Found this list on RC universe at:
www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_1527996/mpage_4/tm.htmPretty comprehensive and up to date.
@ - short form for “at” in internet addresses, or “for” in sales Example 3 @ $5.00 – 3 for $5.00
& - This is an ampersand and means “and per say and” can be used to replace “and” in a sentence
# - After a number means pounds Ex. 5# is five pounds. Before a number means number Ex. #5 means number 5. On a telephone it is referred to as the “pound sign”.
/ - Can be used to replace “or”. Example: “in/out” means “in or out”
A – In electrical formulae this is short for Amp, a measurement of current. It takes 1000 milliamps to make one amp. The symbol for amp in electrical formulae is “I”. Example: I=E/R (that is: Amps = Volts divided by Resistance in Ohms). Also see other symbols E,R, and P.
AAC – Aluminum, Aluminum and Chrome
ABC – Aluminum, Brass and Chrome, or Aero Bird Challenger
ABL - Advanced Bimetallic Liner (in our engines, bimetallic is typically brass and nickel)
ABN – Aluminum, Brass and Nickel
ABS – Anti-lock Braking System, or a type of plastic short form of Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene
AC – Alternating Current, or Aerodynamic Center (of the wing)
ACT – Test to do before flying A=antenna (up), C=controls (proper directions), T=throttle (quick runup and idle)
AF 1 – Air Force One
AFAICT – As Far As I Can Tell
AFAIK – As Far As I Know
AFO – Air Force One
AFR – Adjustable Function Rate, used to adjust servo end points
AFS - Active Flight Stabilization system
Aft – Back of boat, plane etc.
AGC – Automatic Gain Control
Ailerons – Control surfaces at back of wing. Note: When standing at back of plane looking forward, and the right aileron moves up, and left goes down, plane banks to right
AIM – AOL Instant Messaging short forms – texting or talking. Ex. “WTB” stands for “Wanted to Buy”
AGL – Above Ground Level
Airfoil – The curvature on a flying surface (wing, propeller etc.) that creates a lift or pull.
AIUI – As I Understand It
AKA – Also Known As
AM – Amplitude Modulation, an alternative transmission method to FM, not used very much
AMA – American Modeler’s Association, Academy of Model Aeronautics
Analogue – In test equipment a meter with a dial (needle) read out. In RC a mechanical change caused by voltage fluctuation. Example: electrical motor control output to the motor.
Angle of Attack – The difference between a surface going flat into the wind, and going into the wind at an angle.
Anhedral – Wings droop down, the opposite of dihedral
Angle of Incidence – See incidence
AOA – Angle Of Attack
AOT – Short for “as opposed to”
APG – Aileron Positioning Guide
ARC – Almost Ready to Cover
ARF or ARTF – Almost Ready to Fly
ARTF – Almost Ready To Fly a model that is mostly pre-assembled - see also Scratch Built, Kit Built, Plan Built, ARF and RTF
AR – Aspect Ratio, relationship between the wing span and the wing chord
ARO – After Run Oil
ASAP – As Soon As Possible
ASL – Above Sea Level
Attachment – A file attached to an email
ATV – Adjustable Travel Volume, limits servo travel distance either side of center, or All Terrain Vehicle. See EPA also.
Auto Shift – New Hitec receivers with Auto Shift can be used with any brand of modern FM transmitter.
AUW – All Up Weight (total weight ready to fly. some include fuel, some don't... should include fuel though.)
AWARF - All Wood Almost Ready-to-Fly
AWOL – Absent Without Leave
b4 – Short for “before”
BA – British Association Thread designation
BA – British Airlines
Bash or bashing – To change or modify a model. Also, may mean to speak negatively about a thing or person.
BB – Ball Bearing
BBS – Bulletin Board System
BC or B/C – In emails, short for “because”
bcnu – In emails short for “Be Seein’ You”
BCP – Blade Collective Pitch, a popular micro helicopter model with collective pitch, see also FP
BEC – Battery Eliminator Circuit
Bevel – To shape material to make an angle. Example: The front of ailerons where the hinge goes in are beveled (angled) to allow the aileron to pivot up and down at the hinge point without hitting the wing.
