E Echo

Echo - Designator for the letter "E" in the International Phonetic Alphabet.

elevators - Control surfaces on the horizontal part of the tail that are used to make the airplane pitch. Pulling back on the control stick will raise the elevators. This causes the aircraft to pitch and increase the angle of attack.

emissions - The gas given off when an engine burns fossil fuels during combustion.

EFAS (En Route Flight Advisory Service) - Commonly known as Flight Watch, this services "real-time" weather advisories from an aircraft's actual position and altitude to the destination.

empennage - The parts of the airplane located at the tail end. This includes the horizontal stabilizer, the vertical stabilizer, and elevators.

en route - French for "on the way". It is the flight phase during which an aircraft is cruising at its highest altitude. This phase of flight can last from a few minutes to many hours.

en route chart - (1) Chart of air routes in specific areas that shows the exact location of electronic aids to navigation, such as radio-direction-finder stations, radio- and radar-marker beacons, and radio-range stations. (2) aeronautical chart that is designed to be used between terminal areas. The two classes of such charts are En Route Low-Altitude Charts and En Route High-Altitude Charts.

En Route Flight Advisory Service - See EFAS.

En Route High Altitude Charts - These charts provide aeronautical information for en route instrument navigation (IFR) in the high altitude stratum. Information includes the portrayal of jet routes, identification and frequencies of radio aids, selected airports, distances, time zones, special use airspace, and related information.

engine - A machine that uses combustion to create energy. An airplane will normally either have jet engines or engines that drive one or more propellers. In either case, the engines provide the thrust force that pushes the airplane through the air.

engineer - Someone who designs and builds mechanical or electrical devices. For example, an aeronautical engineer designs and builds aircraft. To do this, an aeronautical engineer must study aeronautics and understand fluid dynamics and aerodynamics.

enplane - The process of passengers boarding an aircraft.

ETA (Estimated Time of Arrival) - The time the flight is estimated to arrive at the gate or its actual touchdown time.

ETD (Estimated Time of Departure) - The time the flight is estimated to depart from the gate, or its actual takeoff time.

ETE (Estimated Time En Route) - The estimated flying time from departure point to destination (takeoff to landing).

ETMS (Enhanced Traffic Management System) - ETMS is a computer network used to collect and display domestic and foreign flight data, plus weather information, to flight planners at the FAA National Traffic Control Center, and to regional air traffic control facilities and commercial airlines. ETMS is the FAA's chief tool for managing air traffic flow and maximizing use of the National Airspace System.

error - An aviation occurrence that deviates from what is expected and is easily and safely corrected.

experiment - A set of controlled procedures designed to test an idea or hypothesis. For example, a flight simulation engineer will design an experiment to test whether or not a pilot can control an airplane with a new wing design.