Galling. Fretting or pulling out chunks of a surface by sliding contact with another surface or body.
Gas generator. The basic gas turbine engine. It consists of the compressor, diffuser, combustor, and turbine. The gas generator is also called the core engine.
Gas turbine engine. An internal combustion engine that burns its fuel in a constant-pressure cycle and uses the expansion of the air to drive a turbine which, in turn, rotates a compressor. Energy beyond that needed to rotate the compressor is used to produce torque or thrust.
Gasket. A seal between two parts where there is no relative motion.
Gauge (rivet). The distance between rows of rivets in a multirow seam. Gauge is also called transverse pitch.
Gauge pressure. Pressure referenced from the existing atmospheric pressure.
Gear-type pump. A constant-displacement fluid pump that contains two meshing large-tooth spur gears. Fluid is drawn into the pump as the teeth separate and is carried around the inside of the housing with teeth and is forced from the pump when the teeth come together.
General Aviation Airworthiness Alerts. While these documents are no longer published, they are still available at www.faa.gov. These are used to alert technicians of problems that have been found in specific models of aircraft, and reported on Malfunction and Defect Reports. Airworthiness Alerts suggest corrective action, but compliance with the suggestion is not mandatory.
General aviation. A term used to describe the total field of aviation operation except the military and airlines.
Generator series field. A set of heavy field windings in a generator connected in a series with the armature. The magnetic field produced by the series windings is used to change the characteristics of the generator.
Gas generator. The basic gas turbine engine. It consists of the compressor, diffuser, combustor, and turbine. The gas generator is also called the core engine.
Gas turbine engine. An internal combustion engine that burns its fuel in a constant-pressure cycle and uses the expansion of the air to drive a turbine which, in turn, rotates a compressor. Energy beyond that needed to rotate the compressor is used to produce torque or thrust.
Gasket. A seal between two parts where there is no relative motion.
Gauge (rivet). The distance between rows of rivets in a multirow seam. Gauge is also called transverse pitch.
Gauge pressure. Pressure referenced from the existing atmospheric pressure.
Gear-type pump. A constant-displacement fluid pump that contains two meshing large-tooth spur gears. Fluid is drawn into the pump as the teeth separate and is carried around the inside of the housing with teeth and is forced from the pump when the teeth come together.
General Aviation Airworthiness Alerts. While these documents are no longer published, they are still available at www.faa.gov. These are used to alert technicians of problems that have been found in specific models of aircraft, and reported on Malfunction and Defect Reports. Airworthiness Alerts suggest corrective action, but compliance with the suggestion is not mandatory.
General aviation. A term used to describe the total field of aviation operation except the military and airlines.
Generator series field. A set of heavy field windings in a generator connected in a series with the armature. The magnetic field produced by the series windings is used to change the characteristics of the generator.
Generator shunt field. A set of field windings in a generator connected in parallel with the armature. Varying the amount of current flowing in the shunt field windings controls the voltage output of the generator.
Generator. A mechanical device that transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy by rotating a coil inside a magnetic field. As the conductors in the coil cut across the lines of magnetic flux, a voltage is generated that causes current to flow.
Geometric pitch. The distance a propeller would advance in one revolution if it were rotating in a solid.
Geopotential of the tropopause. The point in the standard atmosphere where the temperature stops dropping and becomes constant. This is the tropopause, or the dividing line between the troposphere and the stratosphere.
Gerotor pump. A form of constant-displacement gear pump. A gerotor pump uses an external-tooth spur gear that rides inside of and drives an internal-tooth rotor gear. There is one more tooth space inside the rotor than there are teeth on the drive gear. As the gears rotate, the volume of the space between two of the teeth on the inlet side of the pump increases, while the volume of the space between the two teeth on the opposite side of the pump decreases.
GHz (gigahertz). 1,000,000,000 cycles per second.
Gimbal. A support that allows a gyroscope to remain in an upright condition when its base is tilted.
Glass cockpit. An aircraft instrument system that uses a few color cathode-ray-tube displays to replace a large number of mechanically actuated instruments.
Glaze ice. Ice that forms when large drops of water strike a surface whose temperature is below freezing. Glaze ice is clear and heavy.
Glide slope. The portion of an ILS (Instrument Landing System) that provides the vertical path along which an aircraft descends on an instrument landing.
Goniometer. Electronic circuitry in an ADF system that uses the output of a fixed loop antenna to sense the angle between a fixed reference, usually the nose of the aircraft, and the direction from which the radio signal is being received.
Governor. A control used to automatically change the pitch of a constant speed propeller to maintain a constant engine rpm as air loads vary in flight.
GPU. Ground power unit. A service component used to supply electrical power and compressed air to an aircraft when it is operating on the ground.
Gram. The basic unit of weight or mass in the metric system. One gram equals approximately 0.035 ounce.
Generator. A mechanical device that transforms mechanical energy into electrical energy by rotating a coil inside a magnetic field. As the conductors in the coil cut across the lines of magnetic flux, a voltage is generated that causes current to flow.
Geometric pitch. The distance a propeller would advance in one revolution if it were rotating in a solid.
Geopotential of the tropopause. The point in the standard atmosphere where the temperature stops dropping and becomes constant. This is the tropopause, or the dividing line between the troposphere and the stratosphere.
