Mayday :-

Mayday is a distress call that is used to signal a life-threatening emergency used aircraft pilot. Call will start with the word “Mayday” being said 3-times in a row so that it is not mistaken for another similar-sounding word or phrase.The distress call has absolute priority over all other transmissions. Mayday” derived from the French word “m’aider” that means “help me” and is a shortened form of “venez m’aider”, which means “come and help me”.

 Pan-Pan :-

This is originated from French word “panne” that means “a breakdown“. It indicates an urgent situation such as a mechanical failure or a medical problem.A Pan-pan call is generally of a notch lower than a Mayday in terms of threat.The word “PAN-PAN” being said 3-times in a row so that it is not mistaken for another similar-sounding word or phrase.

What is the format for transmission a Mayday call ?

The pilot captain must call out “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” loudly. Following this:-

1. the pilot has to read aloud the name of his station,
2. aircraft call sign and type,
3. nature of emergency, weather, pilot’s intentions and/or requests,
4. present position and heading,
5. and if lost then the last known position and heading and time when aircraft was at that position,
6. altitude or flight level, fuel remaining in minutes, the number of people on board, followed by any other useful information

The choice of MAYDAY or PANPAN for  Man Overboard (MOB) situations is a judgment call made by the captain at the time of the incident.

Author: TECH SINGH Urs

TECH LEARNING WITH NEW VISION