BF – Short for “before” or Bayerische Flugzeugwerke Bavarian Aircraft Works - Willy Messerschmitt's company and makers of the Messerschmit ME109
bfn – Short for “bye for now”
BHP = Brake Horsepower
BIT – Built In Testing
BL – Brushless, refers to electric motors
Blog – Stands for weblog. This is a personal newsletter, or point of view, updated regularly and available to any web surfer
BMEP – Break Mean Effective Pressure
BMFA – British Model Flying Association
BOB – Best On Board (passenger) or Bomb On Board
BOD – Beginning of Descent
BRB – Be Right Back
Browser – Software used to access the internet
BS – Bull Stuff (or substitute “stuff” with your locally used word)
BTE – Bruce Tharpe Engineering
btt – Back To the Top, used to direct reader to the top of a forum or tell them to start over
BTW – By the Way
BUHOR – Big Ugly Hell On Rails
BUMP – It has been suggested this means “Bring Up My Post”. Any sort of text response to get the message to the top of a forum or active again
BUSA – Balsa USA
BVM - Bob Violet Models
BYOB – Bring Your Own (pick one) Bottle/Broad/Booze/Bedroll/Blanket/etc.
C(number) - Capacity times the number. Example C10 is ten times the capacity of a battery in ma. C10 for a 3000 ma (3.0 amp) battery pack would be 30,000 ma, or 30.0 amps.
C/(number) -Capacity divided by number. Usually used to describe battery charge rates. Example C/10 is the battery capacity in ma divided by 10. In the case of a 3000 ma (3.0 amp) pack this would be 300 ma
C/W – Short for “complete with”
CA – Cyanoacrylate Adhesive (a quick setting glue)
CAD – Computer Aided Design
CAM- Computer Aided Manufacturing
Carb – Short for carburetor
cc – Cubic Centimeters
CC – Castle Creations
CCW – Counter Clock Wise
CCPM – Cyclic Collective Pitch Mixing, a mixing of three servos to control helicopter
CDMA - Code Division Multiple Access, used with cell phones
CF - Carbon Fiber
CIPP – Cured In Place Pipe, a composite liner to re-enforce old pipes, such as sewage
CG – Center of Gravity or Carl Goldberg (Models)
CGM - Carl Goldberg Models
Charge or Charging – To replenish or fill. In modeling, to put energy into batteries.
CIM – Computer Integrated Manufacturing
CL – Control Line
Clevis – A clip on connector between a control (push) rod and servo, control horn or throttle.
cm – Short for centimeter. In emails its short for “call me”
CMP – Chinese Model Production
CNC - Computer Numerically Controlled, a computer-controlled process for manufacturing parts
Cockpit – The area a pilot sits to control an aircraft.
COL – Cry Out Loud
Control Surface – A surface that controls wind deflection for controlling movement, such as, aileron, elevator, rudder flaps etc.
Cos or cus – Short form for “because”
CP – Center of Pressure, or Coroplast (it’s like a plastic cardboard they make signs out of)
CRAFT - Can't Remember A Frigging Thing (or substitute “frigging” with your own locally used words)
CR or C/R – Compression Ratio
Crank – Short for the “crank shaft” of an engine.
CRATT - Coded Radio Airborne TeleType
CRS – Can’t Remember Stuff (or substitute “stuff” with your locally used word)
CRT Cathode Ray Tube
Crow – When flaps go down and ailerons go up, gliders usually use this as an air brake
CU – See You - as in See You later
Current – The moving of electrons through an electrical device. Designated as I one unit is A (ampere)
CW – Clock Wise
cw2cu – Short for “can’t wait to see you”
CYA – Cover Your Aft (substitute “Aft” with your locally used)
DAW - Dave's Aircraft Works (bought out by
skykingrcproducts.com/ )
DC – In electricity - Direct Current, or when referring to Radio Control radio receivers – Dual Conversion
Dead Stick – Motor stopped and flying (gliding) without power
DGA – d**n Good Airplane (or Aircraft)
DH – Dear hubby
DHC - DeHaviland Canada
Dialed in – The model is perfectly tuned
Diameter – In regards to propellers, the distance from tip to tip of a propeller
Digital – In RC, a change related to pulse width, example servo movement, the longer the pulse the more movement. In everyday life a display that has numbers or can be read.
Dihedral – Wings that angle upwards from the body of the plane (wing root) to wing tip. Looking at the wing from the front of the plane, it would look like a flattened “V”
Dive Brake – Surfaces on a wing to create a drag to slow airspeed when deployed.
DIY – Do It Yourself
Dope – A type of paint used while covering aircraft, there are two types Nitrate (not fuel proof) and Butyrate (fuel proof). Nitrate dope can paint over Butyrate dope, but Butyrate can not go over Nitrate.
