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    FREE FLIGHT TERMS & DEFINITIONS

    Altitude Flight: Flight at "high" altitude, as opposed to low level flight.
    Area Flight: Unrestricted flight within a prescribed area (yard, field, etc.).
    Behavioral Flight Skills: Recall, Point to point flight, wandering control, etc.
    Creance Flight: Flight restricted by a tether attached to the bird at the ankle or by body harness.
    Critical Flight Skills:  Those flight skills that are directly related to preventing the bird from becoming lost while additional skills are acquired and practiced.  These skills would include both select mechanical and select behavioral skills.  Would include: Basic mechanical skills and orientation skills as well as recall skills and physical condition.  These skills are evaluated from the perspective of the trainer.
    Desperation flights: Flights by young bird that is very intent on getting to some particular destination.  Generally, the first several flights made by the fledgling are in "desperation" to get somewhere in particular, unlike Exploratory Flights which are more for fun and with much more confidence.
    Essential Flight Skills: Those general skills the bird needs to be able to fly unrestricted from point A to a visible point B.  These skills would include mainly mechanical skills.  These skills are evaluated from the perspective of the bird.  Non essential skills would be like humans hopping or skipping or maybe the long jump.  Though useful at times, most of us could get along without them. 
    Evasive Maneuvers: Rapid side dodges and darting to avoid attack of a flying predator.
    Exploratory Flights: Flights of exploration.  These flights are different than Desperation flights in that these Exploratory flights are more for the fun of exploring the area and/or for exploring and improving flight skills .
    Flock Flight: Unrestricted flight in groups or flocks.
    Indoor Flight: Flight limited to indoor only.  Generally will mean the bird has experience with only some of the mechanical flight skills but not all that are required for outdoor flight.
    Phase 1 Training: Dynamic mechanical flight skills and somewhat static behavioral skills
    Phase 2 Training: Static mechanical flight skills and dynamic behavioral skills
    Low Level Flight: Flight at near ground level, as opposed to Altitude Flight.
    Mechanical Flight Skills: Directional control, target landing, lose altitude / bleed speed, area identification and navigation, physical condition, etc..
    Obedience Flight: Flight following cues for specific behaviors - point to point, reliable recall, pattern flying, etc..  Generally the bird is under strict verbal (or otherwise) control rather than doing it's own thing on it's own time. 
    Operant Conditioning: a set of scientific principles describing the development of behavior in which an animal "operates" on its environment, rather than the reverse.
    Pattern Flight: Flight following a particular pattern or course laid out by the trainer - on cue flight through hoops, in a circle, out and back, etc..
    Point to Point Flight: Flights from one perch or person to another particular perch or person.
    Restricted Flight: Flight that is limited by some physical device.   Includes tethered flight, indoor flight, etc.
    Tethered Flight:  Flights that are controlled and limited by a tether being attached to the bird by harness or ankle jesses.
    Unrestricted Flight: Flight outdoors that is completely without any controlling or limiting devices.  May be Supervised or Unsupervised.

    EMAIL ABBREVIATIONS

    BTW - by the way
    FFT - food for thought
    FWIW - for what it's worth
    FYA - for your amusement
    FYI - for your information
    IME - in my experience
    IMHO - in my humble opinion
    IMNSHO - in my not so humble opinion
    IMO - in my opinion
    IOW - in other words
    LOL - laughing out loud (once in a while also used as 'Lots of Luck')
    OTOH - on the other hand
    PC - politically correct
    PMFJI - pardon me for jumping in
    POV - point of view
    ROTFL - rolling on the floor laughing
    ROTFLMAO - rolling on the floor laughing my Amazon off? 
    RSN - real soon now
    S/O - significant other
    TIA - thanks in advance
    TIC - tongue in cheek (joking)
    TOL - thinking out loud
    TTFN - ta ta for now
    TTYL - talk to you later
    TTYS - talk to you soon
    YMMV - your mileage may vary

    TYPES OF BIRDS ABBREVIATED

    B&G - Blue and Gold Macaw
    BC - Blue Crown Conure
    BE2 - Bare Eyed Cockatoo
    BFA - Blue Front Amazon
    BP2 - Black Palm Cockatoo
    BSL - Blue Streak Lory
    C2 - Citron Cockatoo
    CAG - Congo African Grey
    CM - Catalina Macaw
    D2 - Ducorps Cockatoo
    DYHA - Double Yellow Head Amazon
    E2 - Eleanora Cockatoo
    FIDS - Feathered Kids
    G2 - Goffins Cockatoo
    GC - Green Cheeked Conure
    GCC - Gold Capped Conure
    GCP - Grey Cheeked Parakeet
    GE - Grand Eclectus
    GSC - Greater Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
    GW - Green Wing Macaw
    HM - Hahns Macaw
    HMC - Half Moon Conure
    HYM - Hyacinth Macaw
    Keet - Parakeet
    LB - Lovebird
    LCA - Lilac Crowned Amazon
    LSC - Lessor Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
    M2 - Moluccan Cockatoo
    MBC - Maroon Belled Conure
    MGM - Miligold Macaw
    MM - Military Macaw
    MM2 - Major Mitchell (Leadbeater) Cockatoo
    MRHA - Mexican Red Head Amazon
    MSC - Medium Sulphur Crested Cockatoo
    OWA - Orange Winged Amazon
    PC - Painted Conure
    PFLB - Peachface Lovebird
    RB2 - Rose Breasted Cockatoo
    RLA - Red Lored Amazon
    RM - Ruby Macaw
    RSE - Red Sided Eclectus
    RV2 - Red Vented Cockatoo
    SIE - Soloman Island Eclectus
    SM - Scarlet Macaw
    T2 - Triton Cockatoo
    TAG - Timneh African Grey
    Tiel - Cockatiel
    Too - Cockatoo
    U2 - Umbrella Cockatoo
    Umbie - Umbrella Cockatoo
    VE - Vosmaeri's Eclectus
    WFA - White Fronted Amazon
    WF - White Faced Cockatiel
    YCM - Yellow Collared Macaw
    YFA - Yellow Fronted Amazon
    YNA - Yellow Naped Amazon