Pilot stuff leaking into other aspects of life

SkyHog

SkyHog

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Everything Offends Me
I noticed a while ago, that I started replying to people's suggestions with a wilco or unable (started off just being a smartass, but then it kinda stuck), and even an affirmative or negative here and there. Today blew my mind, though.

At work, when someone makes a payment, I have to give them a confirmation number, and usually tell them to grab a pen for it.

Today I caught myself saying "I have your confirmation number ready, advise ready to copy."

This was most definitely not intentional. I wonder how long I've been saying it. Now I wonder what else I'm saying too!!! :dunno:
 
we use the readback system at work - it has reduced the number of errors.
I really want to start a Sterile Cockpit policy, at least when I am doing intensive hands-on things, all the talking distracts me.
 
Brainwashing co-workers

If you keep doing that, the people around you will pick up on the same terminology. The amusing bit is that no one notices until some new person or visitor can't figure out what anyone is talking about or why they're saying wierd stuff. Add typical common knowledge skill sets and office telepathy into that and it's practially encryption.

This applies to talking and typing. I keep finding lots of my aviation type shorthand in messages others send to me at work. I'm certain they don't notice they're doing it either.
 
I've taken to saying "Standby..." when I'm on the phone and am asked a question to which I don't have an immediate answer.

I will sometimes yell "Clear!" before starting my car, just to amuse myself and/or my passengers who are also pilots.


-Rich
 
I find myself spelling my name over the phone a lot. Saying "bravo" and "delta" instead of "boy" and "dog" has tipped off a lot of people. Indiabravooscarlimadelta flows off my tongue now.

Tomorrow maybe I'll dispatch the kids off to school with "maintain VFR, squawk 1200, good day" and see what happens.
 
I use aviation speak often as part of my day job. Some folks joke about it but it works. Think about it, with everyone calling everyone else on cell phones the same procedures that work for us on the radio works for a noisy cell phone connection as well.

Len
 
Interesting, Nick. In semi-retirement I've been working for a year in a fast-paced retail food services capacity(division of Albertsons). When hearing a customer's order I repeat it; generally, with a follow-up: That item's on sale. Are you sure that'll be enough?
Or, having repeated: [/I]That would go nicely with some xxxxx. Which type would you like? It's amazing how often the initial order gets increased and/or the add-on becomes a reality. Basic RETAIL 101 - Suggestive selling.
35 hours a week still seems like vacation after 27 years of running my own business; and still gives me plenty of time for running a couple home businesses and flying.
Aging? Pooh! Age is but a state-of-mine.

HR
 
woodstock said:
Nick, how is your niece?
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She's doing really well, thank you for asking.

There's no new news on her right now - as soon as we get anything new, I'll definitely post an update.
 
There's nothing strange or so esoteric that a stranger couldn't understand. But running around make airplane sounds may lift some eyebrows. If anything, the specific verbage increases accurate communications. Say again, stand by, negative, or a specific read back of another persons specific words are all extremely helpful--succinct and to the point.
 
Richard said:
But running around make airplane sounds may lift some eyebrows.
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We have a long hallway to go to the potty that's a few inches wider than I can reach. I've been caught way more than once taxxing down the hallway trying to not drag my position lights on the walls. No one seems to think it's excessively wierd even after I supply an explanation of what I'm doing. Then again, we're a well balanced sensible non-pc easy going group that understands everyone has actual personalities and are different.

Richard said:
If anything, the specific verbage increases accurate communications. Say again, stand by, negative, or a specific read back of another persons specific words are all extremely helpful--succinct and to the point.
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I think that's why others pick up on it. They realize it's very useful.
Besides, "standby" and expecting and getting total silence that instant is a lot more polite than "I'm insanely busy so shut up until I'm done."
 
When the grandson comes to stay at the farm Tom and I have established the transfer of responsibility of who's watching the toddler in these terms: "You have the airplane". We aren't rest assured that the transfer has actually been completed till we get the correct response of "I've got the airplane". Non-aviation people think we're nuts. :)
 
LOL, Yeah I think we all do it. My staff is used to it by now and if I'm talking to a cop they know the Alpha Bravo but I have had situations were some folks on the phone will actually write down zulu uniform charlie kilo echo romeo when I'm spelling my name.

The funny thing is when we talk like this its almost like a secret handshake and other pilots will know in an instant.
 
Toby said:
Don't cops use a different phonetic alphabet?
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Yes, but the old standard that most police use is different (Able, Baker rather than Alpha Bravo).

