Definition
Small printed paper strips used by air traffic controllers to track each aircraft under their control. Each strip carries the flight's identifying information — call sign, aircraft type, route, altitude, departure and destination — and is updated by hand as the flight progresses. Controllers arrange the strips in holders to keep an organized, at-a-glance picture of every aircraft they are working.
Plain English
Paper slips that air traffic controllers use to keep track of each flight they are handling. One strip per aircraft, with all the key details about that flight written on it.
Context Anchor
Seen in air traffic control operations, especially when describing how controllers organize and track aircraft they are handling.
Why Pilots Care
Accurate flight strips allow controllers to maintain safe separation and issue timely instructions, directly affecting flight safety and efficiency.
Analogy
A flight strip is like a small job card for one aircraft. It gives the controller the essential details needed to manage that aircraft safely.
Intuition Check
Do not think of flight strips as pieces of the aircraft or parts of a route. In this context, they are controller records used to track a flight.
Example Sentence 1
The tower controller updated the flight strips as each departure rolled onto the runway.
Example Sentence 2
During a busy arrival sequence, the team arranged the flight strips in order to keep departures and arrivals properly spaced.