination of NCO.  The NCO is a person who knows very little about many things and keeps learning less and less about more and more until he knows practically nothing about everything.

A senior NCO is always right.  He may be misinformed, in-exact, bull headed, fickle, even abnormally stupid, but never wrong.

Thanks Berny! I got Pepsi all over the screen here.......

DesertRat wrote:

Thanks Berny! I got Pepsi all over the screen here.......

That hurts when it comes out of the nose, doesn't it? 

berny13 wrote:

DesertRat wrote: Thanks Berny! I got Pepsi all over the screen here....... That hurts when it comes out of the nose, doesn't it?

Sure does. Like the nostrils are on fire....

That excellent "coversion chart" reminds me of a sad, but all-too-accurate, illustration I heard somewhere or other regarding the armed services' problems in communicating with each other.

Tell personnel of the U.S. Navy to secure a building.  They'll turn out the lights and lock the door as they leave.

Tell personnel of the U.S. Army to secure a building.  They'll put up a chain-link fence around it and not let anybody in without a pass.

Tell personnel of the U.S. Marine Corps to secure a building.  They'll launch an infantry assault with artillery and air support.

Tell personnel of the U.S. Air Force to secure a building.  They'll go see a real estate agent and take out a three-year lease with an option to buy.

A group of senior NCO's are reaching retirement, so they have to go through a course to learn how to adapt to civilian life.  The instructor asks the class "How do you enter a room?"

The Navy man said, "Duck so you won't hit the bulkhead when you enter".

The Army man said, "Enter and go straight to the bar".

The Air Force man said, "Enter and go straight to the women".

The Marine wasn't paying attention as he considered the class a waste of time.  The instructor called his name as said, "How do you enter a room"?  The Marine jumped to his feet and said, "Sir.  Roll in a couple of grenades and come in firing".

The list has been up dated to make it easier to read.  Every thing is now in alphabetical order.  I got the idea from Phil_H. 

What separates the AF from the rest of the services? Well, in the others, officers and enlisted serve together in a tight unit (ship, tank, foxhole, etc). In the AF (with some exceptions) an enlisted person (high school grad, maybe) helps the officer (college degreed) into the weapon delivery system (aircraft) and bids the officer farwell and points to the direction of the delivery point. Then heads to the local watering hole to wait. So, clearly the AF is the best choice.

This was a favorite story told by an AF Chief Master Sergeant I once attended a seminar with, who entered the Army at the end of WWII, served in the Navy in during the Korean War, a Marine in Vietnam ending his career in the AF. He used his brother's birth certificate to enlist at just shy of age 16! There were breaks in his career, but he retired with one of the highest time in service of any enlisted man. 

When asked what he did between hitches...went to school and partied! From what I remember, this is twenty years ago already he was going to accept a civil service position so that he could retire from it at age 65. 

Berny,

You left out the Air Force definition of "roughing it" - Having to stay in a Motel 6!

And as a retired "Field Rat", I've always felt the Air Force had the right idea - Send the officers out to do the fighting" 

qmiester wrote:

Berny You list Fox as fire missile.  I was always under the impression that when the pilot broadcast Fox 1, 2 or 3, he was announcing that he had just fired a missile with the number indicating type of missile - am I wrong in that?

Hey Bernie

Being an F-4 guy I'm surprised you left out Bucket and Peso.

 Wayne

eagle334 wrote:

Hey Bernie Being an F-4 guy I'm surprised you left out Bucket and Peso.  Wayne

Look at the list again.  You will see PSOB listed.  We called it peso and some times peso bucket.

VFR: Visually Follow Roads

IFR: I Follow Roads

Bump 2

List has been updated to include the two items below.  It is in response to some questions I have seen asked 

Over the wing

SPR

I also expanded a little on MER, TER, amd BRU as from some of the posts I have seen there was some confusion on each.

You forgot,

WOMFU Well Organised Military F#@% Up.

Doc.

RAAMC (Ret).

Berny -

Don't forget:

  BOHICA: Bend Over Here It Comes Again

  Alpha Mike Foxtrot (Adios,  M***** F*****)

  Speed Jeans: Pilots G-Suit

  CGAS:  Coast Guard Air Station

  PIC:  Pilot In Command (same as AC or A/C).

  Pecker Checker:  Medic

  JITA:  Jab In The A - s

  *** Up:  Fouled up - other acronyms available, too

  Head Up and Locked - Someone who doesn't know what they're doing

I had a list of others, but I think I accidentally shredded it.

One interesting story - I was fortunate enough to fly Aeromedical Evacuation in the C-9, C-130, C-131, C-141 and UH-1.  On one of our C-9 trips, we landed at Ft Benning.  While we were witing for the patients from the hospital, this "Grunt" come up and boastfully says "They pay me $ 55.00 a month to jump out of that pig of yours (pointing to a C-130).  I replied, "No sh - t, they pay me $ 85.00 a month to STAY in this one (pointing to the C-9).  Well, he stormed off really p * ssed.  The other medical crew members who were around just laughed. 

John - former Medic

Just to add a couple I didn't see in the lists:

FMC = Fully Mission Capable (ready to fly mission)

NMC = Not Mission Capable (It's broke and not ready for mission

IFE = In-Flight Emergency

SWAT Team = S@#t, Water and Trash / Turd Herders ie = Fleet Services (Service the toilets, water and trash on the aircraft.)

Mike

Piecrust Colonel = Lieutenant Colonel

Self-eating Watermelon = a self-reinforcing bad situation feeding upon itself

Most of us guys and gals who wore green, khaki and various shades of blue are well experienced with BOHICA.