Gerotor pump. A form of constant-displacement gear pump. A gerotor pump uses an external-tooth spur gear that rides inside of and drives an internal-tooth rotor gear. There is one more tooth space inside the rotor than there are teeth on the drive gear. As the gears rotate, the volume of the space between two of the teeth on the inlet side of the pump increases, while the volume of the space between the two teeth on the opposite side of the pump decreases.
GHz (gigahertz). 1,000,000,000 cycles per second.
Gimbal. A support that allows a gyroscope to remain in an upright condition when its base is tilted.
Glass cockpit. An aircraft instrument system that uses a few color cathode-ray-tube displays to replace a large number of mechanically actuated instruments.
Glaze ice. Ice that forms when large drops of water strike a surface whose temperature is below freezing. Glaze ice is clear and heavy.
Glide slope. The portion of an ILS (Instrument Landing System) that provides the vertical path along which an aircraft descends on an instrument landing.
Goniometer. Electronic circuitry in an ADF system that uses the output of a fixed loop antenna to sense the angle between a fixed reference, usually the nose of the aircraft, and the direction from which the radio signal is being received.
Governor. A control used to automatically change the pitch of a constant speed propeller to maintain a constant engine rpm as air loads vary in flight.
GPU. Ground power unit. A service component used to supply electrical power and compressed air to an aircraft when it is operating on the ground.
Gram. The basic unit of weight or mass in the metric system. One gram equals approximately 0.035 ounce.
Graphite. A form of carbon. Structural graphite is used in composite structure because of its strength and stiffness.
Greige (pronounced “gray”). The unshrunk condition of a polyester fabric as it is removed from the loom.
Gross thrust. The thrust produced by a turbojet or turbofan engine when the engine is static or not moving. The air is considered to have no inlet velocity, and the velocity of the gas leaving the engine is considered to be the acceleration factor.
Ground effect. The increased aerodynamic lift produced when an airplane or helicopter is flown nearer than half wing span or rotor span to the ground. This additional lift is caused by an effective increase in angle of attack without the accompanying increase in induced drag, which is caused by the deflection of the downwashed air.
Ground. The voltage reference point in an aircraft electrical system. Ground has zero electrical potential. Voltage values, both positive and negative, are measured from ground. In the United Kingdom, ground is spoken of as “earth.”
Ground-boosted engine. An aircraft reciprocating engine with a built-in supercharger that boosts the sea-level rated horsepower of the engine.
Ground-power unit (GPU). A service component used to supply electrical power to an aircraft when it is being operated on the ground.
Gudgeon pin. The British name for a wrist pin, or piston pin. See wrist pin.
Guncotton. A highly explosive material made by treating cotton fibers with nitric and sulfuric acids. Guncotton is used in making the film base of nitrate dope.
Gusset. A small plate attached to two or more members of a truss structure. A gusset strengthens the truss.
Gyro (gyroscope). The sensing device in an autopilot system. A gyroscope is a rapidly spinning wheel with its weight concentrated around its rim. Gyroscopes have two basic characteristics that make them useful in aircraft instruments: rigidity in space and precession. See rigidity in space and precession.
Gyroscopic precession. The characteristic of a gyroscope that causes it to react to an applied force as though the force were applied at a point 90° in the direction of rotation from the actual point of application. The rotor of a helicopter acts in much the same way as a gyroscope and is affected by gyroscopic precession.
Greige (pronounced “gray”). The unshrunk condition of a polyester fabric as it is removed from the loom.
Gross thrust. The thrust produced by a turbojet or turbofan engine when the engine is static or not moving. The air is considered to have no inlet velocity, and the velocity of the gas leaving the engine is considered to be the acceleration factor.
Ground effect. The increased aerodynamic lift produced when an airplane or helicopter is flown nearer than half wing span or rotor span to the ground. This additional lift is caused by an effective increase in angle of attack without the accompanying increase in induced drag, which is caused by the deflection of the downwashed air.
Ground. The voltage reference point in an aircraft electrical system. Ground has zero electrical potential. Voltage values, both positive and negative, are measured from ground. In the United Kingdom, ground is spoken of as “earth.”
Ground-boosted engine. An aircraft reciprocating engine with a built-in supercharger that boosts the sea-level rated horsepower of the engine.
Ground-power unit (GPU). A service component used to supply electrical power to an aircraft when it is being operated on the ground.
Gudgeon pin. The British name for a wrist pin, or piston pin. See wrist pin.
Guncotton. A highly explosive material made by treating cotton fibers with nitric and sulfuric acids. Guncotton is used in making the film base of nitrate dope.
Gusset. A small plate attached to two or more members of a truss structure. A gusset strengthens the truss.
Gyro (gyroscope). The sensing device in an autopilot system. A gyroscope is a rapidly spinning wheel with its weight concentrated around its rim. Gyroscopes have two basic characteristics that make them useful in aircraft instruments: rigidity in space and precession. See rigidity in space and precession.
Gyroscopic precession. The characteristic of a gyroscope that causes it to react to an applied force as though the force were applied at a point 90° in the direction of rotation from the actual point of application. The rotor of a helicopter acts in much the same way as a gyroscope and is affected by gyroscopic precession.