I was talking with my wife this morning, dropping knowledge on her like I tend to do (she thinks it’s cute, for some reason), and I told her about my next tattoo. It’s going to be a scene from Tommy Boy where he calls the number “two four niner, five six seven eight....”
And here’s where the rabbit hole begins.
I asked her, “Do you know why we [pilots] say niner instead of nine on comms?”
She smiles and goes, “No clue… but I bet you’re about to tell me!”
She know's me too well, but now I will say it loud enough for you kids in the back!
English is the universal language of aviation. No matter what country you’re flying in, ATC will speak English. Super handy.
But here’s a big potential issue:
In German, “nein” sounds like “nine”, and nein means no.
Imagine ATC saying,
“Turn right heading nine zero.”
A German-speaking pilot might instinctively hear,
“Turn right heading… no… zero.”
That kind of confusion at 150 knots? Yeah, hard pass!
So pilots say niner to make “9” unmistakable, no matter who’s listening or what language they default to. Just goes to show… even when we’re all speaking English, it doesn’t mean we’re all hearing the same thing.
Now go forth and use niner today. Bonus points if you say it like Tommy Boy!
** On a personal note: huge thanks to all the air traffic controllers out there. It’s not an easy job, and most of the time no one even knows you’re the reason everything stays smooth and safe. You’re appreciated more than you hear.