DR or D/R – Dual Rate, usually a switch on the transmitter to allow longer/shorter servo travel
DRM – Digital Rights Management, a software protection scheme
DRRC – Driving Radio Control Canada magazine
DSC Direct Servo Control, control of servos by a cord from transmitter without transmitting a signal
DSSS – Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum
DST – Daylight Saving Time
DSQ.-. Disqualified or disqualification
DT – Digital Trim
DW – Dear Wife
Dynamic Soaring - Using the up and downdrafts of a slope to build speed with a glider.
E – Electrical symbol for voltage. Example formula: E=IR (that is: Volts = Amps divided by Resistance in Ohms). Also see other symbols I,R,A, and P.
EBT - Earnings Before Taxes
eCCPM – Mechanically Cyclic Collective Pitch Mixing, see also “mCCPM”
ECM - Electronic Counter Measures
EDF – Electric Ducted Fan
EF – Electric Fan
Eff - Effiency
EFI – Electronic Fuel Injection
EGT – Exhaust Gas Temperature
Elevator – Horizontal control surface at back of plane. Note: When back of elevator goes up, plane goes up.
Elevons – When aileron and elevator functions are combined. Example - delta wing aircraft
EMAS - Engineered Materials Arresting System, barriers to slow down vehicles
EMC - Electromagnetic Compliant
Energy – Designated as E and is the result of Power times Time usually expressed in Joules(j) or kilowatt Hours(kWh)
EOC – End of Climb
FOD – Foreign Object Debris, Foreign Object Damage
EP Foam – A type of foam – see
www.matplusinc.com/materials/mp_ep_foam_35.html for definition
EPA – End Point Adjustment. See ATV also.
EPP - Enhanced Poly Propylene
E Props – Electric Propellers, used on electric planes blades are not as wide, and hubs are larger than SF Props. Usually used on outdoor electric planes.
ET – Elapsed Time
ETA – Estimated Time of Arrival
E-TOC - Electric Tournament of Champions
ESC – Electric Speed Control
Expo – Short for expotential, in Radio Control it is the ratio of the transmitter stick movement to the servo movement. Typically more stick movement, for small servo movement thus finer control
f - Frequency
F2F – Face To Face
FADEC – Full Authority Digital Engine Control
FAI - Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
FAQ – Frequently Asked Questions
FCC – Federal Communication Commission
FCOL – For Crying Out Loud
FFF – Fan Fold Foam
FFL – French Foreign Legion
FG – Fiberglass
FHSS – Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum
FIDO...Forget It, Drive On (or substitute “forget” with your locally used word
Fin – The vertical stabilizer, that is, the tall, thin, upright nonmoving part of an aircraft’s the tail assembly.
Flame – To insult or vent disapproval
Flaperons – Ailerons that can be used both as ailerons and/or flaps
Flight Simulator – In radio control, a program used on a personal computer to simulate flying a model aircraft with joysticks or a radio control transmitter.
Flute – The veins in coroplast (the plastic cardboard) that is used in making SPAD model aircraft
FM – Frequency Modulation, most common method of transmission used today for Radio Control
FMS - Flight Management System
FNV – Front Needle Valve, usually high speed adjustment when located on carburettor
FO or F/O – First Officer
FOAD - Fly Off and Die. (Substitute “Fly” with locally used words)
FOD - Foreign Object Damage or Foreign Object Debris
FOS – Full Of Stuff (Substitute “Stuff” with locally used words)
Forward – to the front of boat, plane etc.
FP - Fixed Pitch
FRED - Friggen Ridiculous Electronic Device (Substitute “Friggen” with locally used words), also means Flashing Rear End Device on trains.
Freq - Frequency
Frequency – The amount of repetitions in a specific amount of time. Designated as f, one unit in electricity is Hz (hertz)
FRRC – Flying radio Control Canada magazine
FS – For Sale or Fail Safe, usually a preset position for servos to move to when radio transmission is lost
FSK – Freqency shift keying
FSW – Forward Swept Wing
FTW – For The Win
FUBAR – Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition (Substitute Fouled with locally used words)
Full house – rudder, elevator, ailerons and throttle
Fuse – Fuselage
Fuselage – The main body of an aircraft
FWIW – For What It’s Worth
FYI – For Your Information
g - grams
G - Gravity force factor. Example 1G = normal weight, 2G = two times weight
g2g – Short for “got to go”
Gas – short for “gasoline”, example a fuel for automobiles
GB – Gear Box
GG – Gotta Go or Gorilla Glue (a polyurethane glue, another common brand name is Elmer’s Pro Bond)
GJ – Good Job
Glow Plug – A screw in plug, usually at the top of a glow engine, with a platinum coil that requires heat to ignite alcohol to start the combustion process, once started, the heat from subsequent combustion keeps the coil hot and the engine working.
