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ABEAM: An aircraft is “abeam” a fix, point, or object when that fix, point, or object is approximately 90 degrees to the right or left of the aircraft track. Abeam is a general position rather than a precise point.

ADS–B: a performance–based surveillance technology that is more precise than radar and consists of two different services: ADS–B Out and ADS–B In. ADS-B Out works by broadcasting information about an aircraft's GPS location, altitude, ground speed and other data to ground stations and other aircraft, once per second.

AGL: Above Ground Level (as opposed to MSL aka Mean Sea Level).

ALNOT: An ‘alert notice’ aka a request originated by a Flight Service Station (FSS) or an air route traffic control center (ARTCC) for an extensive communication search for overdue, unreported, or missing aircraft.

ATC: Air Traffic Control

CAPS : In the book I refer to a parachute system while Mari and Colin are in the Cirrus. The official name of that system is The Cirrus Airframe Parachute System (aka CAPS). It is a parachute system that deploys from a Cirrus aircraft in an emergency.

CFI : Certified Flight Instructor

CTAF: Common Traffic Advisory Frequency

FSS: Flight Service Station (Flight Service provides pilots with weather and aeronautical information through pilot briefings, flight planning, inflight advisory services, weather cameras, search and rescue initiation, aircraft emergencies, and Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs).)

IFR: Instrument Flying Rules

NTSB: National Transportation Safety Board. The NTSB is an independent federal agency that investigates civil aviation accidents in the United States as well as significant events among other modes of transportation (trains, etc.)

TAS: Traffic Advisory System. TAS is an advisory-only system that alerts pilots to nearby traffic. (TAS also stands for true airspeed, but that is not how the acronym was used in this book.)

TCAS: A traffic alert and collision avoidance system designed to reduce the incidence of mid-air collisions between aircraft.

VFR: Visual Flying Rules

7500 squawk code: used by pilots to discreetly indicate that their aircraft is experiencing a hijacking or unlawful interference.

7700 squawk code: used by pilots to indicate a general aircraft emergency.