List of aviation terms facts for kids

Aviation is all about flying! It's the exciting world of designing, building, and flying aircraft. This list explains some common words you'll hear when talking about planes, airports, and everything that goes with them. Get ready to learn the language of the skies!

Understanding Airports: Where Flights Begin and End

The baggage area at London's Heathrow Airport

• Air cargo - This is when cargo (like packages or goods) is moved using airplanes. Big companies like FedEx often have their own planes just for this! Large airports usually have special areas and warehouses just for handling air cargo.
• Airport - An airport is a place where aircraft like airplanes, helicopters, and even blimps take off and land. It's like a bus station or train station, but for flying machines!
• Arrival area (Arrivals) - This is the part of the airport terminal where passengers go when their airplane has just landed. It's where you arrive!
• Baggage - These are the luggage and other items that passengers bring with them on an airplane. You can usually take one small bag onto the plane with you. Bigger bags are stored in a special part of the airplane.
• Baggage area - This is the place in the airport terminal where you pick up your checked baggage. It often has big moving belts that bring the bags around for passengers to grab.
• Concessions - These are the shops and restaurants you see inside an airport terminal. They usually sell food, drinks, books, magazines, or souvenirs to passengers waiting for their flights.
• Concourse - A concourse is a large, open space inside an airport terminal. It's where people walk around to get to their gates or to different parts of the airport.
• Departure area (Departures) - This is the part of the terminal where passengers go when they are about to leave on an airplane. It's where you depart from!
• Destination - This is the place an aircraft is going to. A plane might stop in several cities on its way to its final destination. For example, a plane leaving Atlanta might stop in Memphis, Dallas, and Boulder before finally reaching San Diego. San Diego is the final destination, but the other cities are also destinations along the way.
• Flight - This word means a trip taken by an airplane. When someone says, "She took a flight to Atlanta" it means she traveled by plane to Atlanta. It can also be used with a number, like "She took Flight 213 to Atlanta." If an airport had 500 flights in a day, it means 500 planes arrived or left that airport.
  • Domestic flight - A domestic flight starts and ends in the same country. For example, a flight from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Los Angeles, California is a domestic flight in the United States.
  • International flight - An international flight starts in one country and ends in another. For example, a flight from Moscow, Russia to Sydney, Australia is an international flight.
• Gates - These are the specific areas on the concourse where passengers get on (board) their airplane. Each flight has a gate number.
• Hangar - A hangar is a very large building used to store and repair airplanes. Think of it like a giant garage for planes!
• Hub - An airline hub is the main airport an airline uses for most of its flights and operations. Many airlines have their main offices and repair shops at their hub airport. A lot of their flights will pass through this central airport.
• Landing - This is when an airplane safely returns to the ground after flying.
• Runway - The runway is the long, flat strip of pavement at an airport where planes speed up to take off or slow down after landing.
• Take-off - This is when an airplane leaves the ground and starts flying.
• Terminal - The terminal is the main building at an airport where passengers go to check in, go through security, wait for their flights, and pick up their baggage.
• Tower - The tower at an airport is a tall building where air traffic controllers work. They guide planes safely on the ground and in the air near the airport.

Types of Aircraft: Machines That Fly

A Propeller powered biplane

• Aircraft - This is a general word for any vehicle that can fly, like airplanes, helicopters, or even hot air balloons.
• Attack aircraft - This is a type of military airplane designed mainly to attack targets on the ground, like tanks or buildings.
• Biplane - A biplane is an aircraft that has two sets of wings, one mounted above the other. They were common in the early days of flight.
• Fighter aircraft - This is a type of military airplane designed mainly to fight and shoot down other airplanes in the sky.
• Fixed-wing aircraft - This is the most common type of aircraft, like the passenger planes you see. They have wings that generally stay in one fixed position. Even if the wings can move a little (like on some fast jets to help them fly better at different speeds), they are still called fixed-wing. Most airplanes are fixed-wing.
• Jet aircraft - These are aircraft that use powerful jet engines to push them through the air. Jet engines work by shooting out a fast stream of hot gas.
• Propeller powered aircraft - These aircraft use spinning propellers to pull or push them through the air. The propeller blades act like a fan, creating thrust.
• Rotary wing aircraft - This type of aircraft uses spinning blades (rotors) to create lift. Helicopters are the best example of rotary-wing aircraft.
• Training aircraft - This is a type of military airplane used mainly to teach new pilots how to fly.
• Triplane - A triplane is an aircraft with three sets of wings, one above the other. The famous German World War I pilot Manfred von Richthofen, known as The Red Baron, was famous for flying a triplane.
• Water bomber - This is a special type of aircraft used to help fight large fires, especially wildfires. They can scoop up large amounts of water and drop it over the fire.

• Appendix:Glossary of aviation, aerospace, and aeronautics