Aviation Glossary
The following is a list of terms often peculiar to aviation, particularly in Canada.
- ACPA
- Acronym for Air Canada Pilots Association
- ALPA
- Acronym for Air Line Pilots Association
- ANS
- Acronym for Air Navigation Service
- CARAC
- Acronym for Civil Aviation Regulatory Advisory Council
- CARs
- Acronym for Canadian Aviation Regulations
- CBAA
- Acronym for Canadian Business Aviation Association
- CFPA
- Acronym for Canadian Federal Pilots Association, the union representing pilot inspectors (AOs) at Transport Canada.
- CLC
- Acronym for Canada Labour Code
- Dryden Commission of Inquiry
- Judicial Inquiry, headed by Justice Virgil Moshansky, into the fatal Air Ontario Flight 1363 which crashed near Dryden, Ontario on March 10th, 1989. For more information, see The Role of the Judiciary in Aviation Safety: The Inside Story and Legacy of Dryden.
- FAA
- Acronym for Federal Aviation Administration
- GPS
- Acronym for Global Positioning System
- HRSDC
- Acronym for Human Resources and Skills Development (Canada)
- ICAO
- Acronym for International Civil Aviation Organization
- IFR
- Acronym for Instrument Flight Rules: the rules that apply in poor visibility (e.g. in cloud) when pilots have to rely solely on their instruments to navigate. (Also see VFR)
- NavCanada
- Nav Canada is the privately-run, not-for-profit organization that operates Canada’s Air Navigation Service (ANS).
- NTSB
- Acronym for National Transportation Safety Board
- PSIC/OPSIC
-
Acronym for Public Sector Integrity Commissioner/Office of.
The mandate of the Public Sector Integrity Commissioner is to protect government whistleblowers and to investigate their allegations, as set out in the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act, that came into force on April 15, 2007. - Queen’s Privy Council
- The Queen's Privy Council is the government agency responsible for the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
- SATOPS
- Acronym for Safety of Air Taxi Operations (Final Report, 1998)
- SCOTIC
- Acronym for Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities – the Parliamentary committee that oversees Transport Canada. Also known as "TRAN"
- SEIFR
- Acronym for Single Engine Instrument Flight Rules
- SMS
- Acronym for Safety Management Systems, whereby carriers implement their own policies and procedures to ensure safety
- TC/TCCA
- Acronym for Transport Canada/Transport Canada Civil Aviation
- TSB
- Acronym for Transportation Safety Board of Canada
- UCTE
- Acronym for Union of Canadian Transportation Employees, representing non-pilot inspectors (TIs) at Transport Canada.
- VFR
- Acronym for Visual Flight Rules: the rules that apply in good visibility, when pilots are able to fly safely with reference to fewer instruments. (Also see IFR)
