Aeronautical Terms beginning with B
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.
Balked Landing
A go-around.
Balloon
A lighter-than-air aircraft that is not engine driven, and that sustains flight through the use of either gas buoyancy or an airborne heater.
Barometric scale
A scale on the dial of an altimeter to which the pilot sets the barometric pressure level from which the altitude shown by the pointers is measured.
Base Leg
A flight path at right angles to the landing runway off its approach end. The base leg normally extends from the downwind leg to the intersection of the extended runway centerline.
Basic empty weight (GAMA)
Basic empty weight includes the standard empty weight plus optional and special equipment that has been installed.
Basic Radar Service
These services are provided for VFR aircraft by all commissioned terminal radar facilities. Basic radar service includes safety alerts, traffic advisories, limited radar vectoring when requested by the pilot, and sequencing at locations where procedures have been established for this purpose and/or when covered by a letter of agreement. The purpose of this service is to adjust the flow of arriving IFR and VFR aircraft into the traffic pattern in a safe and orderly manner and to provide traffic advisories to departing VFR aircraft.
Beacon
Aeronautical Beacon.
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.
BECMG
Becoming group
Bernoulli’s Principle
A principle that explains how the pressure of a moving fluid varies with its speed of motion. An increase in the speed of movement causes a decrease in the fluid’s pressure.
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 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
A transmission from one station to other stations in circumstances where two-way communication cannot be established, but where it is believed that the called stations may be able to receive the transmission.
Blind Zone
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.
Blocked
Phraseology used to indicate that a radio transmission has been distorted or interrupted due to multiple simultaneous radio transmissions.
Boundary Lights
Lights defining the perimeter of an airport or landing area.
Braking Action (Good, Fair, Poor, Or Nil)
A report of conditions on the airport movement area providing a pilot with a degree/quality of braking that he/she might expect. Braking action is reported in terms of good, fair, poor, or nil.
Braking Action Advisories
When tower controllers have received runway braking action reports which include the terms “fair,” “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” on the ATIS broadcast. During the time braking action advisories are in effect, ATC will issue the latest 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 volunteered by controllers. Pilots should also be prepared to provide a descriptive runway condition report to controllers after landing.
Broadcast
Transmission of information for which an acknowledgement is not expected.
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