(US) When landing on a US aircraft carrier: to sight the lights from the multi-colored optical landing system that shows a pilot to be on the correct approach path or how to correct the approach path.
What does Maverick has the ball mean
7. “You’re at three-quarters of a mile. Call the ball.” The “ball” is the nickname for the Optical Landing System on an aircraft carrier, and there is a lot more to this line than is worth explaining. What it’s come to mean outside naval aviation circles, however, is clear: when in charge, take charge.
How do you respond to call the ball
In response to the LSO’s query to “Call the ball,” the pilot will answer by stating his side number, aircraft type, ‘ball,’ and fuel state (and qualification number if in training).
What phrases do pilots say?
- “Let’s kick the tires and light the fires”
- “Feet wet”
- “We’ve got a deadhead crew flying to Chicago”
- “There’s a pilot in the jumpseat”
- “It’s 17:00 Zulu time”
- “George is flying the plane now”
- “We’re flying through an air pocket”
Why do pilots say Fox 2
When you fly one of our Air Combat missions, you will hear “FOX 2, Fight’s On” to initiate our canned setups. “FOX 2” is a brevity code used by fighter pilots to declare a weapon’s release (sorta like “bomb’s away” from WWII).
Why do pilots say Bogey
Bogey, according to Eric Partridge’s slang dictionary, is Royal Air Force usage from early in World War II meaning ”an aircraft suspected to be hostile. ” American aviators picked it up from the R.A.F. veterans; in 1945, Newsweek used the term to mean ”in radar code, an unidentified enemy aircraft.
What is the famous line in Top Gun
- 1 “It’s Not The Plane, It’s The Pilot.”
- 2 “No Idea What They’re Saying.”
- 3 “You Told Me Not To Think.”
- 4 “It’s The Only One I Got.”
- 5 “It’s Time To Let Go.”
- 6 “See You In The Afterlife Bagman.”
- 7 “Earth.”
- 8 “You Got Some Balls Stick Jockey.”
What does the phrase be the ball mean
US. Slang. to be alert; be efficient. See full dictionary entry for ball.
Why do carrier pilots salute before takeoff
Why do carrier pilots salute before takeoff? On US carriers, it is a positive and unmistakable signal that the pilot and airplane are ready to be launched (catapulted).
Why do people say on the ball
If someone is on the ball, they are very alert and aware of what is happening. She really is on the ball; she’s bought houses at auctions so she knows what she’s doing.
What are yellow shirts on aircraft carrier
Mostly maintenance personnel, green shirts operate and maintain all aircraft launch and recovery equipment and perform all support equipment and aircraft-related maintenance. Aircraft directors are known as yellow shirts and responsible for the safe movement of aircraft on the flight deck and in the hangar bay.
Why do we say on the ball
Origin of On the Ball
This expression likely comes from sports, and it is believed to have come from baseball specifically. It is thought to be a truncated version of the phrase keep your eye on the ball. A baseball player who keeps his or her eyes on the ball is more likely to hit the ball and get on base.
Why do pilots say V1 rotate?
During the takeoff roll, the pilot monitoring the displays (PM) will call out the two important speeds: V1 and rotate. This indicates to the pilot flying the aircraft (PF) when they are beyond the safe stopping speed and when to rotate the aircraft into the air.
Why do pilots say no joy?
A pilot reports “no joy” when an attempt to establish visual or radio contact with another aircraft is unsuccessful; or when an attempt to acquire a target – either visually or on tactical radar – is unsuccessful.
Why do pilots say pickle
Pickle. Slang reference by pilots to the release of ordnance (bombs and canisters) over a target, one at a time in close sequence, on one pass. Such a release allowed the ordnance to cover a larger linear area.
What is the flight of the ball?
In cricket, the flight of the ball is its trajectory through the air between being released by the bowler and bouncing on the pitch. The flight of a delivery may be varied by changing the pace of the ball or through use of the Magnus force.
Where is the ball on an aircraft carrier?
These lenses beam a 3.5 degree slope aft of the ship, so when pilots approach the ship and intercept the beam at the correct altitude, an orange ball appears in the center of the lenses.
How do you know if being a pilot is for you
- Do you enjoy flying?
- Are you afraid of heights? (
- Do you want to have a good salary?
- Do you hate sitting in an office all day?
- Do you like variety?
- Do you want a flexible career?
- Do you want to travel?
- Can you pass the FAA medical exam?
Why do pilots say heavy
When a pilot uses the phrase “heavy,” he is reminding ATC that his aircraft is large and requires more separation between it and the aircraft following.
Do pilots still say Niner?
The pilot alphabet
Numbers get special treatment too. Pilots pronounce most numbers normally with these exceptions: Zero (0) is always “zero,” not “oh.” Three becomes “tree,” five becomes “fife,” and nine becomes “niner.”
Why do pilots say cactus
That’s what they painted on the outside of the airplanes, but in the cockpit, the call sign pilots used for the combined lines was “Cactus,” which had been the call sign for America West.
Why do pilots say Fox
Fox is a brevity code used by NATO pilots to signal the simulated or actual release of an air-to-air munition or other combat function. Army aviation elements may use a different nomenclature, as the nature of helicopter-fired weapons is almost always air-to-surface.
Why do pilots say souls?
ATC: 4194 Say souls on board. (This is the ATC terminology for asking how many people are in the plane. It is the standard terminology, and when you file any flight plan that’s the term for number of people on the plane; but when you hear it said out loud by a controller it’s usually a bad sign.
What are boogers in Top Gun?
A bogey is an unidentified aircraft. Once identified, it is referred to as a “friendly” (for friendly aircraft), “bandit” (for non-friendly aircraft) or “hostile” (for non-friendly aircraft that may be fired at).
What does the Navy call Top Gun
TOPGUN is known to the fleet as the Navy Fighter Weapons School, where its mission statement is simple: win in combat.
Why is it called Top Gun
As you might have noticed, the acronym TOPGUN doesn’t match the school’s name. In fact, TOPGUN doesn’t stand for anything. It was a nickname created by the tactical department of Fighter Squadron 21 when the school was stood up.
What is slang for ball?
By far, the most common slang term for testicles is balls. More crude but also common is nuts. Similar slang terms are stones and rocks. Gonads gives us the slang term nads (and the even slangier nards). There are many other terms, like bits and marbles.
WHO SAID be the ball
This line is spoken by Ty Webb (played by Chevy Chase) in the movie Caddyshack, directed by Harold Ramis (1980). Caddyshack is a sports comedy movie set at the wackiest golf club that ever existed.
Why do pilots tap the brakes after takeoff
It’s strictly done to stop the wheels from vibrating as they wind down, which can scare the pax and sometimes the pilot at first.
Why do pilots ask to turn off phones?
We are warned that cellular service must be turned off because device transmissions interfere with the aircraft’s navigational equipment.
Is ball a swear word
Taken out of context of any of these games or common activities, balls is often used to mean testicles which can be used, abused, interpreted, or expressed to mean testicles and any number of sexual or offensive intended comments.
What does playing ball mean in slang
Get going, start, as in It’s time to get a move on; let’s play ball. This usage comes from the baseball umpire’s call to start a game. [ Slang; late 1800s]
Where did the ball come from
The oldest known ball in the world is a toy made of linen rags and string that was found in an Egyptian child’s tomb dating to about 2500 B.C. In highland Mesoamerica, evidence shows that ball games were played starting at least as far back as 1650 B.C., based on the finding of a monumental ball court, though the