There are some things in aviation that really shouldn't be left to chance and happily the world has the US FAA to make sure they aren't. You know, stuff like minimum equipment lists, pre-flight safety-briefings, definitions of words - such as 'airborne' for example.
Now, some of you may have believed you were pretty confident in your understanding of what the word airborne meant. And you may well have been right, but then again, some of you may not have been. So the FAA would like to clear up the fuzziness by stating that it means: "An aircraft is considered airborne when all parts of the aircraft are off the ground." (Be honest, were you right or wrong?)
By way of illustration, here is an airborne thing:
Now, some of you may have believed you were pretty confident in your understanding of what the word airborne meant. And you may well have been right, but then again, some of you may not have been. So the FAA would like to clear up the fuzziness by stating that it means: "An aircraft is considered airborne when all parts of the aircraft are off the ground." (Be honest, were you right or wrong?)
By way of illustration, here is an airborne thing:
on September 15, 2009 6:42 PM | Reply
So an aircraft which physically loses a part, for example an engine, isn't airborne?
on September 16, 2009 12:23 PM | Reply
A helicopter on a rooftop pad is airborne?
on September 17, 2009 4:47 PM | Reply
Depends how you define 'ground' - I understand they're working on that.