Aviation Legal Glossary: P

Pedal: A flight control operated by pushing with feet, primarily to control yaw via the rudder in fixed-wing aircraft or thrust to tail rotor in rotary-wing aircraft; pedals are automatically controlled in modern aircraft.

Peremptory Challenge: A challenge to a particular juror that requires no reason. Normally an attorney has a limited number of these challenges.

Personnel Locating System: A basic guidance mode, providing lateral guidance to a PLS transmitter from range and bearing inputs. This equipment determines range and bearing to a personnel with a PLS transmitter; also provides range and bearing to locate ground personnel. Coded continuous or periodic interrogations of the portable ground radios are used to provide the information.

Petition: A formal request that the court take some action; a complaint.

Pilot In Command: The person who has final authority and responsibility for the operation and safety of the flight; and has been designated as pilot in command before or during the flight; and holds the appropriate category, class, and type rating, if appropriate, for the conduct of the flight.

Plaintiff: The party bringing the case against another.

Pleading: The process of making formal, written statements by the litigants. All papers filed with the court are collectively referred to as ?pleadings.?

Position Update: To cause navigation sensors, devices, or algorithms to reset position to value known to be more accurate due to inaccuracies and drift in the devices and algorithms.

Position: Location, usually in fixed earth coordinates such latitude and longitude; location, either scalar or vector, often with subscripts such as ENU or XYZ to denote source or coordinate frame.

Precedent: The value that a completed case has on deciding future cases.

Precision: Measure of exactness, possibly expressed in number of digits, for example, computed to the nearest millimeter.

Preventive Maintenance: Simple or minor preservation operations and the replacement of small standard parts not involving complex assembly operations.

Primary Flight Control System: The most basic part of the flight controls operated by a pilot, including wheel (fixed wing), yoke (fixed wing), cyclic (rotary wing), pedals (fixed wing and rotary wing), throttle (fixed wing), and collective (rotary wing).

Pro Se: On one?s own behalf; not using an attorney.

Process Serving: The method by which a defendant in a lawsuit is notified that a plaintiff has filed a suit against him.

Product Liability: A type of strict liability in which the manufacturer or seller is strictly liable for injuries caused by defective products.

Punitive Damages: Damages given for the purpose of punishing the defendant.