Emergency call sign
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From: Around the globe
Emergency call sign
When declaring an emergency (distress or urgency) is there a requirement to prefix a callsign with "Mayday" or "Pan Pan". If this is the case, is it done on the first contact only or all the time you talk to the ATC (until you cancel the emergency).
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ICAO Manual of RTF says
This means that you should use the prefix when you declare the emergency. There have been many examples where pilots have not used these prefixes (for a variety of reasons) and ATC consequently have not fully recognised the seriousness of the situation.
The word "MAYDAY" spoken at the start identifies a distress message, and the words "PAN PAN" spoken at the start identifies an urgency message. The words "MAYDAY or "PAN PAN", as appropriate, should preferably be spoken three times at the start of the initial distress or urgency call.
Joined: Nov 2007
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From: Omnipresent
There is a video floating around of a ThompsonFly 757 (?) which suffers a birdstrike on t/o. You can hear the ATC audio, and after the initial mayay call (spoken 3 times as per the book), the pilot and ATC prefix some transmissions with a single mayday. I'm not sure if this is written in procedure or law anywhere, but it sounds very sensible, particularly to keep unnecessary traffic (read: all other traffic) quiet.
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From: egt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KhZwsYtNDE
this the thomson mayday.
They call mayday mayday mayday, then after that they became "mayday thomson"
this the thomson mayday.
They call mayday mayday mayday, then after that they became "mayday thomson"
Joined: Jun 2002
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From: UAE
Without watching the video again as Im about to go out, does he not use the Mayday singular when he changes freq?
If not then I also do not know why he does it, however if the above is correct then it would make sense, though its not written anywhere?
YYZ
If not then I also do not know why he does it, however if the above is correct then it would make sense, though its not written anywhere?
YYZ
Joined: Sep 2005
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From: Inside the roster matrix
I would always keep the MAYDAY prefix, especially in foreign airspace (UK are normally very good and are almost in there with you).
The prefix leaves no doubt and keeps everyone in the loop, inc other pilots.
The prefix leaves no doubt and keeps everyone in the loop, inc other pilots.
Joined: Feb 2003
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From: Scotland
I, too, have met many pilots who have been taught to prefix every transmission, following the initial call, with Pan or Mayday as appropriate. There is no requirement to do this in any UK, JAR or ICAO doc that I have read. As MJ says, it has some benefits - for example, stops you forgetting to repeat the word when you change to a new freq - but its a bit clumsy and unnecessary, so I don't teach it myself.
Joined: Dec 2007
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From: France
Definitively... (As a number of UK TREs have bees in their bonets over this at the moment)... 
We already have:
The initial call from an aircraft in distress is, as the original poster says, the, errr, initial call, which, errr, initiates the distress or urgency condition. Subsequent calls are distress or urgency messages, and thus qualify for the single iteration of MAYDAY or PAN PAN.
Alles Klar, Herr Komissar?
We already have:
The word "MAYDAY" spoken at the start identifies a distress message, and the words "PAN PAN" spoken at the start identifies an urgency message. The words "MAYDAY or "PAN PAN", as appropriate, should preferably be spoken three times at the start of the initial distress or urgency call.
The initial call from an aircraft in distress is, as the original poster says, the, errr, initial call, which, errr, initiates the distress or urgency condition. Subsequent calls are distress or urgency messages, and thus qualify for the single iteration of MAYDAY or PAN PAN.
Alles Klar, Herr Komissar?
