AAAA"Anti-aircraft artillery." Pronounced "Triple A." Explosive rounds fired from cannons as a defense against aircraft. Some guns are radar-guided, others are simply sprayed into the air.AEF"Air Expeditionary Force." The current means by which the USAF combines its fighters, tankers, bombers, airlift, etc., into a total force for deployment. See article and explanation of TDYs.AFSC"Air Force Specialty Code." The alpha numeric system by which the Air Force designates career fields. For example, the basic fighter pilot AFSC is "11F"; other specialties and qualifiers can make the AFSC longer. An 11F1 is a pilot in training, while an 11F3 is a fully qualified fighter pilot, and a K11F3 is an instructor pilot. A list of basic AFSCs can be foundhere.AfterburnerCombustion in a jet engine that occurs after the primary sequence. Afterburners generally generate significant thrust at the cost of large quantities of fuel. Known as "reheat" to our English friends.AIB"Accident Investigation Board." A team of officers and specialists assigned to investigate an aircraft accident with the intent of assigning blame. Compare with SIB.ALO"Air Liaison Officer." A pilot who is temporarily removed from flying and is assigned to work with Army units to coordinate Army/Air Force operations, particularly within close range to Army units on the ground. One of several potential assignments a fighter pilot might receive. See the Air Force Assignment System portion of the article on God's Will.AMRAAM"Advanced Medium-Range Air to Air Missile." The AIM-120 is a radar-guided launch and leave missile primarily used for BVR engagements.AWACS"Airborne Warning and Control System." A modified 707, the E-3 Sentry serves primarily as an airborne controller by coordinating friendly aircraft operations. AWACS also assists fighters with the location andBBalls to the WallTo go as fast as possible; max effort. Various internet sources claim the source of this phrase is actually benign. Supposedly, some vehicle's throttles were topped by a ball (going back before aviation even to the steam engine, in some stories). Thus, pushing the throttle forward as far as it would go--and thus asking for maximum power--was "balls to the wall."It doesn't matter if the stories are true or not. In fighter parlance, anything that sounds remotely like an illicit bodily reference is a popular idiom.Base XA phenomenon in the Air Force where members cannot help but tell everyone about how good it was at some other base at which they were assigned. For example, "At Base X, we used to do it this way...." See the relevant article.B-CourseBasic Course. The introductory training course for a specific fighter aircraft. I.e., the F-16 B-course or the F-15 B-course.BeansSlang for the BDU-33, a 20lb training bomb.BingoThe pre-briefed fuel state at which an aircraft needs to begin its return to base in order to land with the pre-planned fuel. Also used jokingly; ie, being "bingo TP" may mean someone is almost out of toilet paper. SeeJoker.Bitching BettyThe automated female voice that provides audible in-cockpit warnings in some fighter aircraft. "Bob" replaces "Betty" in a male voice in some aircraft. See an external related article. Also a derogatory term for a person who complains or talks too much.Black BoxLiterally, the data recorder that contains the computer memory and records all aspects of a flight, most often used in post-crash analysis.Figuratively, anything a fighter pilot doesn't understand the operation of (and doesn't care about). Synonymous with black magic, Magic 8 ball, or thermos (i.e., how does a thermos know to keep hot things hot and cold things cold?).B-LOC"Boredom-induced Loss of Consciousness." Pronounced "Bee-Lock," the term is a play on G-LOC and may briefed as a "threat" in terribly non-entertaining or repetitive situations.BVR"Beyond Visual Range." The ability to engage an enemy aircraft prior to being able to see him.B-WordWhat an F-15C pilot calls a "bomb," since talking about Air-to-Ground is taboo in the Eagle community.CCallsignFlight: An airborne aircraft uses a "callsign" as an identifier when talking to the controllers. This is generally a word and number combination. For example, "Killer 01." If Killer was a flight of four aircraft, the flight members would be numbered in succession; ie, 01, 02, 03, 04.Pilot: A pilot's "tactical nickname." In the Air Force, these names are "given" during a Naming. See the article on one fighter pilot's naming.CAS"Close Air Support." Attacking ground targets in close proximity to friendly ground units.CentrifugeA device with a simulated cockpit on the end of a long arm that spins at extraordinary speed, allowing a pilot to experience controlled "G" forces. See the story of one pilot's centrifuge experience.CGOC"Company Grad。