Civil Aviation
This government agency regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the United States.
FAA
This magnetic instrument in the cockpit always points to magnetic north.
magnetic compass
This was the first artificial satellite launched into space, sent by the Soviet Union in 1957.
Sputnik
These clouds are typically low-level and often bring steady, light rain or drizzle.
stratus clouds
This conflict saw the first widespread use of aircraft for reconnaissance and combat missions.
World War I
This document, issued by the FAA, is required for a person to legally operate an aircraft.
pilot certificate
This chart is commonly used by VFR pilots and includes topographical features, airports, and airspace boundaries.
Sectional Chart
This U.S. space agency was created in 1958 to coordinate the country’s civilian space program.
NASA
This type of front occurs when a cold air mass overtakes a warm air mass, often causing thunderstorms.
Cold Front
This military aviation innovation, developed during World War II, allowed fighter aircraft to locate enemy planes using radio waves.
radar
This four-letter code represents Des Moines International Airport under the ICAO system.
KDSM
This is the term for the direction the aircraft is pointing, regardless of wind.
Heading
This NASA mission was the first in-flight emergency that required the crew to return to earth without completing the mission.
Apollo 13
This hazardous weather phenomenon occurs when supercooled water droplets freeze on aircraft surfaces, affecting lift and control.
icing
This jet fighter, introduced during the Korean War, was the first U.S. aircraft capable of supersonic speed in level flight.
F-86 Sabre
This airspace requires IFR certification and begins at 18,000 ft.
This term describes the path over the ground an aircraft follows, factoring in wind drift.
Ground Track
This U.S. space shuttle was the first to fly in 1981 and was retired in 2011 after completing 135 missions.
Space Shuttle Columbia
This weather product provides a coded observation of current weather conditions at an airport.
METAR
This Cold War-era spy plane was designed for high-altitude reconnaissance missions and was famously used during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
U-2
These three documents must be onboard an aircraft for it to be legally operated in U.S. civil airspace.
Airworthiness Certificate, Registration Certificate, and Operating Limitations
This type of navigation uses lines of latitude and longitude to determine position and course.
dead reckoning
This U.S. robotic spacecraft, launched in 1977, has traveled beyond the heliosphere and continues to send data back to Earth.
Voyager 1
This happens when a layer of warmer air traps cooler air near the ground, potentially causing reduced visibility and turbulence.
temperature inversion
This World War II battle was the first time aircraft carriers engaged each other without the ships ever coming into direct sight of one another.
Coral Sea