Glossary

One term for each concept. Use the term in the first column. Do not use the words in the last column for the same meaning. A word with a note in parentheses is banned only in that meaning; it is correct in its other meanings (a “gap” between two plates, the “print” verb). Technical names (part names, parameter names, products) are always permitted; the linter reads them from .vale/technical-names.txt.

Materials and printing

Term	Meaning	Do not use
LW-PLA	The foaming lightweight PLA the airframe skins are printed in. The product is PLA Aero	foaming filament, lightweight filament, LW (in prose)
PETG	The filament for mounts, plates and tools
TPU	The flexible filament for the FC mount dampeners
bed	One print job on the printer: one or more parts printed together, such as g03	print (for one bed), job (for one bed)
plate	The layout of parts on one bed, as the slicer arranges it	build plate (for the layout)
perimeter	One wall line around the outside of a layer. The manual calls it a wall	wall (for a perimeter), shell (for a perimeter)
mirrored pair	A left part and a right part printed from one STL, one of them mirrored	copy (for a mirrored part), twin (for a mirrored part)

Airframe

Term	Meaning	Do not use
spar	A carbon tube that joins printed segments	rod, tube (for a cut spar)
carbon tube	The stock a spar is cut from	spar (before it is cut)
pultruded	Carbon tube made by pulling fibre through a die: the 8 mm and 6 mm spars
woven	Roll-wrapped carbon tube with a woven surface: the 14 mm spars	rolled, wrapped
OD	Outer diameter of a tube	diameter (alone), size (for OD)
bore	A hole in a printed part that a spar goes through	hole (for a spar hole), socket
clearance	Bore diameter minus spar OD	gap (for a bore), play (for a bore), slack
VTOL section	The printed wing segment that carries a VTOL spar and two lift motors	VTOL wing, boom section
VTOL spar	The 14 mm spar that carries two lift motors	boom
segment	One printed airframe part in the chain along a spar	section (except VTOL section), piece
CG	Centre of gravity	balance point
datum	The reference point for fore and aft positions: the nose, Y = 0	origin (for the datum), zero (for the datum)

Power and control

Term	Meaning	Do not use
lift motor	One of the four motors for vertical flight	VTOL motor, quad motor
pusher	The rear motor for forward flight	pusher motor (after first use), rear motor
elevon	A control surface that does the work of an elevator and an aileron	flap, aileron (for an elevon)
pack	The flight battery	battery (in prose after first use), LiPo (unless the chemistry matters)
FC	Flight controller	autopilot (for the board), controller (for the FC)
ESC	Electronic speed controller	speed controller
BEC	The 5 V supply built into an ESC	regulator (for the ESC’s supply)
smoke stopper	An inline fuse device for the first power-up	fuse (for the smoke stopper), current limiter

Flight and software

Term	Meaning	Do not use
transition	The change from vertical flight to forward flight, or the opposite	switchover, conversion
hover	Stationary vertical flight on the lift motors
maiden flight	The first flight of the real aircraft	first flight (for the real aircraft; a first SITL session may say “first flight”)
SITL	Software in the loop: ArduPilot on a computer with a simulated aircraft	simulator (for the whole setup)
GCS	Ground control station software, for example Mission Planner	ground station

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Source: docs/glossary.md in the repo. Edit it there; this page is generated.