freighter

Freighters are either purpose-built or converted from passenger airframes, and the converted ones extend the life of types long retired from passenger service — which is why a cargo apron is often where the oldest and most interesting airframes on a field are parked. Many operate at night, so a cargo ramp rewards a long lens in the early morning.

Nearby in Aviation

• flare — The nose-up check just before touchdown that arrests the descent and sets the aircraft onto its main wheels.
• flight level — An altitude expressed in hundreds of feet on the standard altimeter setting, used above the transition altitude.
• gate — The terminal door a flight boards from, and by extension the parking stand it is attached to.
• glideslope — The ILS component that defines the descent angle to the runway, usually three degrees.