Decimal... ?

[Parkway]

I was just wondering if anyone knows the reason why most controllers in Australia pronounce the word decimal "day-sim-al"

 

There must be a good reason! Although I still don't know why we don't just say point like the Americans do.. Decimal is adding unnecessary time to each transmission in my opinion

 

 

[red750]

Refer to the pronunciation in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NATO_phonetic_alphabet

 

 

[kasper]

We do not say "point" which is US American because we are ICAO compliant for the most part in Australian aviation and ICAO use "decimal".

 

The reasons we pronounce is DAY SEE MAL is for clarity in radio transmission:

 

1. forced phonetics and stresses as per ICAO are clearer on transmission - similar to 9 = "niner"; and

 

2. forced pronunciation away from native English tends to remove/diminish regional/local accents and stresses again improving universality of understanding - particularly for those for whom English is not their native language

 

 

[silvercity]

Spot on Kasper.

 

 

[Parkway]

Fair enough, thanks for the reply :)

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Also FIFE and NINER

 

 

[kgwilson]

Here's the lot.

 

 

 

The Nato Phonetic Alphabet, also sometimes referred to as Alpha Bravo Charlie.

 

Letter:

 

Code Word:

 

Pronunciation:

 

A Alpha Al fah

 

B Bravo Brah Voh

 

C Charlie Char Lee

 

D Delta Dell Tah

 

E Echo Eck Oh

 

F Foxtrot Foks Trot

 

G Golf Golf

 

H Hotel Hoh Tell (FAA, IMO, ITU) Ho Tell (ICAO)

 

I India In Dee Ah

 

J Juliett Jew Lee Ett

 

K Kilo Key Loh

 

L Lima Lee Mah

 

M Mike Mike

 

N November No Vem Ber

 

O Oscar Oss Car

 

P Papa Pah Pah

 

Q Quebec Keh Beck

 

R Romeo Row Me Oh

 

S Sierra See Air Ah (FAA) See Air Rah (ICAO, IMO, ITU)

 

T Tango Tang Go

 

U Uniform You Nee Form

 

V Victor Vik Tah

 

W Whiskey Wiss Key

 

X X Ray Ecks Ray

 

Y Yankee Yang Key

 

Z Zulu Zoo Loo

 

Numbers (FAA, ICAO)

 

Number:

 

Code Word:

 

Pronunciation:

 

0 Zero Zee Row

 

1 One Wun

 

2 Two Too

 

3 Three Tree

 

4 Four Fow Er

 

5 Five Fife

 

6 Six Six

 

7 Seven Sev En

 

8 Eight Ait

 

9 Niner Nine Er

 

 

[eightyknots]

Also FIFE and NINER

It is also recommended to say TOUsand rather than THOUsand.

 

 

[DWF]

Used to be:

 

Able

 

Baker

 

Charlie

 

Dog

 

Easy

 

Freddie

 

etc .........

 

Or you could use (well maybe not on the radio):

 

A for orses

 

B for mutton

 

C for yourself

 

D for dumb

 

E fa brick

 

F for vessent

 

G fo police

 

etc......

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Back when we used HF radio in the bush and no headphones, just an overhead speaker, you needed every help you could get to understand what was said. But before that, I suppose, were the pilots with no radio who had to watch for coloured lamps.

 

 

[silvercity]

Back when we used HF radio in the bush and no headphones, just an overhead speaker, you needed every help you could get to understand what was said. But before that, I suppose, were the pilots with no radio who had to watch for coloured lamps.[/quoteYou mean blokes like Howie Debney and Ken Rosen back in the good old days of the Broken Hill Aero Club Peter?

[pmccarthy]

Yes, exactly. Flying to Darwin in VH-BHU and talking to Adelaide while I was trying to figure out where I was!

I reckon Dudley Hart would have been a coloured lamps man.

 

 

[spacesailor]

PMCCarthy,

 

As we now have no certified hand held transceiver, we have to use colored lights again !.

 

Copper burns blue , magnesium white etc,.

 

spacesailor

 

 

[Marty_d]

It is also recommended to say TOUsand rather than THOUsand.

It'd come natural to the Irish!

 

 

[eightyknots]

It'd come natural to the Irish!

...and to German and Dutch people who seem to have a lot of trouble pronouncing the "th" sound in English words.

EG: thirty-three sounds like dirty tree.

 

 

[pmccarthy]

Dirty tree and a turd percent.

 

 

[Guernsey]

...and to German and Dutch people who seem to have a lot of trouble pronouncing the "th" sound in English words.EG: thirty-three sounds like dirty tree.

Londoners have a silent ' t ' and I fink that I am correct that ' th ' is pronounced as an ' f '.

 

Alan.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Londoners have a silent ' t ' and I fink that I am correct that ' th ' is pronounced as an ' f '. Alan.

Well that's just thucking weird.

 

 

[Kiwi303]

Try Maori...

 

Wh is prounouced as F.

 

 

[spacesailor]

And Japanese "Fuku Maru" is fishing boat

 

spacesailor

 

 

[shags_j]

Regarding why we say Day See Mal...

 

See AIP Gen 3.4-15 4.10.1

 

Another interesting reference from that section is also the use of copled numbers in flight ID's. ie. Tecnam twelve thirtyfour (Tec1234)

 

Gen 3.4-22 4.21.1