Why pilots say ‘Roger that’ to each other when flying planes
Pilots are often saying these famous words when then in control of a flight - but what do they mean, and where did the phrase come from?
EVERYONE knows that pilots use the phrase “Roger that” when they’re in the air – but have you ever given any thought as to why?
The reason goes back to some of the very first flights.
A pilot needs support from staff on the ground when flying – but when the first plane was flown by the Wright bothers in 1903, there was no such thing as radio communication.
, during the Wright brothers’ first flight, they used flares, hand signals and coloured paddles to communicate while the plane was in the air.
As technology advanced, pilots began to use Morse code to communicate in the years before 1915, when air-to-ground voice transmission became possible.
To confirm a message had been received, they would signal the letter “R” in Morse code.
When communication switched to radio, pilots carried on using the letter “R” to confirm a message but started to use the word Roger.
While we now use the word "Romeo" in the phonetic alphabet for the letter R - in the past "Roger" was used instead.
As not all pilots speak English, it was decided by the International Telegraph Union in 1927 that "Roger" would be an easier command than “received”.
To understand pilot speak, you must first learn the international phonetic alphabet.