Aerodrome, airport and airfield. Hmmm.

At one point an airport was considered an aerodrome with port facilities i.e. Customs suitable for international flight. Anything without these was called an airfield.

Aerodrome is a more ancient (and lovely) name - that Sir George would probably use exclusively over the more recent variants. ;)

ICAO appears to favour Aerodrome, as does the AIP.

Our cousins do seem to have cornered some aspects for themselves, viz:-
Left hand drive
Yellow centreline taxiway markings and blue edge markings (as on their roads)
Switches that are up for "on"
The date format used in Flight Plans

still, as they fathered the bicycle makers from Ohio I suppose it's fair enough.

Sir George - had the pleasure of seeing your aerial carriage in flight some years ago.
http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargra...r-mono_350.jpg

The strange object in the background appears to have slipped through a loophole in the space-time continuum.

Mike

I was taught many years ago that an AIRFIELD is that part of an AERODROME on which aircraft manoeuvre. An AERODROME comprises the AIRFIELD, plus hangars, technical and administrative buildings, and an AIRPORT is an AERODROME which is open to public air traffic.

In Service parlance, a STATION includes an AIRFIELD, a TECHNICAL SITE and a DOMESTIC SITE.

All aeroplanes are aircraft, but not all aircraft are aeroplanes. It amuses me to hear glider pilots occasionally refer to visiting aeroplanes as "fixed wing aircraft". Would you like to fly a glider without....?

And it's AUTOGIRO if your name's Cierva, AUTOGYRO if you're a Wallis, GYROPLANE if you are of the Bensen persuasion. You pays your money and you takes your choice!

Rattus.

And why do you need an ADF (Automatic Direction Finder) to find your way to a NDB (a Non Directional Beacon)??.. Sorry!

UV

I thought that the reason Aerodromes were so named was because the aircraft flown at the time were not able to deal very well with cross winds so a large circular area was used so they could take off and land into wind. These were similar in shape to the venues used for the other popular sport of the day, the Velodrome used for bicycle racing .
From the Latin Dromus - meaning racecourse.
The cousins not being so well up on the classics simply called them Airfields.

Further to the helo/chopper etc:

I believe our military cousins refer to helicopters as either aeroplane or cab. The later seems appropriate to what I fly at least - it really is the London cab of the skies.

This struck a chord with me ...

I've noticed that when I'm in America, a hear myself talking rather deliberately about an Aeroplane. Back here, it's just a plane.

Airs and graces?

However, Dubtrub, we do have the metal Plumbum, to make a somewhat leaden reply.

Fascinating stuff. := You're all wrong about what an "Aerodrome" was, though... :cool:

This doesn't work when written rather than spoken. I was admonished by our CFI thus:

PLANE..?! It's an AEROplane!! A plain is that upon which the Wildebeast roam!!

DubTrub
It is not that the Americans did not spell things with the "ium" ending rather that as Mike Cross says, this is how Davies ended up spelling it and us British users changed it to fit in with the endings that were already there that the US used as well for all the other elements at that time.
We could of course totaly confuse this by using Davies first term of alumium :confused:

Learned ladies & gents, how do a bunch of old sticklers react to 'plane? Is the apostrophe seen to be hedging your bets and therefore bad form or does it atone for the sin of abbreviation?

And, if so, how can I imply it's presence in verbal communication?

:confused:

Penguina,

I think you know the answer to that question!:hmm:

TPK:ok:

I feel the spirit of applied pedantry displayed above warrants mention of the use of 'Yanks' in connection (or connexion) with our friends over the pond.

As some of the more colourful (colorful) characters I have met there live well south of the Mason-Dixon Line, I learned long ago not to apply the term to any but them fancy folks up north.

To return to the topic, my aeroplane flies me at genteel speeds befitting our combined age. This thread reminds me of another defining aviator/ pilot. Excellent stuff.

A glorious excuse for aering our opinions.....

CC
(probably not 'Aviatrix')
:ok:

Whilst on the subject why are seaplanes called flyingboats.

In navy terms a boat is a submarine, designed to travel underwater, whereas I know of no aircraft with the same capabilities.

Should not seaplanes be called flyingships, or is even seaplane the correct name?

Southender

While it is true that the RN refer to submarines as boats it does not mean that all boats are submarines, viz ship's boat, e.g. pinnace, tender, cutter gig.

I wouldn't get too hung up on RN customs, they have some that are passing strange.

My understanding is:-

Seaplane - can land on water
Flying boat - derives the bulk of its flotation from the hull
Floatplane - derives its flotation from floats


Incidentally, anyone know the meaning of the expression "Getting out at Fratton"? A virtual pint for the first correct answer.

MC

'Getting out at Fratton'


Same as 'Getting off at Cottingham'

Can I have my pint now please : we shouldn't let c***** interrupt us.

Safe (very safe) flying.

Cusco

The Americans spell aluminium \'aluminium\', just like we do.

It\'s just that they don\'t know how to pronounce it.

In the same way that J Dubya talks about \'nookyular\' weapons.


Ducks and awaits visit from CIA

Cusco

apols. for all the backward slashes: can't get rid of 'em

"Getting on at Marylebone" in my day

Cusco

Enjoy your pint!
http://mrc0001.users.btopenworld.com...ding_glass.gif

Getting ON at Marylebone?? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me.

I understand that at Bristol they get off at Parkway.

Mike

Don't know he really deserves it - he told us what it is the same as, but this still does not tell us (or at least me) what it means:confused: