Aviation Alphabet

The phonetic alphabet is used by pilots during radio calls. Instead of saying a letter, which can be easily misunderstood, they say a standardized word that represents the letter.

The numbers are pronounced the same except for these three:

0- Zero           3- Tree          9- Niner

For example, when saying the tail number N123AB, the pilot would say "November-one-two-tree-Alpha-Bravo.

In the first half of the century, while flying was still new, there were several variations of this phonetic alphabet. Q used to be Queen instead of Quebec, K used to be King instead of Kilo, and S used to be Sugar instead of Sierra. In 1957, the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) adopted the worldwide standard phonetic alphabet shown above.

Let’s practice using these. Spell the following words out loud using the aviation alphabet.

1. JET
2. PILOT
3. FLYING
4. AIRPLANE
5. 2006
6. Your school name: __________________________
7. Your first name: ____________________________
8. The date of Amelia Earhart’s disappearance: 7-2-1937
9. Your birthday, in numbers, including the year: ___________________________
10. Your city and zip code: _______________________________

Let the students know how handy this is for everyday uses:

1. Writing a new email address down over the phone.
2. Asking people to spell their names so you get them right.
3. Clarify something over the phone when the connection is bad.
4. When you’re giving out quiz answers to a multiple choice quiz you can say Bravo and Delta so your Bs and Ds can be more easily understood.
5. Any time you have to spell anything out.

Try using this alphabet throughout the year to help to reinforce its use and practicality for you and the kids.

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