Why do pilots say pan-pan?


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.


What does Pam Pam mean in aviation?

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 need help and that the situation is urgent, but for the time being, does not pose an immediate danger to anyone's life or to the vessel itself.


What are the 5 distress signals?

The most important are: (1) visual signals, such as a flame, a red flare, an orange smoke signal, or a square flag displayed with a ball below; (2) sound signals, such as a gun or rocket fired at regular intervals, or a continuous sounding of a fog-signal apparatus; and (3) radio signals such as the Morse group SOS, ...


What happens if a plane loses radio?

Backup radio – most aircraft are equipped with multiple communication radios, referred to as COM1 and COM2, so pilots can switch to the second radio if the primary one fails. Squawking 7600 – if all radio communication is lost, pilots can set their aircraft's transponder to the emergency code 7600.