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Tom,
'WILCO' just means 'will cooperate' with the instructions of the tower or center. The phrase 'Pan-Pan' means that you may be in distress and may be declaring an emergency--it gets the attention of the center or tower. It is just below 'Mayday.' It's in the private pilot instruction manuals under emergency communications. There are other phrases, such as saying 'no joy' if you can't see an aircraft close by after being warned by the tower. Or, if you see the neighboring plane, you say "I have him at 2 o'clock," or some pilots just say 'contact at 2 o'clock, high,' meaning he's off the right wing, higher than him.
Some of these are old military terms which came from WWII dogfights when maximum communication was necessary in minimum time. In carrier lingo 'wave-off' means go around when landing on an aircraft carrier.
It's important to have an appreciation for terms you hear from other pilots. You need to know what they mean, because they are recognized 'jargon,' and may affect your flight. They give you not only the communication necessary, but give you an idea about the type of pilot you're dealing with. If you hear something you don't recognize, make a note of it and ask your instructor. If the center or tower isn't busy, ask them what it means. There are other terms we hear but are similarly poorly defined: United Flight 2001 "Heavy" (a large plane such as DC-10 or 747): "Roily" air (severe turbulence): stall speed is 64kts "dirty" (gear down, flaps down, speed brakes on): rental price is $75/hr. "wet" (fuel included): the airplane has no "squawks" (no items needing maintenance at the time). It would be nice to have a glossary of some of the more unusual terms. One probably exists, somewhere.
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DJSchaut
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DJSchaut
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