Video answers: ‘Why people say “mayday” in an emergency’

Here are the answers to last Friday’s video, enjoy!

Suggested ICAO level for video: 5+

1. It had to be easily understood by all pilots and ground staff.
2. It wasn’t chosen because it was used in normal conversations which weren’t emergencies.
3. When selecting the word to use, the English and French languages were thought about.
4. It should be repeated three times to avoid confusion with somebody relaying a mayday call (but not in an emergency themselves) and confusion with other similar sounding words.
5. In that case, pilots should use the expression ‘pan-pan’, again repeated three times to avoid confusion.
6. It doesn’t mean anything, it was chosen due to its unmistakable character.

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