Why do pilots say Charlie?

Charlie-Charlie is a fancy substitution for a standard affirmative. It comes from the convention of abbreviating Correct/Yes by letter C in codes. It was early standardized and used at sea since 1857.


Why do pilots say Niner instead of nine?

Aviators often speak “pilot English” to avoid miscommunications over radio transmission. “Tree” for instance, means three, “fife” is the number five and “niner” means nine, says Tom Zecha, a manager at AOPA. The variations stemmed from a desire to avoid confusion between similar-sounding numbers, he says.

Why do pilots say foxtrot?

"Fox" is short for "foxtrot", the NATO phonetic designation for the letter "F", which is short for "fire". The radio call announcing that a weapon has been fired is intended to help avoid friendly fire, alerting other pilots to avoid maneuvering into the path of the munition.


Why do pilots say alpha?

The ICAO phonetic alphabet has assigned the 26 code words to the 26 letters of the English alphabet in alphabetical order: Alfa, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliett, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-ray, Yankee, Zulu.

Why do pilots say Roger?

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) officially defines the word "roger" to mean "I have received all of your transmission." For example, a pilot would say "roger" in response to an advisory from Air Traffic Control.


Pilot´s alphabet TRAINING video with pictures by Captain Joe



Why do pilots say Mayday?

The "mayday" procedure word was conceived as a distress call in the early 1920s by Frederick Stanley Mockford, officer-in-charge of radio at Croydon Airport, England. He had been asked to think of a word that would indicate distress and would easily be understood by all pilots and ground staff in an emergency.

Why do we say Mayday?

Owing to the difficulty of distinguishing the letter “S” by telephone, the international distress signal “S.O.S.” will give place to the words “May-day”, the phonetic equivalent of “M'aidez”, the French for “Help me.”

What does Romeo mean in flight?

As it was not possible to transmit a Morse-coded “R,” they adopted the word “Roger,” which at the time was the phonetic alphabet version of the letter “R,” later changed to "Romeo." Today, it is still the simple acknowledgment that a pilot or controller has received and understood your last transmission.


What is the hardest runway to land at?

#1 Airport of Lukla, Nepal

This airport was renamed Tenzing-Hillary Airport because the two people conquered Mount Everest for the first time. Here's a list of some special information about this airport. This airport is at an altitude of 2438 meters or 8000 feet.

What does tango mean in aviation?

Graphical AIRMETs, or G-AIRMETs, show areas having terrain (Sierra), turbulence (Tango), and icing (Zulu) hazards.

Why do pilots say pan?

The term pan pan, besides being known as airplane talk, is used in radiotelephone communications to signify that there is an urgency on board a boat, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle. It is referred to when it is a state of urgency, but not when there is an immediate danger to a person's life or to the vessel itself.


Why do pilots say Victor?

One of the phrases they learn is "easy victor" which means prepare to evacuate. According to a former flight attendant, the pilot won't just blurt it out. There will be some warning and you'll know there is a problem long before. So you shouldn't worry about listening out for it when you're on board, he said.

Why do pilots say knots?

To make sure that there is no confusion while in the aircraft, wind speed, airspeed, and ground speed are all given in knots, while distance is given in nautical miles. This makes estimated arrival times and map reading much easier to calculate for a pilot.

Why do pilots say butter?

The term butter comes from the texture of regular butter. It is smooth and slick, how a good landing is. To butter the landing, when you land you have to keep the nose up by flying just above stall speed to keep the plane at a neutral rate of altitude speed.


Why do pilots say Fox 3?

At that time “FOX 1” signified a semi-active radar missile (such as the AIM-7 Sparrow). “FOX 2” signified an infrared missile (such as the AIM-9 Sidewinder), and “FOX-3” indicated you had switched to guns.

Why do pilots say 5x5?

The phrase "five by five" can be used informally to mean "good signal strength" or "loud and clear". An early example of this phrase was in 1946, recounting a wartime conversation.

Why can't pilots look at the ground?

spatial disorientation, the inability of a person to determine his true body position, motion, and altitude relative to the earth or his surroundings. Both airplane pilots and underwater divers encounter the phenomenon.


Which is No 1 airport in world?

1. Istanbul Airport (IST) For centuries, Istanbul has sat at the crossroads of international trade and travel, so it's only natural that the Turkish city has finally stepped into its position as a global transport hub in the age of air travel as well.

Why are all runways 27?

On a handheld compass, south is 180 degrees (so 18 in runway terms) and west is 270 (27).

What are girls in flight called?

Male flight attendants are called hosts while female ones are referred to as hostesses. Cabin crew is selected in accordance with the certain rules of aviation organizations and they are also subjected to the rules set by the General Directorate of Civil Aviation.


What does Champagne flight mean?

The practice of drinking champagne after a balloon flight comes from the French. Villagers were initially frightened by the large, colorful vessels and farmers could become angry if a balloon landed in their fields. Champagne was introduced to pacify these observers and the tradition is continued today.

What does pan-pan pan stand for?

The radiotelephony message PAN-PAN is the international standard urgency signal that someone aboard a boat, ship, aircraft, or other vehicle uses to declare that they have a situation that is urgent, but for the time being, does not pose an immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself.

What does the word Pan-Pan mean?

Pan-Pan is derived from the French word "panne", which means failure or breakdown. Pan-Pan most often refers to a mechanical failure or breakdown of some kind.


What's the difference between mayday and Pan-Pan?

MAYDAY calls are used for life-threatening emergencies. Pan-Pan calls (pronounced "pahn-pahn") are used for urgent situations that are not life-threatening such as your pleasure craft is broken down, out of gas, or lost in fog.