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.

Chord Length

The length of the chord of an airfoil section between the extremities of the section.

For many airfoils, the chord is established intersecting the airfoil profile at its extremities, and the chord length is equal to the length of the chord between the points of intersection; for airfoils where the chord is established by a point or points of tangency or intersection not at the extremities, however, the chord length is considered to extend beyond either or both points, as necessary, to equal the maximum length of the profile.

FMI: http://er.jsc.nasa.gov/seh/c.html