TS 2560

TS 2560 is a terminology standard that brings together the terms and symbols used to describe an aircraft’s motion relative to the air. In flight dynamics, this perspective matters because an aircraft is not only tracked against the ground but also evaluated against the surrounding air mass, where key quantities such as speed, attitude, and sideslip are commonly defined.

Reference frame used in flight dynamics

The standard’s focus is the motion of an aircraft in still air or in an atmosphere moving translationally at constant velocity relative to the earth. In general technical terms, this is a fundamental reference for aerodynamic analysis, because lift, drag, angle of attack, and related concepts are usually expressed through the aircraft’s relationship to the airflow. A common vocabulary and symbol set helps engineers, authors, and analysts avoid ambiguity in design, simulation, and documentation.

What this document contributes

The scope clearly shows that the document covers basic flight-dynamics terms and symbols, not calculation procedures, numerical limits, or test methods. Published as equivalent to ISO 1151:1972, it serves to align technical language used in aeronautics with a shared convention. Standards of this kind improve consistency when the same physical quantity might otherwise be labeled or symbolized differently across organizations or publications.

• Standardizes core concepts describing aircraft motion relative to air.
• Supports consistent symbol use in flight dynamics and aerodynamics.
• Assumes still air or an atmosphere translating at constant velocity.
• Provides terminology alignment rather than an analytical method.
• This TSE record is withdrawn and remains useful as a historical reference.