Technical names are words related to specified categories. The dictionary does not include technical names as approved words, because there are too many, and each manufacturer uses different technical names. STE gives you a list of categories, with examples, to help you use technical names correctly.

Words are technical names if you can include them in one of these 19 categories:

1. Names in the official parts information (for example, Illustrated Parts Catalog or engineering drawing):
Bolt, cable, clip, conductor, contact, engine, ferry tank, filter, hatch, indicator, light, logo, oil seal, prelubricated seal, pipe, propeller, retractor link, screw, switch, transceiver

2. Names of vehicles or machines and locations on them:

Aircraft, aircraft carrier, airframe, airplane, bicycle, cabin, car, cargo compartment, cargo hold, cockpit, deck, engine room, fuselage, helicopter, galley, lifeboat, overhead panel, ship, submarine, tank, train, truck, wing, wing root

3. Names of tools and support equipment, their parts and locations on them:

Access ladder, blade, brush, cap, chock, clamp, cover, display, file, gauge (gage), handle, jack, label, rigging pin, roller, rope, rung, shaft, stand, tag, test rig, torque wrench, trestle

4. Names of materials, consumables, and unwanted material:

Acid, adhesive, aluminum alloy, ammunition, compound, copper, debris, detergent, dirt, disinfectant, dust, foam, foreign object, fuel, grease, oil, paint, penetrant spray, plastic, primer, sealant, sealing, soap, stainless steel, tape, waste, water, wire

5. Names of facilities, infrastructure, their parts, and locations:

Airport, apron, base, building, camp, dock, engine shop floor, flight simulator, gate, hangar, port, service bay, shop

6. Names of systems, components and circuits, their functions, configurations, and parts:

Air conditioning, amplifying circuit, armament, audio, aural warning system, collapsed position, exhaust, flight management, hardware, inhibiting signal, injection, inlet, input frequency, latch, pedal, power unit, pump, reverse mode, reverse position, standby mode, upright position, vent

7. Mathematical, scientific, and engineering terms:

Acceleration, allowance, average, burr, capacitance, carbon, category, cavitation, center, circle, coefficient, configuration, conversion, count, critical temperature, curve, cycle, defect, degree, deceleration, density, diameter, displacement, duty cycle, elapsed time, electricity, energy, exponent, failure, ferry flight, flutter, force, geometry, graph, gravity, hardness, heat treatment, idle speed, ignition, incidence, inhibition, instrumentation, interference, issue, light, line replaceable unit, load, loss, modification, momentum, motoring, overhaul, oversized hole, oxygen, performance, phase, polarity, power, pressure, process, radius, rating, ratio, reduction, resistance, scan, shutdown, signal, stall, standard, stiffness, strength, suction, temperature, tension, thread, tightness, torque, voltage

8. Navigation and geographic terms:

Air, altitude, attitude, axis, bank, clearance, climb, coordinates, critical approach, datum, delay, deviation, drag, east, France, glideslope, gradient, heading, landing, Lima, north, pitch, roll, skid, south, west

9. Numbers, units of measurement and time:

92, 303, Ampere (A), Degree (°), First, half, hour (h), kilogram (kg), knot, meter (m), mile, minute ('), month, ohm (Ω), one, one-quarter, second (''), second (s), second, square inch (sq.in.), spring, third, three, year, winter, zero

10. Quoted text such as that on placards, labels, signs, markings, and display units:
Abort button, EXIT sign, INOP system, OXYGEN pushbutton switch, ON position, NEXT button, FAULT legend, NO STEP marking, FASTEN SAFETY BELT sign, WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING sign

11. Names of persons, groups, or organizations:

Air traffic control, captain, commander, copilot, crew, crew chief, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), manufacturer, military, operator, Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA)

12. Parts of the body:

Blood, digestive system, ear, eyes, hair, hand, head, lung, mouth, skin, stomach

13. Common personal effects:

Cigarette lighter, clothing, food, footwear, high-heeled shoes, jewelry, lipstick, matches, nail scissors, perfume, shampoo

14. Medical terms:

Allergy, aspirin, asthma, blood poisoning, breathing, circulation, dermatitis, diabetes, dizziness, headache, heart rate, medication, nausea, pneumonia, pregnancy, pulse, skin irritation

15. Names of official documents and parts of documentation (this includes manuals, technical records, standards, specifications, and regulations):

Acceptance Test, Allowable Damage, attention, caution, chapter, Checklist, Class, Cleaning, Compass Correction Card, danger, data module, Description and Operation, diagram, engine logbook, Federal Aviation Regulations, Fault Isolation, figure, flow chart, font, Functional Test, Ice and Rain Protection, Inspection/Check, letter, maintenance planning, maintenance practice, maintenance records, Normal Braking, note, notice, packaging, page, paragraph, parentheses, post-flight report, post-mod, pre-mod, preservation, reference, Removal/Installation, Repair Scheme, section, Service Bulletin, Standard Practices Manual, storage, Structural Repair Manual, table, test procedure, transportation, valid welding certificate, warning

16. Environmental and operational conditions:
Atmosphere, cloud, day, daylight, ice, hail, humidity, lightning, moisture, night, rain, sand, snow, storm, turbulence, volcanic ash, wind

17. Colors:

Beige, cyan blue, dark brown, magenta, light green, orange, red, white, yellow

18. Damage terms:

Buckle, chafing, corrosion, crack, crack propagation, deformation, dent, discoloration, distortion, erosion, fracture, fraying, galling, kink, nick, score, scratch, stain, spurious fault message

19. Information technology and telephony terms:

Arrow, backup, backup file, bookmark, cursor, database, dialog check box, e-mail, field, file, firewall, HTML, icon, interface, internet, laptop, memory, menu, mouse, network, operating system, phone, pre-loaded software, smartphone, status bar, tablet, toolbar, touchscreen, update, voice mail, XML

The listed technical names are only examples. This is not the complete list of all possible technical names.