Glow Engine – An engine that relies a glow element to operate.
GMAB – Give Me A Break
GMS – Gemtec Machinery Systems (makers of GMS engines)
Goodwin’s Law - Godwin's law.
Gopher – short for “go for”, or a menu driven system to get information
GP - Great Planes Mfg. Co.
GPM – Gallons Per Minute
GPS – Global Positioning System, an electronic system to find a location or position
gr8 – Short for GREAT
GSP – Giant Scale Planes
GST – Government Sales Tax
GTG – Got to Go
gyab – Give Yourself A Break
H9 - Hangar 9 Mfg Co
HD – High Density
HDG – Heading as in runway approach heading
Hertz – A unit of frequency defined as one cycle per second
HF- high frequency or Human Factor
HIS - Horizontal Situation Indicator
HOC – Hot Off the Charger
HOR – Hell On Rails
Hover – To suspended an object in one place using an internal or external power source.
Hotliner - A high speed electric assisted glider
HS – High Speed or Hobby Shop
HSN – High Speed Needle, high speed adjustment on a carburetor
HTML – Hyper Text Mark-up Language
HUCFU- how you can frig up, substitute your locally used word for frig (see also human factor)
HW – Hobby Warehouse
Hydro – short for electricity, or in SCUBA compressed air tanks (used for starting jets )short for Hydrostatic testing and must be done every 5 years
Hz – see hertz
I – Current in amps (Example formula: I=E/R)
ID 10 T – Pronounced as “Eye Dee Ten Tee” and means “IDIOT”
IPD – Intelligent Pulse Decoding - Decodes faster than PCM. Allows setting failsafe point for your servos and only valid signals.
IFF - Identification Friend or Foe
Iemax – Current
IFR – Instrument Flight Rules
IIRC- If I Recall Correctly
ILS – Instrument Landing System
IMAC - International Miniature Aerobatic Club
IMHO – In My Humble Opinion or In My Honest Opinion
lmk – Let Me Know
IMNSHO - In My Not So Humble Opinion
IMO – In My Opinion
Inl – No load current
In The Bones – A plane that has been build and framework completed, but is not covered yet
Incidence – The difference in between a surface (wing) being parallel to the center line of the aircraft and a wing offset from the center line. If the front of the wing is up, its positive, if down its negative.
IPR – Intelligent Power Reduce
IRC - internet relay chat
IRCHA - International Radio Controlled Helicopter Association
IRL – In Real Life
ISP – Internet Service Provider
ISTM – It Seems To Me
JMHO – Just My Humble Opinion or Just My Honest Opinion
J – Joule, a unit of work/energy
J – Torque (oz-in/A)
JIT – Just In Time, usually to receive parts just in time for manufacturing, thus reducing inventory
JMO – Just My Opinion
Joule – The work done when the force of 1 newton goes 1 meter
JR – Japan Radio
JSF – Joint Strike Fighter (F35)
Kb – Voltage constant (Volt/1000rpm)
KISS – Keep It Simple Stupid
KMA – Kiss My Arm (or substitute “Arm” with your locally used word)
Knife Edge – To fly a model “on its side”, the wings are vertical to the ground instead of horizontal
Kg – Kilograms
Kt – Torque constant (oz-In/A)
KOW – Knock On Wood
KPH – Kilometers per Hour
Kv – With electricity Kv means Kilovolt or 1,000 volts. With electric aircraft motor specifications Kv means RPM (revolutions per minute) per volt. That is, a 750Kv motor will turn 750 rpm per volt, example 7500 rpm for 10v
kWh or kW-hr – Kilowatt Hours a measurement of how many thousands of watts used per hour
L8R – Later as in CU L8R
LAR – Looks About Right
Lawn Dart – A model aircraft with its nose buried in the ground, or a model airplane fuselage that lost its wings mid flight.
LNIB – Like New In Box
LSI – Large Scale Integration
Kit Built – To build a model from a kit see also Scratch Built, Plan Built, ARF, ARTF and RTF
Lbs. – Pounds
LCA – Landing Craft, Assault
LCD – Liquid Crystal Display
LCI – Landing Craft, Infantry
LE – Leading Edge
LED – Light Emitting Diode
LF – Looking For
LG – Landing Gear
LH – Left hand side (in reference to ships and airplanes – left hand side of pilot facing forward)
LHS – Local Hobby Shop
LiPo, or Li-Po, or Li-Poly – Lithium Polymer battery
Li-ion – Lithium Ion Battery
LMFAO – Laughing My “Freaking” “Aft” Off, (substitute freaking and aft for locally used words”
LMK – Let Me Know
LOA – Length Over All, in model aircraft usually measured from tip of nose cone to end of rudder
LOL – Lots Of Laughs, or Laugh Out Loud, or Lots Of Luck
Low Wing – An aircraft with the wing on the lower part of the fuselage.
