That mysterious language coming from your pilot’s headset is really just the alphabet-in code.

When I rode in a small airplane for the first time at age 20, the pilot handed me a headset. I heard fast-paced chatter in a language that sounded completely foreign. I had no clue what the conversation was about, and I felt positive I could never learn to understand it.

I was wrong, of course. The first time my instructor started interpreting and explaining things for me, I realized that learning to follow the speed-talking was not only doable, but really fun. Soon I was able to speak this different “language” at just as fast a clip as an experienced controller or pilot.

I believe United is the only airline that allows passengers to monitor air traffic control along with the pilots. Whatever the pilots are listening to, you can hear as well on Channel 9. Be aware, however, that the captain always has the discretion to turn this feature on or off.

Many of the inquiries I receive about radio terms concern the phonetic alphabet used throughout aviation. If you hear, for instance, a pilot saying, “We have whiskey,” or a controller saying, “Golf is current,” you might wonder why we’re discussing sports and alcohol during a flight.

Both words are the phonetic pronunciations for their respective first letters. Here is the entire phonetic alphabet: Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta, Echo, Foxtrot, Golf, Hotel, India, Juliet, Kilo, Lima, Mike, November, Oscar, Papa, Quebec, Romeo, Sierra, Tango, Uniform, Victor, Whiskey, X-Ray, Yankee, Zulu.

In the example above, the pilot and controller are referring to the Airport Terminal Information Service, or ATIS (pronounced “a-tiss”). Pilots listen to basic information about the airport or read it digitally before checking in with Ground Control on departure or Approach Control on arrival. This saves controllers from having to issue
each flight the same information over and over again.

Every once in a while, you may hear a pilot, especially in a private or corporate aircraft, having a little fun with the letters. For instance, they might come out with, “Checking in with echo, echo, echo” or “We have the booze news” (meaning information Whiskey). “Foxtrot” might be shortened to “Fox,” and other minor playful variations are sometimes used as well.

You’ll also hear phonetic letters used extensively during taxi instructions on departure and arrival. At Chicago O’Hare, for example, a pilot might hear the following clearance from Ground Control on departure: “Taxi to runway 32, left Tango 10 via a right turn on Alpha, left on Alpha 7 to Tango, Tango 10.” Pilots have airport charts displaying the various taxiways and runways.

The phonetic alphabet is also used to refer to aircraft call signs. For private airplanes, you’ll hear the registration number, which often includes a letter. Airlines may be called by their names, such as “Delta 301” or “Alaska 522.” However, some airlines use approved call signs that sound like nicknames. A few examples are “Cactus” for America West, “Dynasty” for China Airlines and “Shamrock” for Aer Lingus.

“Reach” is used for military operations, and the term “Lifeguard” in the call sign means the flight has medical priority. I’ve had it as part of my own call sign many times when we were carrying live organs.

If all these insider tips are making you curious to hear the real thing, you’ll be glad to know you can log into air traffic control anytime from your computer. You’ll find links to two air traffic control sites on my Web site, fromthecockpit.com. Just scroll down the center of the home page to find the links. These are live transmissions, with a slight delay of a few seconds.

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captain meryl getline (fromthecockpit.com) is a retired B777 pilot. She is the author of The World at My Feet. Email Captain Meryl at editor@executivetravelmag.com.