Army Air Forces Statistical Digest,
World War II

Glossary

Acceptance, airplane

Receipt of legal title by the resident factory representative of the procuring party

Accident, aircraft

An event involving one or more military aircraft that occurs while the aircraft is engaged in any phase of aerial flight and which results in death or major injury to persons or damage to aircraft which requires ten or more man-hours of labor to remove, repair and replace the damaged part or assembly

Aircraft

Any type of airplane or glider.

Airframe weight

Empty weight of an airplane less the following government furnished equipment: engines, propellers, wheels, brakes, tires and tubes, auxiliary power plant, turbo-superchargers, radio receivers and transmitters, starters, batteries, generators, turrets and power-operated gun mounts.

Airplane, combat

Any type of bomber, fighter or reconnaissance airplane.

Airplane, first-line

One suited to perform the mission for which it was originally intended.

Airplane, military

One produced for the use of the armed forces or a commercial airplane seating twelve or more passengers.

Airplane, miscellaneous

One employed for such a non-tactical purpose as administrative or training flights.

Airplane, second-line

One no longer considered operational due to such factors as age and obsolescence.

Airplane, total

All types of bomber, fighter, reconnaissance, transport, trainer and communications airplanes.

Cognizance

Responsibility for negotiating for and inspecting the airplane

Delivery, airplane

Transfer of possession from the resident representative of the procuring agency to a representative of the Air Transport Command, a public carrier or another transporting agency.

Personnel in bulk allotment

Personnel authorized to AAF activities in the form of a group of individuals rather than by Tables of Organization and Equipment.

Personnel in committed units

Personnel in units manned and equipped under a Table of Organization and Equipment and scheduled to be shipped overseas at a known date.

Personnel, field students

Enlisted personnel being trained on the job to fill any air force personnel requirement except the performance of permanent duties in the Continental US.

 

Personnel in permanent party

Personnel performing regular and recurring duties in Continental US.

Personnel casualties, missing, interned and captured

Include also personnel formerly missing but returned and personnel formerly interned and captured and repatriated.

Personnel casualties, wounded and evacuated

Include also personnel formerly wounded but recovered and returned to duty.

Sortie

An airplane airborne on a mission against the enemy.

Sortie, effective

One which carries out the purpose of the mission.

Sortie, non-effective

One which for any reason fails to carry out the purpose of the mission.

Training, pre-flight

The initial training given to pilots, bombardiers, and navigators to acquaint them with the fundamentals of flight.

Training, primary

Training give to pilots subsequent to pre-flight training and consisting of military instruction, academic instruction in ground school and a specified number of hours of instruction in a single-engine trainer airplane.

Training, basic

Training given to pilots subsequent to primary training and consisting of further military and ground instruction and a specified number of hours of instruction in trainer aircraft more powerful than those used in primary training.

Training, advanced

Training given to pilots subsequent to basic training and consisting of further military, ground and flying instruction, the latter in training aircraft more powerful than those previously used.

Training, transition

Training given to pilots subsequent to advanced training and designed to teach them to fly the particular model airplane they are to fly in combat.