If you've ever passed the cockpit in a flight and tried to understand your pilots' conversation, you probably didn't gain much from them. From terms like "niner" to "Zulu," pilot -speak can sound like its own language.

    The special language is called "aviation* English". According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), pilots on international airlines and air traffic controllers on airlines need t speak "aviation English" when they communicate. Aviation English is necessary all over the world because it is unrealistic for a pilot to know all the different languages of the country to which he or she must fly. In addition, most of the phrases flight crew use were born out of a need for clear communication with a few words over an occasionally fuzzy* radio transmission*. Pilots must make effort to minimise their transmission time.

    Misunderstandings between pilots and air traffic controllers can lead to disaster, so they must ensure not to misunderstand one another. To avoid making a mistake about understanding with similar sounding consonants, the ICAO has a standard 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. These words stand for the letters from A to Z. The pronunciation of numbers should also follow precise standards. For example, zero (0) is always "zero," not "oh." 3 becomes "tree". 4 is called "fower", five becomes "fife," and nine becomes "niner."

    There are also more colorful phrases that pilots say were produced in the sky and shared widely among staffers. For example, "Feet wet" warns air traffic controllers when a military aircraft is flying over water. "Pan-Pan" is reserved for communication with air traffic controllers. When pilots notice something unusual with their plane that stops short of an immediate emergency, they use "pan-pan," a signal of urgency and attention. When pilots use this signal, other aviators on the same radio frequency will "shut up and let you get your message across," allowing air traffic control to provide the suitable aid and prevent a great danger in flight.