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 does the military say, 'Niner'? "Niner" is how 9 is said as part of a phonetic alphabet. This is similar to how one might say "Bravo" for B. "Niner" was chosen especially for Civil Aviation as to help differentiate it from the German "Nein," meaning "No".
Changing “nine” to “niner” adds another vowel sound, which may help distinguish them when radio reception is poor. Save this answer. Show activity on this post. "Niner" is spoken for the numeral 9 to avoid it being mistaken for 5.
The name comes from an old logo of a bird, but whatever its origins, it is clearly the perfect call sign to evoke the speed and grace of an airliner cruising through the sky.
The ICAO Phonetic Alphabet is meant to decrease risk and misunderstanding and improve communication between those involved in air travel. Many letters and phrases sound too similar, for example, the letters “p” and “b” may sound the same over the radio. So instead, pilots would say “papa” or “bravo”.
Bearing Range Altitude (Aspect. Measured in degrees and broadly categorized as "hot" aspect for an opponent coming straight on, "flank" for one heading roughly 30-45 degrees off, "beam" for 90's off, and cold for heading away in the same direction.).
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.
Cactus – US Airways
The FAA suggested that America West come up with a new call sign. The company held an employee contest to come up with the new name. Cactus was chosen. America West was based in Phoenix, Arizona near the Sonoran Desert – home of the giant Saguaro cactus.
Affirm: Contrary to popular belief, pilots do not say “affirmative” when they mean yes – the correct term is affirm, pronounced “AY-firm.”
This beautiful black proof coin is called Blue Skies. Named after the wish “Blue Skies and Tailwinds” that all pilots give each other blessing them with safe travels as they navigate where the birds fly.
"Breaker 1/9" is originally a Citizens' Band radio slang term telling other CB users that you'd like to start a transmission on channel 19, and is the phrase that starts C. W. McCall's 1975 novelty hit "Convoy".
4-10 – This means someone agrees with what is being said. 10-4 – This is a truckers way of saying “OK”. Chicken Coop – Truckers often use that term to describe weigh stations.
Often times a truck driver will flash his trailer lights as a “thank you” for your courtesy. “I am slowing down or stopping.” When you're driving on the highway for a long time, you experience something called velocitization. This means that your ability to recognize changes in speed goes down.
“Tower, (your call sign,) ready at Runway XX.” Example: “Columbus Tower, Cessna 527 Tango Mike, ready at Runway 23.” Or, “Tower, (your call sign,) holding short of Runway XX.”
What is the "hut hut" sound that American football players make when they're in training? It's a signal to the other players to hike the ball (start play). Probably a short form of "ten hut" meaning "attention", used by the military.
Welcome – Short flight
This is Captain / Co-pilot (your name) speaking and I have some information about our flight. Our flight time today will be (flight duration) and our estimated time of arrival in (destination) is (ETA)local time. The weather in our route is good/…
Pan-Pan-Pan
A serious aircraft system failure, that requires an immediate route or altitude change; Other emergencies that require immediate attention and assistance from the ground.
How many times can one person eject in their lifetime? There's no fixed number – each individual is unique, as is the ejection that they endure.
"Five by five" therefore means a signal that has excellent strength and perfect clarity — the most understandable signal possible.
There is no clear origin story, though there are a few common scenarios for clapping: at the end of a particularly harrowing flight or long delay; in celebration of a return to one's homeland; or in continuation of a tradition that started who-knows-when-or-why.
“Water canon salutes are traditionally a sign of respect, honor and gratitude to mark the last flight for a veteran pilot on their last flight.
Sunglasses reduce the effects of harsh sunlight, decrease eye fatigue, and protect ocular tissues from exposure to harmful solar radiation. Additionally, they protect the pilot's eyes from impact with objects (i.e., flying debris from a bird strike, sudden decompression, or aerobatic maneuvers).
"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.
Wilco - I have received your message, understand it and will comply. Ninety-Nine – Indicates that an aircraft emergency is in progress and that all vehicles must maintain radio silence and give way to emergency vehicles.
“Lima Charlie” is representative of the letters “L” and “C” in the NATO alphabet, which when used together in military parlance stands for “Loud and Clear”.