MDA
Abbreviation with 2 meanings
| Stands for | Muscular Dystrophy Association |
|---|---|
| Meanings | 2 |
| Categories | Organizations & Companies, Transportation & Travel |
MDA has two meanings. It stands for Muscular Dystrophy Association (nonprofit) or Minimum descent altitude (aviation).
Meanings of MDA at a glance
| # | MDA stands for | Context |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Muscular Dystrophy Association | Organizations & Companies › Nonprofit |
| 2 | Minimum descent altitude | Transportation & Travel › Aviation |
1. Muscular Dystrophy Association
Organizations & Companies · Nonprofit Abbreviations
Nonprofit that funds research and provides care and support for people with muscular dystrophy, ALS and other neuromuscular diseases, including a network of specialized care centers and summer camps.
Example: Firefighters collected donations in their boots for the MDA.
Founded in 1950, it became famous for the Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon, which he hosted from 1966 to 2010. Its Fill the Boot campaign with firefighters has run for decades. In defense, MDA means the Missile Defense Agency.
2. Minimum descent altitude
Transportation & Travel · Aviation Abbreviations
Lowest altitude to which a pilot may descend on a nonprecision approach, such as a VOR or LNAV approach, without seeing the runway environment. Pilots level at the MDA and fly to the missed approach point; unlike a decision altitude, it must not be descended through.
Example: Level at the MDA of 720 feet, the crew searched for runway lights until the timer ran out at the missed approach point.
The old "dive and drive" technique of descending quickly to the MDA has been linked to controlled-flight-into-terrain accidents, so airlines now fly a continuous descent final approach (CDFA), treating the MDA much like a decision altitude. ICAO writes the combined form MDA/H for altitude and height above the threshold.
Related abbreviations
More nonprofit abbreviations
- JDRF – Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
- K of C – Knights of Columbus
- LULAC – League of United Latin American Citizens
- MADD – Mothers Against Drunk Driving
- MSF – Médecins Sans Frontières
- NA – Narcotics Anonymous
- NAACP – National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
- NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness
See all 91 nonprofit abbreviations →