Aerial

adjectiveStandard termAviation

Relating to operations, equipment, or vehicles that function in the air.

Describes anything operating in, conducted from, or related to the airspace. In aviation, it distinguishes airborne activities and equipment from their ground-based equivalents. Common applications include aerial refueling, aerial photography, and aerial firefighting, all of which require specialized aircraft and flight profiles.

Heard on the job

We'll need an aerial survey of the damage before we can send ground crews in.

Also heard as

  • airborne