Pilot/Controller GlossaryChange 3
Letter B
B
24 Terms
B4UFLY
A free downloadable application, which allows operators to check airspace and local advisories before flying.
BACK‐TAXI
A term used by air traffic controllers to taxi an aircraft on the runway opposite to the traffic flow. The aircraft may be instructed to back‐taxi to the beginning of the runway or at some point before reaching the runway end for the purpose of departure or to exit the runway.
BASE LEG
See TRAFFIC PATTERN.
BEACON
See AERONAUTICAL BEACON.
See AIRWAY BEACON.
See MARKER BEACON.
See RADAR.
BEARING
The horizontal direction to or from any point, usually measured clockwise from true north, magnetic north, or some other reference point through 360 degrees.
BELOW MINIMUMS
Weather conditions below the minimums prescribed by regulation for the particular action involved; e.g., landing minimums, takeoff minimums.
BEYOND VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT (BVLOS)
The operation of a UAS beyond the visual capability of the flight crew members (i.e., remote pilot in command [RPIC], the person manipulating the controls, and visual observer [VO]), if used to see the aircraft with vision unaided by any device other than corrective lenses, spectacles, and contact lenses.
BLAST FENCE
A barrier that is used to divert or dissipate jet or propeller blast.
BLAST PAD
A surface adjacent to the ends of a runway provided to reduce the erosive effect of jet blast and propeller wash.
BLIND SPEED
The rate of departure or closing of a target relative to the radar antenna at which cancellation of the primary radar target by moving target indicator (MTI) circuits in the radar equipment causes a reduction or complete loss of signal.
BLIND SPOT
An area from which radio transmissions and/or radar echoes cannot be received. The term is also used to describe portions of the airport not visible from the control tower.
BLIND TRANSMISSION
See TRANSMITTING IN THE BLIND.
BLIND VELOCITY [ICAO]
The radial velocity of a moving target such that the target is not seen on primary radars fitted with certain forms of fixed echo suppression.
BLIND ZONE
See BLIND SPOT.
BLOCKED
Phraseology used to indicate that a radio transmission has been distorted or interrupted due to multiple simultaneous radio transmissions.
BOTTOM ALTITUDE
In reference to published altitude restrictions on a STAR or STAR runway transition, the lowest altitude authorized.
BOUNDARY LIGHTS
See AIRPORT LIGHTING.
BRAKING ACTION (GOOD, GOOD TO MEDIUM, MEDIUM, MEDIUM TO POOR, POOR, OR NIL)
A report of conditions on the airport movement area providing a pilot with a degree/quality of braking to expect. Braking action is reported in terms of good, good to medium, medium, medium to poor, poor, or nil.
BRAKING ACTION ADVISORIES
When tower controllers receive runway braking action reports which include the terms “medium," “poor," or “nil," or whenever weather conditions are conducive to deteriorating or rapidly changing runway braking conditions, the tower will include on the ATIS broadcast the statement, “Braking Action Advisories are in Effect." During the time braking action advisories are in effect, ATC will issue the most current braking action report for the runway in use to each arriving and departing aircraft. Pilots should be prepared for deteriorating braking conditions and should request current runway condition information if not issued by controllers. Pilots should also be prepared to provide a descriptive runway condition report to controllers after landing.
BREAKOUT
A technique to direct aircraft out of the approach stream. In the context of simultaneous (independent) parallel operations, a breakout is used to direct threatened aircraft away from a deviating aircraft.
BROADCAST
Transmission of information for which an acknowledgement is not expected.
See ICAO term BROADCAST.
BROADCAST [ICAO]
A transmission of information relating to air navigation that is not addressed to a specific station or stations.
BUFFER AREA
As applied to an MVA or MIA chart, a depicted 3 NM or 5 NM radius MVA/MIA sector isolating a displayed obstacle for which the sector is established. A portion of a buffer area can also be inclusive of a MVA/MIA sector polygon boundary.