I’m not an expert in airplanes and I’m not even a pilot, but even I know that most airport runways are not made of tarmac. They’re made of asphalt, which is a different substance. Even some newer ones are made of concrete. But every time you’ll watch a news report about planes at an airport they’ll say “on the tarmac.” It’s not even slang among pilots. It’s slang among journalists.
I know I know it’s not super important but it annoys the shit out of me every time I hear it.
I don’t think this was ever meant as a description of the substance, but location. Like, you wouldn’t say someone is waiting on the concrete or “I drove down the asphalt with my car”.
…what? But you wouldn’t say tarmac either for your example. Youd say road.
Yeah, that’s the point. “Tarmac” does not refer to the substance, because pretty much nowhere else would you describe the position of a person or object by the substance it’s standing on. It’s just a generalized term for “where planes go bssshhwww”, whether that’s the taxiway or whatever isn’t relevant in these cases.
I don’t really care that it’s a generalized term for where the planes go. My comment was about how it’s just wrong. Nobody in the aviation industry calls it tarmac. It’s what journalists call it when they can’t be bothered to learn the right terminology.
For the record people in my area do actually call their driveway “the asphalt” and I have heard them call it such even if it literally was not asphalt so ymmv lol
Journalists communicate to laymen, and the most common name of the area you’re referring to is tarmac. Personally I think it would be worse practice to refer to it as the apron, which is apparently the correct word, because it would be confusing to the audience.
I’m not an expert in airplanes and I’m not even a pilot, but even I know that most airport runways are not made of tarmac. They’re made of asphalt, which is a different substance. Even some newer ones are made of concrete. But every time you’ll watch a news report about planes at an airport they’ll say “on the tarmac.” It’s not even slang among pilots. It’s slang among journalists.
I know I know it’s not super important but it annoys the shit out of me every time I hear it.
I don’t think this was ever meant as a description of the substance, but location. Like, you wouldn’t say someone is waiting on the concrete or “I drove down the asphalt with my car”.
…what? But you wouldn’t say tarmac either for your example. Youd say road.
If it’s about location then they should say runway, taxiway, gate, hangar, etc.
Yeah, that’s the point. “Tarmac” does not refer to the substance, because pretty much nowhere else would you describe the position of a person or object by the substance it’s standing on. It’s just a generalized term for “where planes go bssshhwww”, whether that’s the taxiway or whatever isn’t relevant in these cases.
I don’t really care that it’s a generalized term for where the planes go. My comment was about how it’s just wrong. Nobody in the aviation industry calls it tarmac. It’s what journalists call it when they can’t be bothered to learn the right terminology.
For the record people in my area do actually call their driveway “the asphalt” and I have heard them call it such even if it literally was not asphalt so ymmv lol
Journalists communicate to laymen, and the most common name of the area you’re referring to is tarmac. Personally I think it would be worse practice to refer to it as the apron, which is apparently the correct word, because it would be confusing to the audience.