Definition
A type of computer memory that retains its stored data only while electrical power is supplied. When power is removed, the contents are lost. In aircraft electronic systems, volatile memory is typically used for temporary working data that the system can rebuild or reload at startup.
Plain English
Memory that only holds onto information while it has power. As soon as the power is cut, everything stored in it disappears.
Context Anchor
Seen in aircraft engine control, monitoring, and troubleshooting systems that use electronic units to store temporary operating data.
Derivation
Volatile comes from the Latin volatilis, meaning 'flying' or 'fleeting' — the same root as 'volatile' fuels that evaporate quickly. The data behaves the same way: it vanishes the moment power is removed.
Why Pilots Care
Knowing which memory is volatile and which is non-volatile helps a technician understand why some stored faults or settings disappear after a power-down while others persist. It affects troubleshooting and how fault data is captured before shutting a system off.
Analogy
Volatile memory is like writing a note on a fogged window. It is there for the moment, but it disappears when the conditions keeping it there go away.
Intuition Check
Volatile does not mean dangerous, explosive, or related to fuel vapors here. In electronics, it means the stored information is not permanent and depends on power being present.
Example Sentence 1
Because the fault codes were held in volatile memory, the technician recorded them before disconnecting the aircraft battery.
Example Sentence 2
Fault codes stored in volatile memory must be downloaded before battery disconnection to prevent loss.