What does it mean when a pilot says heavy?

The word heavy means a larger aircraft type, with a Maximum Takeoff Weight of 160 tonnes or more. These aircraft create wake turbulence from their wings and require extra separation between following aircraft, and the use of heavy reminds other pilots of that fact.



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The FAA classifies planes weighing over 300,000 pounds—a Boeing 747 or Airbus A340, for example—as “heavy.” The official weight classes include: Small: 41,000 pounds or less maximum certified takeoff weight. Large: More than 41,000 pounds and up to 300,000 pounds maximum certified takeoff weight.

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The Boeing 757 is a mid-size, narrow-body twin-engine jet airliner that was designed and built by Boeing. The B753 is member of the B757 family of aircraft. Note: Common practice is to consider B757 as 'HEAVY' (H) for the purpose of assessing wake turbulence generated by this aircraft.

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The phrase five by five can be used informally to mean good signal strength or loud and clear. An early example of this phrase was in 1946, recounting a wartime conversation.

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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.

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Pan-Pan, short for “possible assistance needed,” is used to communicate an urgent, but not emergency, situation over VHF radio, in the case of aviation, to air traffic control. Examples could include a recreational pilot getting lost, or perhaps needing to climb to a higher altitude to sort a problem out.

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Aircraft Call Signs For example, a pilot flying a large transport aircraft might be given the call sign “Heavy,” while a pilot flying a fighter jet might be given the call sign “Eagle” or “Hornet.” This is also true for commercial aviation.

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Most pilots write their call sign down on a visible piece of paper when flying to help them remember it.

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A takeoff may be rejected for a variety of reasons, including engine failure, activation of the takeoff warning horn, direction from air traffic control (ATC), blown tires, or system warnings.

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As the tail comes up, a force is applied to the top of the propeller. And since the propeller is spinning clockwise, that force is felt 90 degrees to the right. That forward-moving force, on the right side of the propeller, creates a yawing motion to the left.

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Affirm: Contrary to popular belief, pilots do not say “affirmative” when they mean “yes” – the correct term is affirm, pronounced “AY-firm”.

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Air traffic control units use the term squawk when they are assigning an aircraft a transponder code, e.g., Squawk 7421. Squawk thus can be said to mean select transponder code or squawking xxxx to mean I have selected transponder code xxxx.

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Later, this was shorted to the “ball.” When an aircraft is on approach in the groove, the LSO will ask the pilot in the approaching aircraft to “Call the ball,” meaning “Tell me when you can see the light.” Answering in the affirmative, the pilot will then “fly the ball,” so to speak, onto the flight deck.

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Water cannon salutes are a mark of respect in both the civilian aviation industry and the military aviation enterprise when a senior pilot retires, an aircraft retires, the arrival of a new aircraft to an organization and the final flight of an aircraft from an airport.

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Water cannon salutes are a mark of respect in both the civilian aviation industry and the military aviation enterprise when a senior pilot retires, an aircraft retires, the arrival of a new aircraft to an organization and the final flight of an aircraft from an airport.

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