Why does ATC say tree?

“Tree,” “fife” and “niner”

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.

Why is 9 pronounced niner?

Did you know that in aviation, 9 is pronounced "niner" instead of "nine"? The reason for this is to encourage the pilot to enunciate clearly. “Nine” can be easily muffled, slurred, or confused with other words, like five.

Why would a pilot say Alpha Zulu?

Pilots say they have information Alpha- Zulu to show they have the current weather observation of the airport they are calling on the radio. Each hour a new weather report is transmitted on the radio with its name being a letter in the phonetic alphabet.

What does ATC say before takeoff?

“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.”

Why do they say heavy in ATC?

Wake turbulence poses a major risk to other aircraft, so pilots and ATC use the term “heavy” in radio transmissions as a reminder that the aircraft's wake may be dangerous to others passing behind or below the flightpath of these larger-mass aircraft.

How Air Traffic Control Works

Why do pilots say Speedbird?

In the 1940's, BOAC (British Overseas Airways Corporation) used the name of its logo, the “Speedbird,” as a call sign. In the early 1970's, BOAC become British Airways through a merger and continued to use “Speedbird.” The call sign was especially appropriate when used by the supersonic Concorde.

Why do pilots say blue?

The callout from the pilots like "LOC blue" serves to remind themselves of the current flight guidance modes, and to maintain awareness of mode changes. This is also to ensure that their mental idea of "what the aircraft will do next" is up to date and fits to the current flight situation.

How do pilots say yes?

Affirm: Contrary to popular belief, pilots do not say “affirmative” when they mean yes – the correct term is affirm, pronounced “AY-firm.”

Why do pilots say rotate on takeoff?

During the takeoff roll, the pilot monitoring the displays (PM) will call out the two important speeds: V1 and rotate. This indicates to the pilot flying the aircraft (PF) when they are beyond the safe stopping speed and when to rotate the aircraft into the air.

What does tango mean in ATC?

AvTECH INDUSTRY ACRONYM EXPLAINER. ATG. Air-To-Ground: In-flight connectivity via 3G cellular towers on the ground. A misnomer due to the fact that the signal is actually beamed upwards to the aircraft.

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 Delta?

When pilots and air traffic controllers communicate on the radio, the airline's call sign is always used along with the flight number; ex: "Delta 135." This helps assure our communications are clear. Airlines began using call signs back in the 1930's. Most carriers use their name as their call sign. Delta…

How do pilots say 0?

The pilot alphabet

Numbers get special treatment too. Pilots pronounce most numbers normally with these exceptions: Zero (0) is always “zero,” not “oh.” Three becomes “tree,” five becomes “fife,” and nine becomes “niner.”

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.

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 pumpkins mean in aviation?

It means they can no longer be on duty/complete the flight. There are rather complicated crew duty regulations in place for airlines pilots.

What does pan pan mean in aviation?

Distress communications have absolute priority over all other communications, and the word MAYDAY commands radio silence on the frequency in use. Urgency communications have priority over all other communications except distress, and the word PAN-PAN warns other stations not to interfere with urgency transmissions.

Why do pilots say negative?

NEGATIVE CONTACT—Used by pilots to inform ATC that the previously issued traffic is not in sight. It may be followed by the pilot's request for the controller to provide assistance in avoiding the traffic. Used by pilots to inform ATC they were unable to contact ATC on a particular frequency.

Why do pilots not fly in a straight line?

Another reason that airplanes choose to take curved routes instead of flying over the Pacific is that they are safer and more fuel efficient than a straight line. By taking a curved route that covers more land than a straight line, there will be more opportunities for emergency landings should there be a need for one.

Why do pilots say 555?

The phrase "five by five" can be used informally to mean "good signal strength" or "loud and clear".

Why do pilots say papa?

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”.

What do pilots call on crash?

A 'mayday' call refers to a distress call over radio communication by pilots to the air traffic control in case of emergency.

Why do fighter pilots say bra?

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.).

What does 2 stripes on a pilot mean?

Two Stripes are worn by flight engineers or second officers. Aside from being the third line of command, they are also qualified to fly planes. Three Stripes indicate that the person is the co-pilot or second in command. They assist the captain through flight planning and updating communication and flight mechanisms.

Why do pilots have nicknames?

Using nicknames instead of a pilot's name was easier and protected their identities. By World War II, the use of call signs grew in popularity. Pilots and other aviation officers had names based on their appearance, personality, background or some pop-culture reference.