Definition
A sound-based warning produced by an aircraft system to notify the pilot of a specific condition, such as an approaching stall, gear configuration issue, or autopilot disconnect. Aural alerts may take the form of tones, horns, bells, synthesized voice messages, or repeating clackers, and are designed to attract immediate attention regardless of where the pilot is looking.
Plain English
A warning sound the aircraft makes to tell the pilot something needs attention.
Context Anchor
Seen in stall recognition discussions and in cockpit warning systems, especially when the airplane uses a horn, tone, or voice warning to get the pilot’s attention.
Derivation
Aural comes from the Latin auris, meaning ear. So an aural alert is simply a warning delivered through hearing rather than something seen on a display.
Why Pilots Care
Gives immediate notice of a stall so the pilot can recover without looking at instruments or gauges.
Intuition Check
Aural does not mean oral. Oral means spoken or related to the mouth; aural means heard by the ears. An aural alert may be a horn or tone, not necessarily a voice.
Example Sentence 1
As the airplane approached the critical angle of attack, an aural alert sounded in the cockpit warning of an impending stall.
Example Sentence 2
During slow-flight maneuvers the pilot listened for the aural alert before any buffet could be felt.