Definition
A portable or stationary external power source used to supply electrical power to an aircraft while it is on the ground, allowing systems to be operated and engines to be started without drawing on the aircraft's own battery.
Plain English
A wheeled cart or fixed unit that plugs into the aircraft and feeds it electricity while it sits on the ramp, so the crew can run avionics, lights, and start the engines without flattening the battery.
Context Anchor
Seen during preflight, maintenance, engine start, or cockpit equipment checks when the aircraft is parked and connected to external power.
Why Pilots Care
It lets crews keep essential systems powered without running engines, saving fuel, reducing noise, and avoiding battery drain during long ground times.
Analogy
Like plugging a laptop into a wall outlet instead of running it on battery -- the aircraft can do everything it needs to do on the ground without draining its own internal power.
Intuition Check
Do not read “ground power” as power coming from the ground itself. It means an outside power source used while the aircraft is on the ground.
Example Sentence 1
Before starting the engines on a cold morning, the crew connected a ground power unit to keep the avionics running while they completed their checks.
Example Sentence 2
With the ground power unit connected, the pilots could run the air conditioning and avionics checks without starting an engine.