Loop – An inside loop is a maneuver where an aircraft goes into a vertical circle using up elevator (an outside loop uses down elevator).
LS – Low speed
LSN – Low Speed Needle, low speed needle valve adjustment on a carburetor, usually affects low and intermediate speed (transition) adjustment
Ltr – Liter
Lurker – A person who visits, and reads, bulletin boards and forums but never posts anything
LVC – Low Voltage Cutoff circuit
LWL – Length at Water Line
ma – Milliamp, one thousands of an amp
MAAC – Model Aeronautics Association of Canada
MAC - Mean Aerodynamic Chord (I think this is the center of gravity/balance point?)
mah – Milliamps per hour, milliamps times hours, one thousands of an amp. Milliamps is a current rating used to determine the number of milliamps used, or stored, for one hour
MAP – Manufacturer Adjusted Price
MASH – Mobile Army Surgical Hospital
Max – Maximum
mbrsd – Short for “embarrassed”
mCCPM – Mechanically Cyclic Collective Pitch Mixing, see also “eCCPM”
MCM – Mousse Can Muffler
MCP- Mousse Can Pipes (mufflers made from hair styling mousse cans)
MD – Stamped on side of K&B engine – means Model Direct, a direct sales promotion engine sold in late 90’s
ME – Short for Messerschmit the ME-109 was designed by Willy Messerschmitt
MECOA - The Model Engine Company of America
MG – Metal Gear
MGBWY – May G od Be With You
MK - Monokote or Mark (as in Mark II)
MIA – Missing In Action
Min – Minimum
mIRC - is a client program to access IRC
mm – millimeter
MOOTWA-An acronym for Military Operations Other Than War
Mode 1 – Transmitter with Rudder and Elevator on left stick , Aileron and Throttle on right stick
Mode 2 - Transmitter with Rudder and Throttle on left stick, Aileron and Elevator on right stick
Mode 3 – Transmitter with Aileron and Elevator on left, Rudder and Throttle on right stick
Mode 4 – Transmitter with Aileron and Throttle on left stick, Rudder and Elevator on right stick
Mode Single stick – see single stick
Mosaic – an older web browser
MP Foam – See
www.matplusinc.com/materials/mp_ep_foam_35.html for definition
MPH – Miles per Hour
MSDS - Material Safety Data Sheet
MT – Monster Truck
MTBF – Mean Time Between Failures, a rating given by manufactures for failure rates
MTTR – Mean Time To Repair, the time for the average repair of an item
mv – millivolt
MWC - Model Warship Combat
NA or N/A – Not Available
NAR - the National Association of Rocketry
NCN – No Covering Needed
NE1 = Any One - as in does NE1 know?
NEAT – Northeast Electric Aircraft Technology fair
Newbie – A new person or beginner
Newton – The force created by an acceleration of 1 meter per sec. per sec. by 1 kilogram
Netscape – A web browser
NFG – No Frigging Good (or substitute “frigging” and/or “gosh” with your own locally used words)
NIB – New In Box
NiCd – Used to describe a type of battery - Nickel Cadium
NiMh – Used to describe a type of battery - Nickel Metal Hydride
NIP – New In Package
NNIB – Nearly New In Box
NOS = New Old Stock
NP – Neutral Point
NR – Never Run
NV – Needle Valve
NVM – Never Mind
OAN - On another note
OHV – Over Head Valve
OMF G – Oh My Frigging Gosh (or substitute “frigging” and/or “gosh” with your own locally used words)
OMG -Oh my Gosh (or substitute “gosh” with your locally used word)
OMP - Ohio Model Products (or Planes?)
One point landing - Landings (crash) usually performed by lawn darts.
Ornithopter – An aircraft that flies by flapping its wings.
OTH or OTOH- On the other hand
OWB – One Way Bearing
Oz – Ounces
P – In electrical formulae it is short for Power in watts. Example formula: P=EI (Power = Voltage multiplied by amps. See other symbols E,I,A and R.
