Aero-Terms!

Aero-Terms are designed to be a daily reminder of the terms, names, acronyms and explanations of the unique language that populates the aviation world. Aerospace, sport aviation, fixed wing, helo, you name it... it's all fair game.

Aero-Terms should serve as a quick but intriguing reminder of the terms you may use every day, or an introduction to an aspects of the Aero-World you may not yet be familiar with. ANN also encourages readers to go beyond the FMI link, and further research any intriguing terms.

Suggestions for future Aero-Terms are ALWAYS welcome, as are additions or discussion of the explanations given for each Aero-Term.

Load Factor

Load factor is the ratio of the total load supported by the airplane's wing to the total weight of the airplane. In still air flight, the load on the wing equals the lift it generates. The load factor is expressed in G units. In an unaccelerated level flight the load on the wings is equal to lift and to the weight. Consequently, the load factor equals 1G. If Lift = Weight then Lift / Weight = 1G.

FMI: www.pilotsweb.com/principle/load.htm