Say Again?

Making sense of aviation mnemonics and acronyms

Every profession has its own specialized knowledge and terminology, a lingo that—depending on the profession—sounds like gibberish to anyone outside of the profession. 

            Aviation has its own jargon, one complicated by the fact that so many of its technical terms have been turned into acronyms . From the day you begin working on your PPL (Private Pilot’s License) with the help of your CFI (Certified Flight Instructor) going up in VFR (Visual Flight Rules) weather to learn basic skills of navigation by VOR (VHF, or very high frequency, omni-directional radio—oh boy, an acronym within an acronym) and talk over a CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency), you are bombarded with acronyms. Every aspect of flight has its acronyms. 

            Some of these acronyms are mnemonic devices used to remember a checklist or sequence of actions. There’s ARROW for the required onboard documents (Airworthiness certificate, Registration, Radio license, Operator’s manual, Weight & Balance information). There’s CRAFT, the sequence of entries on a flight clearance. And GUMPS, pre-landing checks (Gas, Undercarriage, Mixture, Prop, Switches). Or in my case, GUMPS (Gear down, Undercarriage down, Make sure the gear is down, Please, make sure the gear is down, Shit! Is the gear is down?).

            One reason for aviation’s infatuation with acronyms is that so much of its history and procedures have been handed down by the military, an organization that can justly be blamed for the plague of acronyms in our language. Another is that cockpits are relatively tight spaces—there just isn’t a lot of room for wordy signage. 

            Recently,I went up in a friend’s plane. Across his control panel was an absolute alphabet soup of mnemonics—ABCCC, FATS, CARS, MSHITTT, MARRRTHA, GUMPS. 

            WTF?

            After telling me what they all stood for (see below), he showed me how they are arranged to flow across the panel and down the radio stack, each designed to cover the killer items in certain phases of flight. 

             He said that even as a passenger in another plane he will run these through his head to check the pilot flying. “Amazing,” he said, "how many times a two-pilot cockpit that is not trained to work together will make some very simple mistakes.”

            Whether a mnemonic adequately substitutes for a checklist is debatable, but there are certain things that make some mnemonics better than others. The first is having the letters form a pronounceable word or phrase. Sorry, TTMPPFFISCH doesn’t cut it. On the other hand,WILCO, radio shorthand for “Will Comply,” works quite nicely. Or consider the pre-landing check GUMPS, now used universally over the older, nearly unpronounceable alternative, BUMPH. A good mnemonic rolls off the tongue, making it more memorable, and thus more useful.

            Humor also helps. My formation flying friends get a kick out using a borrowed military term to describe a non-pilot passenger, JAFO, short for “Just A Fucking Observer.” Among my own favorites, although purely for their inventiveness, are TOMATO FLAMES, a list of required equipment for VFR flight (see below), and  “Fuck me, I’m in Trouble”—a quick checklist for engine failure  (Fuel, Mixture, Ignition, Instruments, Throttle); and TITS, for setting a navaid (Tune, Identify, Test, Set heading). As you can see, a lot of these devices tend to the raunchier side.

            Then there are mnemonics that aren’t acronyms at all, just a phrase. The FAA has reserved three transponder codes for pilots to communicate situations in which their regular radio is either inoperable or they can’t use it:

                        7500—Hijack

                        7600—No radio

                        7700—Emergency

Knowing the right code is crucially important, because if you put in the wrong code (7500) you’re likely to find yourself escorted by a pair of military fighter jets to face a long afternoon explaining yourself and filling out paperwork. To help remember the sequence, someone smart came up with this clever memory aid:

                        “Hi Jack, can’t talk, got an emergency.”

            At a certain point you need a mnemonic to help keep track of your mnemonics. 

     
While I understand the benefit of acronyms for brevity and clarity, when overused they do the exact opposite. When reading a lot of aviation texts and manuals, even a lot of pilots need a glossary of abbreviations to follow along.  Since aviation is a technical field, acronyms may be a necessary evil, but my guess is they tend to push away a lot of potential pilots who are turned off by all the garble.

            More generally, as both a pilot and a reporter, I’ve often thought that one reason the news media does a horrible job of covering aviation issues is that aviation does a horrible job making itself understandable to non-pilots. As a result, the public has no clue what’s going on. To them, airplanes have been and always will be complex machines made up of a hundred thousand parts all on the verge of blowing apart, and pilots are just a group of daredevils or individuals harboring a secret death wish.  The fact that the only time they read about aviation is usually when there’s a crash only reinforces these beliefs.

