Note: F/O Darrell Weslander, who now flies B-727s for UPS, was once a Braniff Pilot.
PART I
One important aspect of aviation is the special
terminology. You don’t learn theis in ground school, and very little is written
in the flight manual. Yet we all pick up the jargon of the airways.
The phrases become second nature to us and often to our
families. But to our neighbors, it can sound like another language. While
other professions have unique nomenclature, I think aviators take great pleasure
in using the catch phrases known only to fellow pilots.
I recall a television reporter telling about the time she
showed up at a large company, checked in with security, and said, “We’re here to
shoot the president of your company.” What she meant was “shoot some film
footage of the fellow.” She had to explain herself quickly. We flyers have to
watch it when we say someone “crashed and burned” (was tired and fell asleep)
after that last long flight.
Do you recognize any of these phrases?
1.
Keep the shiny side up
2.
Make a short approach.
3.
Are you red eye?
4.
Tally ho
5.
No joy
6.
You’re No. 8 in the stack.
7.
Put a log on the fire.
8.
Pull the chocks.
9.
My fun meter is pegged.
10.
The localizer is alive.
11.
My airporter
12.
We lost an engine last night over Philly.
13.
Hold short.
14.
I had to go missed last night in Chicago.
15.
ILS, ADF, GPS, MDA, LOC, IMC, NDB, INS, FMC
16.
Cleared into position and hold.
17.
Glideslope alive
We pilots have dozens more these sometimes technical, sometimes earthy phrases. I’ve go to go now – the glideslope is alive, and I’ve got to shoot an ILS into the soup. Was that for us?
PART II
For Part II, I had the help of my friend, Second Officer Ken Smith (UPS), who issued a call on Compuserve for
phrases pilots use. He received many, some of which are shown below – some we
couldn’t print.
If you can identify 16 or more of these, consider yourself an expert professional pilot. If you know eight or
fewer, you had better do some home study before your next flight.
21.
Dead stick.
22.
Case Break
23.
Light the fires.
24.
WOXOF
25.
Flying side saddle
26.
Dangle the Dunlops.
27.
Put out the boards.
28.
George
29.
Keep the greasy side down.
30.
Prang
31.
Bounces
32.
Dinosaur juice
33.
Whiz wheel
34.
A real greaser
35.
Wheels in the well at oh-dark-thirty
36.
Put the rollers up.
37.
Firewall the throttles
and finally, as a tribute to and with respect for our fallen comrades –
38. He or she “bought the farm.”
PART III
Here is yet another list of the “inside phrases” that pilots often use. Aviation, like any profession, develops
its own language. Some of the following verbal shortcuts may sound strange to nonaviatiore, but most pilots will probably know them.
39.
Hangar queen
40.
Three-holer
41
Autopilot porpoised severly.
42.
It’s froggy down there.
43.
Press the envelope
44.
Are your bugs set?
45.
FOD
46.
CAVU
47.
The Goodyear spreed brakes
48.
“I think it’s the gauge.
49.
The essential bus is here.
50.
Back side of the power curve/behind the power curve
51.
A goat rope
52.
The seven-four, the seven-two, the seven-five
Key to What the Captain Really Means
1.
Keep the shiny side up – fly straight and level (not inverted)
2.
Make a short approach.- Keep pattern in close to runway.
3.
Are you red eye? – Are you ready?
4.
Tally ho – air traffic in sight.
5.
No joy – Do not have the traffic in sight
6.
You’re No. 8 in the stack.- No. 8 in the holding pattern.
7.
Put a log on the fire. – Warm up the cockpit.
8.
Pull the chocks. – Remove chocks, and let’s get going.
9.
My fun meter is pegged. – We’re really having fun now.
10.
The localizer is alive. – Localizer course moving on attitude indicator (ADI)
11.
My airporter – old, beat-up car that a pilot drives to and from the
airport
12.
We lost an engine last night over Philly. – had to shut down an engine or
an engine quit.
13.
Hold short. – Do not taxi onto runway or taxiway.
14.
I had to go missed last night in Chicago. – Made a missed approach or
go-around
15.
All acnonyms ILS – Instrument Landing system, ADF – Automatic direction
finder., GPS – Global Positioning System, MDA – Minimum Descent Altitude, LOC -
Localizer, IMC – Instrument Meteorological Conditions, NDB – Nondirectional
Beacon, INS – Inertial Navigation System, FMC – Flight Management Computer
16.
Cleared into position and hold. – Taxi onto runway and get ready for
takeoff, but do not takeoff.
17.
Glideslope alive – ILS glideslope is moving on ADI .
18.
Shoot an ILS – Make an instrument approach.
19.
Soup – overcast weather or fog
20.
Was that for us? – common question in the cockpit when ATC calls to give
you directions.
21.
Dead stick. - Flying with no power.
22.
Case break – Course indicator starts to move.
23.
Light the fires. – Start the engines.
24.
WOXOF – indefinite ceiling zero, sky obscured, visibility zero, fog (bad
day for flying)
25.
Flying side saddle – Flight Engineer
26.
Dangle the Dunlops. – Put down the landing gear.
27.
Put out the boards. – Extend speed brakes
28.
George - Autopilot
29.
Keep the greasy side down. – Fly level.
30.
Prang – Bad landing
31.
Bounces – Touch-and-go landings
32.
Dinosaur juice - Fuel
33.
Whiz wheel – Flight computer (circular)
34.
A real greaser – Great landing
35.
Wheels in the well at oh-dark-thirty – takeoff in the middle of the night
36.
Put the rollers up. – Gear up.
37.
Firewall the throttles – Max power
38.
He or she "bought the farm" – Died in an aircraft crash
39.
Hangar queen – An airplane that is ofen in the hangar for repairs
40.
Three-holer – The Boeing 727 (three engines)
41.
Autopilot porpoised severly. – Autopilot oscillates in pitch.
42.
It’s froggy down there. - Foggy
43.
Press the envelope – Go to the extreme limit of aircraft performance.
44.
Are your bugs set? – White “pip” markers on airspeed indicator
45.
FOD – Foreign object damage
46.
CAVU – Ceiling and visibility unlimited
47.
The Goodyear spreed brakes – Landing gear
48.
“I think it’s the gauge. – A usual comment in the cockpit when an
instruments shows a bad indication.
49.
The essential bus is here. – The crew bus
50.
Back side of the power curve/behind the power curve – When an airplane
gets dangerously slow
51.
A goat rope – All messed up
52.
The seven-four, the seven-two, the seven-five – Boeing 747, 727 757
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