Why do people say May Day?
Why do people say May Day? Mayday got its start as an international distress call in 1923. It was made official in 1948. It was the idea of Frederick Mockford, who was a senior radio officer at Croydon Airport in London. He came up with the idea for ?mayday" because it sounded like the French word m'aider, which means ?help me."
What does pumpkins mean in aviation?
September 30, 2023 | Travel Pedia. It means the pilots can no longer serve as useful crewmembers any more, as they passed the point of legally dispatching a flight, hence they are now as good as pumpkins for the purpose of air transportation.
Why do pilots say pan pan?
Pan-Pan, short for “possible assistance needed,” is used to communicate an urgent, but not emergency, situation over VHF radio, in the case of aviation, to air traffic control. Examples could include a recreational pilot getting lost, or perhaps needing to climb to a higher altitude to sort a problem out.
Why do pilots say Roger?
(In 1957, the English phonetic alphabet changed the R to Romeo, but by that time, Roger was deeply embedded in the minds of pilots.) So, in short, Roger means r which stands for received. The word Roger means nothing more.
Why do pilots say heavy?
The word heavy means a larger aircraft type, with a Maximum Takeoff Weight of 160 tonnes or more. These aircraft create wake turbulence from their wings and require extra separation between following aircraft, and the use of heavy reminds other pilots of that fact.