            Outside of flying the airlines, few people have any experience flying in small aircraft, or even going to a local airport. 

            But I digress…

            Here is a list (by no means complete) of aviation-related mnemonics:

ABCCC

Pre-flight checks

A ... altimeter set

B ... belts on


C ... controls free & correct, boxed


C ... cockpit (windows, door secure)


C ... cabin (clear, organized, passengers)


FATS

Takeoff (and landing) configuration

F ... flaps


A ... and

T ... trim


S ... set



CARS

Seaplane configuration

C ... carb heat


A ... area clear


R ... water rudders


S ... stick back



GUMPS

Pre-landing checks

G ... gas


U ... undercarriage


M ... mixture


P ... prop


S ... supplementals (thinks about the particular plane I'm in)


MSHITTT

Takeoff configuration

M ... mixture set


S ... straight (taxi in a line)


H ... heading (correct, DG, runway...)


I  ... instruments (all in the green)


T ... transponder


T ... time (noted)


T ... take-off



MARRRTHA

IFR approach


M .... missed


A  ... approach briefed


R ... radios set & weather received


R ... routes


R ... radials


T ... time (for ILS, VOR etc...)


H ... heading (bug set & DG to compass)


A ... altitude (missed decision height, etc…)

CRAFT
Flight clearance sequence

C... clearance limit (destination)
R... route
A... altitude
F... frequency
T... transponder code

ARROW
Required onboard documents

A... airworthiness certificate
R... registration
R... radio license
O... operator's manual
W... weight and balance info

BUMPH

Pre-landing checks

B…brakes

U… undercarriage

M… mixture

P… prop

H… hatches, seat belts

TOMATO FLAMES

Equipment for VFR flight

T… tachometer

O…oil pressure

M… manifold pressure

A… altimeter

T… temperature sensor (liquid-cooled)

O… oil temperature (air cooled)

F…fuel gauge

L…landing gear position

A… airspeed indicator

M… magnetic compass

E…ELT

S… seat belts

TTMPPFFISCH
Takeoff checklist

T… trim checked and set
T… throttle friction set
M… mixture - full rich (set)
P… primer locked
P… fuel pump on/off as reqd
F…fuel on fullest tank / reqd tank
F…flaps set for takeoff
I… instruments checked and set
S…switches (engine runup - Mags, Prop, carby heat, alt air)
C… controls, full free and correct
H.... hatches and harnesses secure

CAAAMRF
Landing checks

C… compass
A… approach brief
A… aids tuned, identified

A… altimeter set
M… mixture
R… radio calls
F… fuel

CFTMST

"Can't Fuck The Monkey Seven Times"
After landing checks

C…carb heat cold, cowl flaps open
F…flaps up, fuel pumps off
T… trims reset
M… mixture
T- Transponder STBY, Transmit Clear of Rwy/Taxi Call.

SLIM
Shutdown procedure

S…switches off
L… lean cut-off
I… ignition off
M… master Off

CIGARS

Taxiing/run-ups

C controls - full and free
I instruments - checked and set
G gas - mixture rich, fuel on, fullest tank/both, sufficient
A airframe - flaps and trim
R runs - mags and prop/s
S safety - doors seat belts

FMUTBSL

“Fuck Me Up The Bum Son... Lightly”
Pre-landing checks

F... fuel
M...mixture
U… undercarriage
T...temps & Pressures
B… brakes
S... secure  hatches & harnesses
L... landing Light

IFR

Flying visually

I…I
F…follow
R…roads, rivers or railway lines

PL(ease!) START

Engine-out checklist

P… pitch for best glide
L...landing site
S… seat belts
T... troubleshoot
A... approach
R... radios
T... turn off

ABCDE

Engine-out checklist

A... airspeed
B... best place to land
C... checklist
D... declare
E... execute

FACTS

After landing checks

F…flaps up

A… auxiliary pump off

C… cowl flaps open

T… transponder to standby

S… switches off

MIDGET

After landing checks

M… master switch off

I… ignition off

D… doors latched

G… gust lock in place

E… ELT off

T… tiedown secure