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.

Why do pilots say tree instead of three?

“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.

What do pilots say before they crash?

THE phrase "Easy Victor" is one that you never want to hear your pilot say on a flight - because it means the plane is going to crash. It's often used by pilots to warn crew to evacuate the plane without alarming passengers according to a flight attendant.

Why do pilots say heavier?

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.

Why is airplane waste dyed blue?

The name comes from the blue color of the disinfectant. Airlines are not allowed to dump their waste tanks in mid-flight, and pilots have no mechanism by which to do so; however, leaks sometimes do occur from a plane's septic tank.

27 Pilots' Phrases Passengers Know Nothing About

What happens to pee and poop on a plane?

Airliner toilets use either a “closed waste system,” which works much like a common house toilet and flushes the wastewater into an onboard sewage tank, or the more modern “vacuum waste system,” which sucks wastewater into the tank.

What happens to poop on a plane?

Aircraft lavatories typically store sewage in tanks, to be disposed off after the plane has landed. However, on the rare occasion that excrement does leak from a plane, it normally freezes instantly due to the cold temperatures at cruising height.

Why do pilots say Mayday?

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."

Why do pilots say rotate?

Summary. Long story short, pilots say rotate as a verbal queue that the aircraft has reached its predetermined V_r and hence appropriate inputs can be applied to safely pitch the aircraft in a nose-up attitude to gain lift.

Why do pilots dump fuel?

Every airplane has a Maximum Landing Weight(MLW), which is usually lesser than the Maximum Take-off Weight(MTOW), so the pilots dump fuel to reduce the aircraft's weight to the limit it doesn't exceed the landing weight capacity.

Why do you put your head between your knees in a plane crash?

The head should be as far below the top of the seats as possible. This position prevents flailing of the arms, minimises the risk of broken fingers and protects the head from moving objects."

Why do pilots say Roger?

The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) officially defines the word "roger" to mean "I have received all of your transmission." For example, a pilot would say "roger" in response to an advisory from Air Traffic Control.

Why do flights not go over Pacific Ocean?

Flying over the Pacific Ocean is avoided by most airlines for most flights because it usually doesn't make sense to fly over it when shorter and safer routes exist. The Pacific Ocean is also more remote and less safe than the Indian and Atlantic Oceans to fly over, resulting in a higher chance of a plane crashing.

Do pilots say fiver?

Five / Fife: Much of aviation has a military history. On a poorly heard transmission "Five" can sound a lot like "Fire", which is both a military command to "shoot", and an aviation emergency! "Fife" avoids that ambiguity.

What do pilots say when they take off?

“Line up and wait” (taxi onto the runway and wait for a takeoff clearance) “Cleared to cross runway two seven” (taxi across runway 27) “Fly heading two three zero, Runway two seven Left, Cleared for takeoff” (After takeoff, fly a magnetic heading of 230º. Cleared to takeoff on Runway 27 Left)

What do pilots say in an emergency?

Pilots believing themselves to be facing an emergency situation should declare an emergency as soon as possible and cancel it later if the situation allows. The correct method of communicating this information to ATC is by using the prefix “MAYDAY, MAYDAY, MAYDAY” or “PAN PAN, PAN PAN, PAN PAN” as appropriate.

What does V1 mean in flying?

A: V1 is the speed by which a pilot must have decided to abort if they are going to stop on the runway. Pilots calculate this value by the runway length, obstacles, temperature, runway slope and the weight of the airplane. The airplane manufacturer provides these performance figures determined during flight testing.

Why do 777 not have winglets?

Why does the 777 not have winglets? One reason that the 777 does not feature such wingtip extensions is the operational limits these would place on the aircraft. The 777-200LR and -300ER variants of the aircraft have a wingspan of 64.8 meters. This only just falls below the upper limit for the ICAO's aerodrome code E.

Why do planes turn after takeoff?

During takeoff, air accelerated behind the prop (known as the slipstream) follows a corkscrew pattern. As it wraps itself around the fuselage of your plane, it hits the left side of your aircraft's tail, creating a yawing motion, and making the aircraft yaw left.

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 Pan-Pan mean?

In English, it is sometimes pronounced as /pɑːn/ PAHN and sometimes as /pæn/ PAN. A three-letter backronym, "possible assistance needed" or "pay attention now" derives from pan. Maritime and aeronautical radio communications courses use those as mnemonics to convey the important difference between mayday and pan-pan.

Why do pilots call passengers souls?

The primary reason is probably that it ensures there is no confusion between passengers, crew, or infants. Technically, "passengers" is the number of seats occupied, "crew" is both the pilots and flight attendants on duty.

Why are airplane toilets so loud?

So why are aircraft toilet flushes so loud? Simply put, the flush's loudness is due to a partial vacuum that sucks the contents of the toilet bowl down into the aircraft's waste tank.

Can you hear thunder in an airplane?

A: The thunder following a lightning strike can be very loud in the cabin. However, several times when my flight has been struck, we did not hear any thunder at all. Q: Returning from Tampa after a delay for storms, our flight was struck by lightning and experienced severe turbulence.

Where does poop go in a cruise ship?

Forget the “poop deck”—that's just a nickname for the top deck. The real feces magic happens in onboard sewage farms. Vacuum suction lines zip toilets' contents to marine sanitation farms, which siphon out the water, treat it until it's drinkable, then pump it into the ocean.