RAF radio alphabet
The RAF radiotelephony spelling alphabet was used by the British Royal Air Force (RAF) to aid communication after the take-up of radio, especially to spell out aircraft identification letters, e.g. "H-Harry", "G for George" etc. Several alphabets were used, before being superseded by the adoption of the NATO/ICAO radiotelephony alphabet. While sometimes referred to as the "RAF Phonetic Alphabet", it is a spelling alphabet rather than a true phonetic alphabet.
History
During World War I both the British Army and the Royal Navy had developed their own quite separate spelling alphabets. The Navy system was full alphabet, starting: Apples, Butter, Charlie, Duff, Edward, but the RAF alphabet was based on that of the "signalese" of the army signallers. This was not a full alphabet, but differentiated only the letters most frequently misunderstood: Ack (originally "Ak"), Beer (or Bar), C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, eMma, N, O, Pip, Q, R, eSses, Toc, U, Vic, W, X, Y, Z.
By 1921 the RAF "Telephony Spelling Alphabet" had been adopted by all three armed services, and was then made mandatory for UK civil aviation, as announced in Notice to Airmen Number 107.[1]
Alphabets
| 1921 – 1942[1][2] | 1942–1956[3] |
|---|---|
| Apple Beer Charlie Don Edward Freddie George Harry Ink Johnnie King London Monkey Nuts 1 Orange Pip Queen Robert Sugar Toc Uncle Vic 2 William X-ray Yorker Zebra |
Able Baker Charlie Dog Easy Fox George How Item Jig King Love Mike Nan Oboe Peter Queen Roger Sugar Tare Uncle Victor William X-ray Yoke Zebra |
- 1 The choice of Nuts following Monkey is probably from "monkey nuts" = peanuts; likewise Orange and Pip can be similarly paired.
- 2 "Vic" subsequently entered the English language as the standard (Vee-shaped) flight pattern of three aircraft.
Since 1956
In 1956 the NATO phonetic alphabet was adopted due to the RAF's wide commitments with NATO and worldwide sharing of civil aviation facilities.[3]
| Since 1956 |
|---|
| Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta Echo Foxtrot Golf Hotel India Juliet Kilo Lima Mike November Oscar Papa Quebec Romeo Sierra Tango Uniform Victor Whisky X-Ray Yankee Zulu |
See also
- Cockney alphabet
- Toc H - example of signalese carry-over.
- German phonetic alphabet
References
- 1 2 "Notice to Airmen", Flight, Flightglobal.com, XIII (679): 862, 29 December 1921, retrieved 11 August 2014
- ↑ Keesing's Contemporary Archives, Volume 4, Part 2, 1942
- 1 2 "'Alfa Bravo' for R.A.F", Flight, Flightglobal.com, 69 (2451): 63, 13 January 1956, retrieved 11 August 2014