P/W – Power to Weight ratio
PBF – Pizza Box Flyer
PBY – As in “PBY Catalina” aircraft, P means Patrol, B means Bomber and Y is the designation for the Consolidated Aircraft Company
PCM - Pulse Code Modulation
PDQ – Pretty Darn Quick (or substitute “darn” with your locally used word)
Peak Detect – Usually refers to charging batteries, a method to check peak voltage when charging batteries
Period – Usually a time period and is designated as T, one unit is s (seconds)
Pi- Power input (Watts)
PIA or PITA– Pain In The Arm (or substitute “Arm” with your locally used word)
PITN – Pain In The Neck
Piston – A mechanical device that moves in a cylinder to deliver/receive pressure, transfer combustible energy, or move liquid or air.
Pitch – In reference to propellers, the angle of propeller blade, the higher the number the greater the angle
Plan Built – A model built from printed plans, parts are cut, assembled, and exterior is finished by modeler - see also Scratch Built, Kit Built, Plan Built, ARF, ATRF and RTF
PMDG – Precision Manuals Development Group
PMP - point of maximum pucker - that is the reaction when avoiding a crash or a close call
Poly Urethane Glue – An expandable glue that requires water to set, Examples: Gorilla Glue or Elmer’s Pro Bond
Po – Mechanical power output (Watts)
PoP – Point of Presence, the access point of a system to the net
Port – Left hand side (when pilot faces forward), or an opening in a boat or plane, or boat docking area
POS – Piece of Stuff (substitute “Stuff” with your locally used word)
POST – Power On Start-up Test
Power – Is the work done by electricity and is the result is calculated by the Voltage (V) times the Current(I). It is measured in Watts(P). (Example formula: P=EI)
Ppl or ppls – Short for “people” or people’s
PPM – Pulse Position Modulation
PQHOR – Profile Quick Hell On Rails (a SPAD aircraft)
BroBros – The Profile RC Brotherhood – the web site is: ****
PROF – Pending Receipt Of Funds
Prop – Propeller
Propeller – Usually located at the front of an aircraft or at the back of a boat in the water, it spins to move air or water to propel the aircraft or boat
Prop Wash – The wind, or water movement created by a propeller when it is turning
PSI – Per Square Inch
PST – Provincial Sales Tax
PUA – Poly Urethane Adhesive – examples: Gorilla Glue or Elmer’s Pro Bond
Pusher – In model aircraft, a craft that has a propeller located someplace behind the wing, or at the back of the aircraft to “push” air instead of a propeller at the front “pulling” air to create forward motion.
R – In electrical formulae, resistance in ohms. Example formula: R=E/I (Resistance in Ohms = Voltage divided by Amps). See other symbols A,E,I, and P.
RAAWS - Radio Altimeter And Warning System
RADALT - RADio ALTimeter
Radial Engine – An engine with three or more cylinders, usually evenly spaced, going around the engine
RAF – Royal Air Force
RATO- Rocket Assisted Take Off
RC or R/C – Radio Control or Remote Control
RCA – Radio Corporation of America, or Royal Canadian Army
RCM – Radio Control Modeler (a magazine)
RCU – RC Universe a web site for radio control enthusiasts
RE or R/E – rudder and elevator only
REF or R/E/F – rudder, elevator and flaps
RES or R/E/S – rudder, elevator and spoilers
RET or R/E/T – rudder, elevator and throttle
Resistance – Designated as R and one unit is (ohm). Is a value of how much an electrical device limits the electric current: One volt applied to a resistance of one ohm has a current of one ampere. Also see symbols R,A,I,E and P.
RFI – Radio Frequency Interference
RH – Right hand side (in reference to airplanes – right hand side of pilot when facing forward in cockpit)
RIP – Rest In Peace
RLV – Reusable Launch Vehicle
Rm – Terminal resistanceRNV – Rear Needle Valve, high speed needle valve mounted at rear of engine
RO - radio operator
ROFL - Rolling On the Floor Laughing
ROFLMAO - Rolling On Floor Laughing My “Aft” Off (or substitute “aft” with your locally used word)
ROG – Rise Off Ground, or Rolling On Ground
Roll – An aircraft maneuver where the aircraft rotates around the fuselage, usually using ailerons, while moving forward
Rotate – Another term for turning or pivot. Ex. A propeller rotates, or an aircraft body rotates at point of take off. Also see V2.
ROW – Rise Off Water
RPM – Rotations Per Minute or Revolutions Per Minute
RPM/V – Rotations Per Minute per Volt or Revolutions Per Minute per Volt
RTR – Ready To Run (or Roll)
RTV – It stands for Room Temperature Vulcanization and is reference to “RTV Silicon Adhesive Sealant”, and is similar to other silicon rubber sealant products.