In reality, once somebody realizes that you're speaking phonetically, they just have to know what the first letter of the word is.
 
adamboycharlesdavidedwardfrankgeorgehenryidakinglincolnmikenora
oceanpaulqueenrobertsamtomuuuuvvvvvwilliamxrayyellowzebra

or something like that...
 
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People are always asking me on the phone "is that D like in dog"? (last name begins with D) to which I inevitably reply "No, D like in Delta". I know, I am confusing them. Then, when we get to the end of the name, "F like in Frank"? "No, S as in Sierra". They seem to have a particularly hard time wrapping themselves around that one. :D
 
I always say "Say again", when I want someone to repeat something. I never noticed till someone mentioned it to me recently.
 
jkaduk said:
I always say "Say again", when I want someone to repeat something. I never noticed till someone mentioned it to me recently.
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I used that one long before aviating...US Navy training, say again is the official way there as well. And yes, I use "say again" all the time. Sometimes they say huh? "I said could you please say that again" Uh, ok. :confused:
 
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My last name is Smith (as you can see on the left).

Once in a while I'll get some particular obtuse person on the other end of a customer service call who asks me to spell it.

"That's S as in Smith. M as in Smith. I as in Smith. ...."

(Yes, I know about the alternate spellings - I save this for the REALLY annoying folks.)
 
MSmith said:
My last name is Smith (as you can see on the left).

Once in a while I'll get some particular obtuse person on the other end of a customer service call who asks me to spell it.

"That's S as in Smith. M as in Smith. I as in Smith. ...."
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Actually it's a professional trick, if you forget someone's name durring a conversation, you ask them to spell their name instead of telling them you forgot it....

My last name is Smith too... and I just end up laughing and asking if they forgot my name... S-M-I-T-H they usually get an embarsed look and tell me yes they did forget.

Missa
 
Missa said:
Actually it's a professional trick, if you forget someone's name durring a conversation, you ask them to spell their name instead of telling them you forgot it....
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Here I thought I was being clever when I came up with that idea! So other people do it too. I am terrible with names and even worse with faces which isn't good when you meet new people all the time.
 
Bill Jennings said:
I used that one long before aviating...US Navy training, say again is the official way there as well. And yes, I use "say again" all the time. Sometimes they say huh? "I said could you please say that again" Uh, ok. :confused:
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Well, you were trained to acknowledge, too. Like 99% of people working in an operating are NOT. So you repeat yourself, and they think you are irritated at them. Well, I am. I am used to having someone say, "Heard ya!"...or the like.
 
When people ask my name I tell them Brook as in Brooke Sheilds, and they are like OH MY GOD YOUR BROOKE SHIELDS!?!?!?!?!? Yeah I know, having Brook for a name is hard sometimes. Too bad my middle name isn't Lynn. Then my name would be Brook Lynn then I would have to find a guy with the last name Bridge(r)(s) then my name would be Brook Lynn Bridge(r)(s). Hah hah hah. :D
 
Brooke, you're babbling again... :) sorry, couldn't resist. My sister and brother-in-law, being a very musical family, named their first-born Amanda Lynn. The second, if a boy, was going to be Benjamin Joseph, or Ben Joe for short. Their cats are Clawed Meownet and Purrblo Picasso, as she's also an art teacher. She's a sick gal - but it runs in the family - I wanted to name our son Calvin Hobbes, but my wife wouldn't hear of it. As our last name rhymes with Heinz, she said Calvin Kainz sounds too much like Calvin Klein...
 
Everskyward said:
Here I thought I was being clever when I came up with that idea! So other people do it too. I am terrible with names and even worse with faces which isn't good when you meet new people all the time.
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But you get the oddest looks when they spell out "J - O - N - E - S" ... :)
 
Everskyward said:
Here I thought I was being clever when I came up with that idea! So other people do it too. I am terrible with names and even worse with faces which isn't good when you meet new people all the time.
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In my semi-retirement employment I'm seeing many of the people I'd seen during my 27 years in business, but in a different environment. They generally recognize me but I may not have seen her/him for several years and may not immediately "place" a name(and I don't forget much). So, I just keep 'em talking, mention info-bits coincident with the party and, shortly, the "name" clicks. Then the party doesn't walk away thinking, "Idiot doesn't even remember who I am." :rolleyes:

HR
 
gkainz said:
But you get the oddest looks when they spell out "J - O - N - E - S" ... :)
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That's when I realized it wasn't so clever. Besides it rarely gets to that point. When playing the recognition game I start out with a huge handicap. For various reasons beyond my control people tend to remember me, especially in the aviation world where I spend most of my time. I still haven't figured out if that's good or bad. Probably both.

