Aeronautical Terms beginning with E

Electrical Bus

A Bus Bar. An electrical power distribution point to which several circuits may be connected. It is often a solid metal strip having a number of terminals installed on it.

Electrohydraulic

Hydraulic control which is electrically actuated.

Elevator

The horizontal, movable primary control surface in the tail section, or empennage, of an airplane. The elevator is hinged to the trailing edge of the fixed horizontal stabilizer.

Emergency Locator Transmitter

A small, self-contained radio transmitter that will automatically, upon the impact of a crash, transmit an emergency signal on 121.5, 243.0, or 406.0 MHz.

Empennage

The section of the airplane that consists of the vertical stabilizer, the horizontal stabilizer, and the associated control surfaces.

Engine Pressure Ratio (EPR)

The ratio of turbine discharge pressure divided by compressor inlet pressure that is used as an indication of the amount of thrust being developed by a turbine engine.

Environmental Systems

In an aircraft, the systems, including the supplemental oxygen systems, air conditioning systems, heaters, and pressurization systems, which make it possible for an occupant to function at high altitude.

Equilibrium

A condition that exists within a body when the sum of the moments of all of the forces acting on the body is equal to zero. In aerodynamics, equilibrium is when all opposing forces acting on an aircraft are balanced (steady, unaccelerated flight conditions).

Equivalent Shaft Horsepower (ESHP)

A measurement of the total horsepower of a turboprop engine, including that provided by jet thrust.

Exhaust

The rear opening of a turbine engine exhaust duct. The nozzle acts as an orifice, the size of which determines the density and velocity of the gases as they emerge from the engine.