RU – In emails short for “are you”
Rx – Receiver
RTF – Ready To Fly a model that comes fully assembled with radio - see also Scratch Built, Kit Built, Plan Built, ARF, ATRF and RTF
RTFM – Read the “Friendly” Manual, (substitute “friendly” for your locally used word)
Rudder – Back vertical control surface at back of plane. Note: When back of rudder goes right, plane will be directed right, works with nose wheel on tricycle gear or tail wheel on tail dragging airplane.
RV – Recreational Vehicle
SA – Scale Aerobatics
SAM – The Society of Antique Modelers -http://www.antiquemodeler.org/index2.html
SASE – Self Addressed Stamped Envelope
SB – See SOB
SC – Single Conversion when referring to radio receiver, or Supercharger
SC – Step Climb
Scramjet – Supersonic Combustion Ramjet
Scratch Built – A model designed, cut out, built and covered by a person - see also Kit Built, Plan Built, ARF, ATRF and RTF
Sec – Seconds
Single Stick – Transmitter with one stick, Aileron and Elevator on X and Y axis, Rudder Knob on end of stick and Throttle (a trim lever type control on the case)
Semi-Symmetrical wing – A wing with bottom airfoil not the same as top airfoil, will be less on bottom
SF Props – Slow Fly Propeller, usually used on indoor electric planes and can be distinguished by small hubs and wide blade
SFG - Side Force Generators, vertical wing fins to give more surface area and stability in knife edge flight
SMT – Surface Mount Technology
Snail Mail – Mail sent through the postal service
SNAFU - Situation Normal All Fudged Up (substitute “fudged” with your locally used word).
SOC or S-o-C – State of Charge, used in reference to batteries to identify how much charge capacity they have.
SOB – Son Of A Bee (substitute “Bee” with your locally used word).
SOHO – Small Office Home Office
SPAD – Simple Plastic Airplane Design
Spam– Unsolicited email, usually advertisements
SPFBD – Simplified Plastic Flight Box Design
Spamming – The sending of Spam
SPC – Supplemental Power Connection
Spec – Specification
Spoofing – Using a false email address as an email return address
S-PPM – A JR receiver fail safe mode that will cause the servos to “hold” then go to a programmed preset position after a predetermined period of time of lost or scrambled signal
Sq in – Square Inches
SS – Stainless Steel
SSDD – Same Stuff Different Day (substitute “stuff” with your locally used word)
SSS – Sudden Silence Sucks
SST – Super Sonic Transport
Stab – Horizontal Stabilizer, the flat, wide, nonmoving part on an aircraft’s tail section.
Stall – In aircraft, the point where there is not enough lift to keep it flying
Starboard – Right hand side (when pilot faces forward)
STD – Standard
Stick Time – Time spent flying
STOL – Short Take Off and Landing
Strk – Stroke as in 2-strk or 4-strk
sup – Short for “what’s up?”
Super Charger – A power assisting device that compresses air into an engine
SUS – Sudden Unintentional Starting
Sweat – To join two pieces of metal together that have been tinned, that is, coat two pieces of metal with solder, then hold together and heat until the solder melts and joins the pieces. Also see “tin”.
Swarf – Small particles of metal left in an item after manufacturing
SWAG – Stupid (Scientific) Wise Aft Guess (substitute “aft” with your locally used word)
Symmetrical wing – A wing with same airfoil on top as bottom
T&G – Touch and go, when an airplane comes for a landing, touches, and immediately takes off
T – Teeth (usually the number on a gear)
TANTAAFL - There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch
TARFUN - Things Are Really Fouled Up Now (substitute “fouled” with your locally used word)
TAXI – A controlled steering and moving of aircraft under power while on the ground
TBA – To Be Announced
TBC – To Be Calculated
TBD – To Be Determined
TD – Tail Dragger
TE – Trailing Edge
TF – Top Flite
Thermal Detect – The detection of heat of an object
TIA – Thanks In Advance
Tin, Tinned, or Tinning – To coat with solder, usually used to “sweat” two pieces of metal together. Also see “sweat”.
TLAR – That Looks About Right
TMTOMH – Too Much Time On My Hands
TNX – thanks or thank you
to or t/o – Take Off
TOC – Tournament of Champions
Toe-in – This is a term to describing when the front of a pair of wheels on a vehicle are pointing toward each other (inward). This is needed on tail dragger aircraft to avoid poor ground handling.
Toe-out – This is a term used to describing when the front of a pair of wheels on a vehicle are pointing away from each other (outward).
