Jargon

They say that every workplace developes its own language. A mix of plain English, slang, technical terminology, and (usually) some well placed curses. Obviously the same can be said of my workplace, where we load up on the slang and technical terms, and especially the cursing... I decided that today I'd give you a small glimpse at the lingo flung around the airline world, and add the translations.

Lets start with the kind of stuff you hear on the company operations frequencies. These frequencies are not monitored by the FAA and exist in order to allow pilots in their airplanes to talk to operations managers in order to coordinate services. Most of these discussions occur on the ground at the gate. Here are some examples:

Example #1

Pilot - "Ops, this is 4123, we need catering and lav service at G10."
(The pilot is requesting that the flight attendant's galley be restocked with soda and whatever else she may need, and that the bathroom needs to be cleaned.)

Ops - "Roger."
(Ops is telling the pilot that they don't care.)

Example #2

Pilot - "Hey ops, 4123, still haven't been catered or had the lav service."
(At this point the flight is 10 minutes from departure and nothing has been done.)

Ops - "I'll call them again."
(Since the problem didn't take care of itself, Operations will call for the first time.)

Example #3

Pilot - "Ops, 4123 is on the ground for G6"
(This flight has just landed and the pilot is inquiring whether or not gate G6 is available.)

Ops - "G6 is occupied, go to the box for 10 minutes."
(Ops informs the pilot that G6 is still occupied and the wait will be at least 30 minutes.)

Example #4

Pilot - "Ops, 4123 the flight attendant counts 29 people and we have a close out for 28."
(Before the flight departs the number of passengers onboard must be verified. The pilot is informing operations that either the gate agent or the flight attendant doesn't know how to count.)

Ops - "Roger."
(Ops informs the pilot that they don't care.)

Example #5 (This example is actually heard on the deice frequency)

Pilot - "Iceman, aircraft 623 for flight 4123 at G6 needs deice."
(The pilot is informing the folks in charge of dispatching deice trucks that they need to be deiced.)

Iceman - "Copy, copy."
(Iceman informs the pilot that he doesn't care.)

Pilot - "What number are we for deice?"
(The pilot is saying, "we know you don't care, but do something, please!")

Iceman - "Ah, you're number 8."
(Iceman informs the pilot that he has no idea what number they are, and that it will take at least an hour for a deice truck to arrive.)

Now we'll move on to the kinds of exchanges you might expect to hear on air traffic control frequencies. These are the official frequencies used by the FAA to ensure the orderly, expedient and safe seperation of air traffic. (Editors note: Sarcasm is difficult to convey in print.)

Example #1 (This would be heard on clearance delivery, the frequency used to coordinate routes and departure times.)

Pilot - "Clearance, Eagle Flight 4123, what are the delays for O'Hare today?"
(The pilot is asking how long they will have to wait before air traffic control will allow them to leave, due to the flow of traffic.)

Clearance - "There are no delays to O'Hare."
(This is a lie.)

Example #2 (Also from clearance delivery)

Clearance - "Eagle Flight 4123, clearance, I have some bad news."
(Ha ha! You're screwed!)

Pilot - "Go ahead for Eagle 123."
(Oh shit.)

Clearance - "O'Hare is groundstopped, update on the hour."
(You're stuck here for a very long time.)

Pilot - "Ok, roger that."
(DAMNIT!)

Example #2 (This would be heard while the flight is in the air, either on a center or approach control frequency.)

Controller - "Eagle Flight 4123, the weather at Green Bay has gone below minimums, say intentions."
(The controller is informing the pilot that the weather is so bad at Green Bay that the pilot can no longer legally attempt a landing. He wants to know what the pilot's backup plan is.)

Pilot - "Roger, standby."
(The pilot has no backup plan.)

Controller - "Roger."
(you're an idiot.)

Example #3 (Also from center control)

Pilot - "Ah, Cleveland center, Eagle Flight 123, we're level at 370 and it's continuous light, occasional moderate turbulence."
(The pilot, who is maintaning 37000 feet of altitude, is experiencing a crappy ride.)

Controller - "Eagle Flight 123, we've had reports of a bad ride at 370 for the next 200 miles."
(You're stuck with your crappy ride for a while.)

Pilot - "Is there a lower altitude with a better ride?"
(Get me outta here before my fillings are rattled out!)

Controller - "Well sir, it's been reported smooth down at 250"
(There's smooth air at 25000 feet)

Pilot - "Ah, 250 is too low, sir."
(If I go that low I'll run out of gas before I get where I'm going.)

Controller - "Sorry Eagle, that's the best I can do for you."
(I don't care.)

Pilot - "Roger, I guess we'll ride it out."
(Thanx for nothing, asshole!)

I hope you've enjoyed this glimpse into the aviation world. Always remember, your safety and security is our number one priority at the airlines. Please remember to fasten your seatbelt, and turn off your damn cell phone when the flight attendant tells you to!