Tarmac

Timbeck2

Timbeck2

Final Approach
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Timbeck2
For those like me who get annoyed with people who use the term to denote any surface on an airport...

Tar·mac
ˈtärˌmak/
noun
trademark in UK
noun: tarmac; noun: Tarmac; plural noun: Tarmacs
material used for surfacing roads or other outdoor areas, consisting of crushed rock mixed with tar.
a runway or other area surfaced with tarmac.


A road using just crushed stone was called Macadam named for the guy who invented it. Then they came along and mixed tar with it and viola, tarmac was born.
 
Prob best not to settle our definitions on that which we were taught, or have 'always known them to be'....because if enough time passes, things get redefined by popular media or repeated misrepresentation! (when I studied language, we were forbidden to use the 'word' "ain't" but now it's found in a lot of dictionaries)


Tarmac, term used for any paved surface of an airport

(lowercase) a road, airport runway, parking area

an area of ground covered with a hard surface, esp. the areas of an airport where aircraft park, land, and take off:


a tarmacadam road, apron, or runway

(Wiktionary)area of an airport where planes park or maneuver.

Edit - well looks like the links did not work as planned but each of those would refute the idea of how aviators typically use the word.
 
This one looks pretty cool

2012_09_Page_48_Image_0001.jpg
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Prob best not to settle our definitions on that which we were taught, or have 'always known them to be'....because if enough time passes, things get redefined by popular media or repeated misrepresentation! (when I studied language, we were forbidden to use the 'word' "ain't" but now it's found in a lot of dictionaries)


Tarmac, term used for any paved surface of an airport

(lowercase) a road, airport runway, parking area

an area of ground covered with a hard surface, esp. the areas of an airport where aircraft park, land, and take off:


a tarmacadam road, apron, or runway

(Wiktionary)area of an airport where planes park or maneuver.

Edit - well looks like the links did not work as planned but each of those would refute the idea of how aviators typically use the word.
Click to expand...

Of course Wikipedia is written by.....
 
Ghery said:
"anyone". Just because you see it in Wikipedia doesn't make it true. And just because the media keeps misusing a term doesn't mean it should be accepted.
Click to expand...
They also provide their sources at the bottom of the page if you scroll far enough down. Not everything will be 100% accurate but it can be a decent starting point.

Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
 
Actually Tar Macadem was a company started by a man named Hooley...an interesting discovery from an accident from a foundry I believe...but have to admit poor use of the word. McAdam...was responsible for Macadam
 
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haha, good luck with that, guys! I gave up on my fixed-in-stone-vocabulary by necessity years ago. It was a tough one but I had bigger battles.
Like pronunciation and spelling! lol!
 
Hey I am the guy who has an company called Mackem Aviation LLC....and British
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
Prob best not to settle our definitions on that which we were taught, or have 'always known them to be'....because if enough time passes, things get redefined by popular media or repeated misrepresentation! (when I studied language, we were forbidden to use the 'word' "ain't" but now it's found in a lot of dictionaries)


Tarmac, term used for any paved surface of an airport

(lowercase) a road, airport runway, parking area

an area of ground covered with a hard surface, esp. the areas of an airport where aircraft park, land, and take off:


a tarmacadam road, apron, or runway

(Wiktionary)area of an airport where planes park or maneuver.

Edit - well looks like the links did not work as planned but each of those would refute the idea of how aviators typically use the word.
Click to expand...
Languages change.

Chaucer was written ~1400; Shakespeare wrote his plays ~1600. Unless you know Middle English, you aren't able to read Canterbury Tales as it was originally written. Yet most of us could read and understand Shakespeare's plays. The point is the English language changed a lot in less than 200 years, to be incomprehensible to those born at the end of that time period.
 
Well, I've heard the term used for airports. Maybe it was in Europe, I dunno. Canada? :dunno:
 
I have heard the term used far more by the media and other non aviation people than by people actually involved in aviation.
 
Maybe we should tarmac and feather anyone misusing the term tarmac.
 
I thought it was the way people talked in old movies..... "Don't step in the hot tar, mac...."
 
Everskyward said:
I have never understood why the common use annoys people.
Click to expand...

That.


Dude, Tarmacadam was used for a long time in the early days of aviation, so it's not surprising that it stuck. Of course we know it's not actually tarmac, but the fact is, even though it's not an official term, way more people in the world know what you are referring to when you say tarmac than if you say ramp or apron. Heck, ramp is an outdated word also, but it's still commonly used and makes no sense for anything other than a seaplane base. Who cares?
 
I care Drew....I care. :(

But not as bad as someone who says, "we sat on the runway for thirty minutes before our gate opened up."
 
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