TOF – Time of flight from leaving ground to touch down. Calculation for electric TOF in minutes is: battery capacity in amps, divided by average current draw in amps, times 60
TPTB – The Powers That Be
TR or T/R – Thrust Reverser
Trammeling – Aligning fuselage, wings, horizontal stabilizer, vertical stabilizer and landing gear
Troll Post – A bulletin board posting designed to create controversy and may or may not be related to fact
TTYL – Talk To You Later
ttt – To The Top, to put an item to the top of a forum, or to start over
TU - Tango Uniform, or “Tips Up”, meaning a complete failure (or substitute “tips” with your locally used word)
Turbo – Turbo Charger, a device to compress air into an engine that is not power assisted (see super charger)
TVM – Thanks Very Much
Tx – Transmitter
TY – Thank You
U – European designation for Voltage, or in emails Short for “you”
UAT – Ultimate Air Trap – A hopper tank containing a mesh filter designed to eliminate air bubbles in turbine fuel lines. Trade marked by BVM
UAV – Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
UC – Ultracote, or U-Control control line models - the name comes from the shape of the control handle
UFO – Unidentified Flying Object
UNEF – United Nations Emergency Force or regarding bolt threads Unified Extra Fine
UNODIR - UNless Otherwise DIRected
ur – In emails, short form for “you are”
URL Uniform (or Universal) Resource Locator
USPS – United States Postal Service
USSR – Unites Soviet Socialist Republic
uuencode – An older method of converting (encoding/decoding) binary files to text based characters
UWYH – Use What You Have
V – Volt, the force required to put a current of 1 amp through a 1 ohm resistance
V1 – Means the maximum speed (point) in the takeoff at which time the pilot must make the decision to take off or abort the takeoff
V2 - The takeoff speed when the airplane can be safely rotated for takeoff
VAT – Value Added Tax (European)
VE – Volumetric efficiency
VFR – Visual Flight Rules
VGC – Very Good Condition
VIP – Very Important Person, In SCUBA compressed air tanks (for starting Jets) it means Visual Inspection Process and must be done once a year
VMO – Maximum aircraft operating speed
vs – versus
Voltage – The electrical force to drive current through an electrical conductor. Designated as V (North America), U (in Europe) and one measurement unit is V (volt)
VPP – Variable Pitch Propeller
VR – Rotation Speed, the speed at which the aircraft rotates from the runway and start to climb
Vref – The minimum landing approach speed
VTOL – Vertical Take Off and Landing
VTR – Variable Trace Rate, allows different servo speeds for each half of transmitter stick, similar to expo
VVVF – Variable Voltage Variable Frequency
W/ – With
W/O – Without
W3 – Short for World Wide Web, see “web”
WAAS – Wide Area Augmentation System a GPS (see GPS) system to accurately find location
Washout – The trailing edge of a wing gradually goes upward at the tips, this creates less lift at the wingtips and causes the tips to keep flying when the center section stalls, creating more stable slow speed flying.
Watt – The power used when 1 amp (direct current) flows through 1 ohm. A unit of measurement for power – see “P”
Web - A network of computers linked together to share information through a common communication link, may also be called WWW (World Wide Web) or short formed as W3
Wing Loading – The weight each square foot (or square inch) of wing has to support (carry). Formula for wing loading in ounces per square foot is: weight of plane (in oz.) divided by wing area (in sq. inches) times 144. For wing loading per square inch, do not multiply by the 144.
WIG – Wing In Ground Effect
Winsock – A cone shaped piece of material open at each end to tell the direction of the wind. Also short for “Windows Socket”, a file usually used to connect Windows through a software link to the net
WJM – World Jet Master (Team)
WM – World Models
WMP – World Model Products
WOF – Wood Over Foam
WOT – Wide Open Throttle
WTB or W2B – Where To Buy or Want To Buy
wtd – Short for “wanted”
W T F – What The Fudge or Who The Fudge (or substitute “fudge” with your locally used word)
WTG – Way To Go
WW1 – World War One
WW2 or WW II– World War Two
WYSIWYG – What You See Is What You Get. - usually pertains to sales of an item as "AS IS"
www – World Wide Web, see “web”
X–wind – Cross wind
XTAL, xTAL, or xtal – Short for “Crystal”, this typically is a plug in component that determines the channel (frequency) for your transmitter and/or reciever
Y–Harness – A harness that plugs into receiver and has servo two plugs, used for two servo ailerons
YCD – You Can Do
YGMV – You Got My Vote
YMMV – Your mileage may vary
YHM – You Have Mail
YW – Your Welcome
Z-PPM – A JR receiver fail safe mode that will cause selected servos to “hold” their position, and other selected servos to go to a programmed preset position, after a predetermined period of time with a lost or scrambled signal.