Just noticed you're from Arvada. I lived there on and off in the 80s and early 90s.
 
Everskyward said:
Just noticed you're from Arvada. I lived there on and off in the 80s and early 90s.
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Its pronounced Arvada, not Arvada. :)

I live in yuppie land, CO.
 
Everskyward said:
I see you noticed that too. :rolleyes:
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Yes, I've been corrected before. You can't really mispronounce Lone Tree. I love the "Native" bumper stickers here. We bought one that says "Transplant" but I don't put bumper stickers on my car or plane. :)
 
Anthony said:
You can't really mispronounce Lone Tree. I love the "Native" bumper stickers here. We bought one that says "Transplant" but I don't put bumper stickers on my car or plane. :)
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You can't easily mispronounce Elizabeth either. I'm also not a native but I've been here a long time. I have the double whammy of being from the evil states of New Jersey AND California. At least I'm not from Texas. ;)
 
Everskyward said:
You can't easily mispronounce Elizabeth either. I'm also not a native but I've been here a long time. I have the double whammy of being from the evil states of New Jersey AND California. At least I'm not from Texas. ;)
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Coloradans crack me up; A huge portion of Colorado was in Texas before Texas' borders were constrained for political reasons.
 
SCCutler said:
Coloradans crack me up; A huge portion of Colorado was in Texas before Texas' borders were constrained for political reasons.
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I think you have that bass-akwards, Spike. A huge portion of Texas was in Colorado, especially judging by all the Texans who still come home to Colorado all the time. :) Just kidding, since I'm not a native Coloradoan, I guess I better keep a lower profile.

I'm not really sure just exactly what I am any more... born in Minnesota, lived in Nebraska and North Dakota before ending up in South Dakota, Uncle Sam sent me to California, which was not much more than a mail forwarding address during the Navy years, as I was out of the country more than in, finally ended up in Colorado while trying to migrate back to South Dakota. Colorado was "as far from the coast and civilization" as my native California wife would agree to live.

Yep, it's Arvada, not Arvahdah or Arvayda...
 
NickDBrennan said:
Today I caught myself saying "I have your confirmation number ready, advise ready to copy."
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I can always tell when my CFI has been flying too much (too much = the 84.4 hours he had in two weeks! :hairraise:) when I'm on the phone with him and the conversation goes something like this:

Me: "You available to fly this weekend?"
Him: "That's affirmative"
Me: "Excellent. Can you put it on the schedule for me?"
Him: "Wilco."
Me: "Talk to you soon"
Him: "Check!"
Me: "Bye!"
Him: "G'day!"

Not exaggerating. It's actually worse than this sometimes, I just can't remember all the stuff he says offhand.
 
SCCutler said:
Coloradans crack me up; A huge portion of Colorado was in Texas before Texas' borders were constrained for political reasons.
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As was stated in an article 20+ years ago in the Rocky Mountain News, "You know you're a Coloradan when you realize that Oklahoma was created as a demilitarized zone between Texas and Colorado.":D
 
Ghery said:
As was stated in an article 20+ years ago in the Rocky Mountain News, "You know you're a Coloradan when you realize that Oklahoma was created as a demilitarized zone between Texas and Colorado.":D
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Oklahoma has a marketable service if they play their cards right. It needs to be relocated...about 120 deg clockwise from it's present position.
 
gkainz said:
But you get the oddest looks when they spell out "J - O - N - E - S" ... :)
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I usually skip that part. My legal name (as opposed to the one I go by all the time) is a hyphenated name, and the second half is "Jones". I usually spell out the first half phonetically (yes, using the aviaiton alphabet), then say "hyphen Jones". No one has misspelled "Jones" yet.

Judy
 
Oh...I'm even worse--

In math class I use "niner" and "fife" in the numbers

I use "affirm" and "negative" to answer questions

If I'm asked to go do something with a friend and I cannot I say, "unable"

When fellow pilots call I act like an Air Traffic Controller, "Novemba 90 TRACON, wataya want?" or.. "Go Override....USA102, 10 northa Pawling at 18, ya see em'?"

Heh...I have the flying bug AND the flying phraseology virus <g>
 
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