Definition
A cockpit alerting system that uses sound — such as a horn, bell, buzzer, beep, or recorded voice — to warn the pilot of an unsafe condition or required action. Common examples include landing gear warning horns, stall warning horns, overspeed warnings, and cabin altitude warnings.
Plain English
A device in the cockpit that makes a noise to get the pilot's attention when something is wrong or needs checking.
Context Anchor
You may see this term in aircraft systems descriptions, cockpit warning discussions, and procedures for abnormal or unsafe conditions.
Derivation
Aural comes from the Latin auris, meaning ear. So 'aural warning' simply means a warning meant for the ears — a sound rather than a light or message on a screen.
Why Pilots Care
Provides immediate notice of critical situations even when the pilot is not looking at the instruments.
Intuition Check
Aural does not mean oral. Oral relates to the mouth or speech; aural relates to the ear and hearing.
Example Sentence 1
The aural warning device sounded a steady horn when the pilot reduced power on approach with the landing gear still retracted.
Example Sentence 2
Before landing the pilot confirmed the gear was down after hearing the aural warning device.