I often fly. When everyone is loaded on the plane and it pulls away from the gate, then stops, people say we are stopping on the "tarmac." Yet, in an article I posted in another thread (scroll down to goofy's post for a link to the article) someone complained that "tarmacs" (which comes from "tarmacadam") are made of tar, and it is inappropriate therefore to call that parking area a "tarmac." [The definition of "tarmacadam" is: "a paving material consisting of coarse crushed stone covered with a mixture of tar and bitumen."] The complainant said, "They are properly called ramps, aprons, or taxiways. No pilot (whether student pilot or airline pilot) would ever call them tarmacs."

Is that true? I hear that word so much these days. I think I've heard the people from the airline industry call it the "tarmac," too, but I am not sure.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kalleh,

Here's the quote:

quote:

"Don't call airport parking areas 'tarmacs.'" one stickler chided. "Tarmacs are made of tar. They are properly called ramps, aprons, or taxiways. No pilot (whether student pilot or airline pilot) would ever call them tarmacs."

The wiseGEEK says:

quote:

Tarmac is a registered trademark, yet has become a widely used term to describe any kind of paved road. Many people use the term to refer to an airplane runway, due to the fact that Tarmac was used extensively to construct runways during World War II. To this day, any large paved area at an airport is commonly referred to as a tarmac, whether it was paved with Tarmac or not.

The Word Detective agrees:

quote:

Because the Tarmac process was widely employed in the construction of airstrips in World War II, "tarmac" is also often used as a synonym for the runways and other paved areas of airports.

And so does Wikipedia:

quote:

While the specific Tarmac pavement is not common in some countries today, many people use the word to refer to generic paved areas at airports, especially the airport ramp or "apron", near the terminals despite the fact that many of these areas are in fact made of concrete. This term seems to have been popularized when it became part of the news lexicon following live coverage of the Entebbe hijacking in 1976, where "Tarmac" was frequently used by the on-scene BBC reporter in describing the hijack scene. The Wick Airport at Wick in Caithness, Scotland is one of the few airports that still has a real Tarmac runway.

An apron, or ramp, is an area used for loaning/unloading, fueling, maintenance, etc. A runway is the area used for taking off and landing. A taxiway connects the runway to the apron.

These are the technical definitions and may be rigidly adhered to by pilots (I don't know if they are or not). But the general public is not so particular.

quote:

Originally posted by tinman:
Here's the quote:

quote:

"Don't call airport parking areas 'tarmacs.'" one stickler chided. "Tarmacs are made of tar. They are properly called ramps, aprons, or taxiways. No pilot (whether student pilot or airline pilot) would ever call them tarmacs."

The wiseGEEK says:

quote:

Tarmac is a registered trademark, yet has become a widely used term to describe any kind of paved road. Many people use the term to refer to an airplane runway, due to the fact that Tarmac was used extensively to construct runways during World War II. To this day, any large paved area at an airport is commonly referred to as a tarmac, whether it was paved with Tarmac or not.

The Word Detective agrees:

quote:

Because the Tarmac process was widely employed in the construction of airstrips in World War II, "tarmac" is also often used as a synonym for the runways and other paved areas of airports.

And so does Wikipedia:

quote:

While the specific Tarmac pavement is not common in some countries today, many people use the word to refer to generic paved areas at airports, especially the airport ramp or "apron", near the terminals despite the fact that many of these areas are in fact made of concrete. This term seems to have been popularized when it became part of the news lexicon following live coverage of the Entebbe hijacking in 1976, where "Tarmac" was frequently used by the on-scene BBC reporter in describing the hijack scene. The Wick Airport at Wick in Caithness, Scotland is one of the few airports that still has a real Tarmac runway.

An apron, or ramp, is an area used for loaning/unloading, fueling, maintenance, etc. A runway is the area used for taking off and landing. A taxiway connects the runway to the apron.

These are the technical definitions and may be rigidly adhered to by pilots (I don't know if they are or not). But the general public is not so particular.

Here are three sites of airport terminology:

DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms
Airport terminology
Glossary - Airport Technology

Thanks for your research, Tinman. I hadn't heard of wiseGEEK before. Is that a good site?

Perhaps the airline industry doesn't use the term "tarmac" (except for Wick Airport in Scotland) because not one of those 3 airport glossary sites you posted has "tarmac" on it. For what John Q. Public calls the "tarmac," does it seem that the best word is "taxiway?"

The airline industry needs to distinguish between the paved areas of an airport, but ordinary mortals have no such need. For them, the generic 'tarmac' suffices. Similarly, the medical profession needs to distinguish between the different bones in the human body. We just call it 'a bone in my leg' or whatever, and point to it if necessary.

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
I hadn't heard of wiseGEEK before. Is that a good site?

I had a look at the language section, and found some questionable articles like the difference between that and which, pronouns, more pronouns, literally, and this weird statement about Mansfield Park:

quote:

It should be stated that Mansfield Park is one of Austen’s least popular books, and was in general slammed by the critics during Austen’s time and thereafter. That people would quote from it is in significant dispute.

otoh, there are some good articles too.

I see your point, goofy. We've discussed "which" and "that" a number of times here, and wiseGEEK sounds a bit like Strunk and White.

quote:

Originally posted by Kalleh:
Thanks for your research, Tinman. I hadn't heard of wiseGEEK before. Is that a good site?

I have no idea. It's the first time I've heard of it, too. But the information in this article seemed pretty good.
Tarmac has pretty much been replaced with asphalt, but the word seems to be used generically to refer to any pavement.