Revealed: Secret codes airline crew don’t want you to know
Did you know airline crew use secret codes to communicate during flights?
Pilot speak is used by all airlines to avoid miscommunication at 30,000 feet.
“Codes are used by crew in order to maintain calm and order in the cabin,” flight attendant and columnist at FlyerTalk, Amanda Pleva, said.
“We’re specially trained in emergency situations, and panic can cause us to lose control of a situation and end up in injury or death.”
Pilot Patrick Smith, the author of Cockpit Confidential, has revealed what the airline jargon means on his website, Ask The Pilot.
“There are people who make dozens of air journeys annually and still have only a vague understanding of many terms,” he said.
Here is a selection of some of the secret codes use by airline crew:
Flight deck – Pilot speak for the cockpit.
Air pocket – Pilot-speak for turbulence.
Equipment – Pilot-speak for the plane (but we wonder why they don’t just call it the plane?)
Code Adam – Used by airport staff to alert other staff of a missing child. Named in honour of Adam Walsh, a child who was abducted in a department store in 1981.
7500 – You never want to hear this because it means the plane has been hijacked, or has a hijacking threat.
Last minute paperwork – The flight will be delayed. “Paperwork” refers to a revision of the flight plan, something to do with the plane’s weight-and-balance record.
Cropdusting – A method of “retribution” to passengers who are being very rude and difficult. It’s not unheard of for a flight attendant to break wind and “cropdust” past the offender.
Crosscheck – The emergency slides attached to each door have been deactivated. Otherwise the slide will deploy automatically as soon as the door is opened.
All-call – Request for each flight attendant to report via intercom from his or her station, a sort of flight attendant conference call. Usually part of the door arming/disarming procedure.
Ground stop – When the departure to one or more destinations is stopped by air traffic control, usually due to traffic backlog.