What does Rio stand for in Top Gun?

You were an F-14 radar intercept officer (RIO), like Goose was in the film.

Is a RIO a pilot?

RIO – Radar intercept officer, a category of Naval Flight Officer who was the second crewman in the F-14 Tomcat. For crew coordination purposes, RIOs were primarily responsible for communication and navigation, as well as operating the F-14 radar.

Can RIO fly a plane?

Virtually all RIOs had some experience actually flying an aircraft when they were in the Training Command, flying dual-control trainers. Instructor pilots usually gave the student some stick time, so we know it's fun. But flying the Tomcat was not an option.

What does hop mean in Top Gun?

Hard Deck. An established minimum altitude for training engagements. Early Topgun hops honor a 10,000-foot AGL hard deck. Hawk Circle.

Why are planes called bogies?

Bogey, according to Eric Partridge's slang dictionary, is Royal Air Force usage from early in World War II meaning ''an aircraft suspected to be hostile. '' American aviators picked it up from the R.A.F. veterans; in 1945, Newsweek used the term to mean ''in radar code, an unidentified enemy aircraft.

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Why do fighter pilots say Tally Ho?

Tally-ho should specifically mean "target in sight." It comes from fox hunting. It's what you yell when you spot the fox to send the dogs after it.

Why do fighter pilots say pickle?

Pickle. Slang reference by pilots to the release of ordnance (bombs and canisters) over a target, one at a time in close sequence, on one pass. Such a release allowed the ordnance to cover a larger linear area.

What does Hotel Sierra mean?

Sierra Hotel or sometimes Hotel Sierra. Meaning s***-hot, or its opposite. When that new lieutenant makes it through his first field training exercise without getting his platoon lost, you've got a sierra hotel lieutenant.

Why do pilots say 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. The variations stemmed from a desire to avoid confusion between similar-sounding numbers, he says.

Why do fighter pilots say Fox 2?

When you fly one of our Air Combat missions, you will hear “FOX 2, Fight's On” to initiate our canned setups. “FOX 2” is a brevity code used by fighter pilots to declare a weapon's release (sorta like “bomb's away” from WWII).

Does Top Gun still exist?

TOPGUN is part of one of 12 departments at the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Center, which is located at Naval Air Station Fallon in Nevada. The program is 13 weeks long, and it only accepts the top 1% of Navy pilots.

What F-14 was in Top Gun?

Despite long being retired in the United States, the F-14 Tomcat still remains an iconic aircraft to many, and the fact Iran is keeping them going is a testament to how good a job Grumman did with the aircraft. The original Top Gun aircraft will always live long in the memory.

Which Tomcat was in Top Gun?

First introduced in the mid-1970s, the F-14 "Tomcat" would become one of the most iconic American jet fighters of all time. After a distinguished career, the F-14s fame would perhaps reach its zenith in 1986 with the film "Top Gun".

Why did the F-14 wings move?

The F-14 was the only aircraft in NATO that used a computer-controlled, fully automatic sweep. The SCADC activated the hydro-mechanical system that actually moved the wings and optimized wing positions for altitude and speed, but a Tomcat pilot could manually override the system in the event the SCADC did not work.

Why does F-14 have two pilots?

Planes like Maverick's old F-14 Tomcat had a second crew member on board to handle their complex sensor, communications and weapons systems while the pilot focused on flying.

What does it mean when pilots say angels?

Altitude in thousand of feet. (“Angels 3” is 3,000 feet.) Altitude in hundreds of feet. (“Cherubs 3” is 300 feet.)

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.

What does easy victor mean?

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.

What does Romeo mean in flight?

"Romeo" refers to the letter R (ICAO phonetic alphabet) and is short for WCHR which is an aviation-typical abbreviation for "Wheel chair to Ramp".

What does Oscar Kilo mean?

The National Fire Chiefs Council has signed up to 'Oscar Kilo' which puts assessment, learning and conversation about wellbeing across the emergency services in one place.

What does Oscar Tango Mike mean?

Oscar-Mike: On the Move. Tango Mike: Thanks Much. Tango Uniform: Toes Up, meaning killed or destroyed. Tango Yankee: Thank You.

What does Foxtrot Juliet Bravo mean in military?

Foxtrot Juliet Bravo Meaning

“Foxtrot,” “Juliet,” and “Bravo” are all distinct terms and part of the military phonetic alphabet. The military uses this phonetic alphabet system to make sure that all forms of communication are error-free. It also helps shorten messages over communication devices like the radio.

What does bra mean in air combat?

Bearing Range Altitude (Aspect). The format of an air intercept communication call when referenced to the fighter position.

Why do pilots say no joy?

1. In military aviation, a term indicating that no visual confirmation of another aircraft (especially an enemy) has yet been made; no information available at this time. Ground control: "Pilot, be aware that you have traffic at 11 o'clock." Pilot: "Copy that, no joy so far."

What does no joy mean in military?

No Joy: opposite of Tally; no visual contact with opposing aircrew. "Nordo": term meaning the aircraft has lost radio communications; signaled by rocking wings. "Nose high- Goes high": pilot dictum when approaching another aircraft head-on; used to avoid collisions.