Bravo Zulu, and others

[RogueLeader]

What does Bravo Zulu mean, and where did it come from?
Same for YMMV.


Also for any other unknown terms

[DKruse]

Not sure about Bravo Zulu.

YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary

[MIKE]

What does Bravo Zulu mean, and where did it come from?

Bravo Zulu

Same for YMMV.

Your Mileage May Vary

[SarDragon]

Bravo Zulu is Navy-ese for well done. Those are the two pennants hoisted to send that message. More here, which, as it turns out, is a direct copy of the link above.

[Fifinella]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bravo_Zulu

There's this great tool on the internet called "Google"...

[SarDragon]

Wow! Three replies in 33 seconds.

[RogueLeader]

There's this great tool on the internet called "Google"...

Whats the internet ?  

[Major Carrales]

I attended a College Board AP Education Workshop (30 hours credit) last week that said that the use of such devices destroyed the educational benefit of forums and blogs.

As a point of order, some blokes that post here and at other places make a big issue on calling Service Dress "Class A." They make a repeated point that we should use only USAF style jargon.  Strange that this "Bravo Zulu" (now obviously identified as a Naval practice) business has not turned out the same incredulous fellows.  

[Al Sayre]

Yeah, but us Squids like to speak in our own language...

[Eclipse]

There's this great tool on the internet called "Google"...

Whats the internet ?  

A joint creation of Al Gore and America Online.

[pixelwonk]

As a point of order, some blokes that post here and at other places make a big issue on calling Service Dress "Class A." They make a repeated point that we should use only USAF style jargon.  Strange that this "Bravo Zulu" (now obviously identified as a Naval practive) business has not turned out the same incredulous fellows.   

"AIR POWER!"   *snicker*

[jimmydeanno]

SPACE POWER....A...E...F!

[SARMedTech]

While Bravo Zulu may come from Sea Service useage, theres a little more to it than that. Bravo Zulu may indeed have come from the world of signal flags. However, it was also then adopted into transferring code by spoken word and various English speaking  Sea Services "transliterated" it differently. For example, the American Navy, when speaking BZ, used the terms "Baker Zebra." Heres where it gets interesting. Attempts at a phoentic alphabet has been around for as long as messages have been transmitted by voice. Here's where we come in: in approximately 1949, the International Civil Aviation Organization codified the IPA or International Phoentic Alphabet in the version that it is used today and they decided that B would be Bravo and Z would be Zulu. I havent been able to track down alot of specifics just yet accept that I am proud to have been forced to memorize the IPA in EMS school and can tell you what I was taught by my VietNam veteran Paramedic instructor. Bravo now has come to mean that a message is about to be transmitted. the IPA word Foxtrot has also come into fairly regularly accepted useage as a distress signal. So to transmit "Bravo Foxtrot" is letting the receiver of said message that you are sending a message and that you are in distress or trouble. For example: "We are Bravo Foxtrot, repeat, Bravo Foxtrot" would let someone know you were in serious trouble and needed help  ASAP. These spoke messages did in fact come from a combination of "flagsmanship" and the spoken phonetic alphabet set in stone as mentioned  some time around 1949 by the International Civil Aviation Organization. Some information that I have been able to uncover would also seem to indicated that Bravo Foxtrot as a distress signal predates Mayday. Can anyone confirm or refute this.

[SARMedTech]

I just located in a box of books for a flea market that i thought I still had a little spiral pocket guide for pilots on ICOS (International Code of Signals).  Here are some interesting tidbits

Mayday=We are in distress (generally followed by nature of distress)
Bravo Foxtrot= We have ditched and are in the following position (Latitude and Longitude)

Latitude: Code letter L (Lima) followed by a four-figure group; (2 figures for Degrees, 2 figures for Minutes) and either - N (November) for Latitude North, or (Sierra) for Latitude South.

Longitude: Code letter G (Golf) followed by a five-figure group; (3 figures for Degrees, 2 figures for Minutes) and either - E (Echo) for Longitude East, or W (Whiskey) for Longitude West.

CB     Charlie Bravo     I require immediate assistance
CB6    Charlie Bravo Soxisix    I require immediate assistance. I am on fire
DX     Delta X-ray    I am sinking
HW    Hotel Whiskey    I have collided with surface craft


Here are some answers if you pick up a mayday or bravo foxtrot:
CP     Charlie Papa     I am proceeding to your assistance
ED    Echo Delta      Your distress signals are understood
EL    Echo Lima       Repeat the distress position

Here is how the ICOS relays numbers:

   Pronounced as
0    NADAZERO    NAH-DAH-ZAY-ROH
1    UNAONE    OO-NAH-WUN
2    BISSOTWO    BEES-SOH-TOO
3    TERRATHREE    TAY-RAM-TREE
4    KARTEFOUR    KAR-TAY-FOWER
5    PANTAFIVE    PAN-TAM-FIVE
6    SOXISIX    SOK-SEE-SIX
7    SE1lESSEVEN    SAY-TAY-SEVEN
8    OKTOEIGHT    OK-TOH-AIT
9    NOVENINE    NO-VAY-NINER
Decimal Point    DECIMAL    DAY-SEE-MAL
Full Stop    STOP    STOP

The little pocket guide I have also recommends ending all transmission of distress with the questions "How Copy?" and the name/callsign of who it is that you are transmitting to. The guide also says that often these transmissions would be made by the right hand seat.

If your interested in this, I tracked down a website which reproduces almost ver batim the above information plus some. This is also used for marine vessels. As a non-pilot, non-sailor, I cannot attest to what extent these are used or to what degree you could count on them being understood. Here is the website:

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/ra/publication/ra_info/ra292.htm

[Murph]

Al Gore did not invent the internet - he invented Global Warming!

Jeez, get your facts straight.

[capchiro]

Yaah, but didn't one lead to the other?  I mean with millions of butts sitting around on the internet,  didn't anyone realize there would unusual accumulations of gas around the world? hehe..   

[ColonelJack]

I thought Al Gore was only indirectly responsible for global warming ... thanks to all the heat generated by the porn that's all over the Internet that he did invent.

Jack

[jimmydeanno]

All I have to say is that I'm glad he wasn't elected President because we'd be freezing our butts off 

[SARMedTech]

And he wouldnt be friendly to CAP because a/c burn too much fuel...except of his private jet which apparently runs on a little of this, a little of that, alot of dreams....at least its not McCain or we will all be punching out.

[PhotogPilot]

Yaah, but didn't one lead to the other?  I mean with millions of butts sitting around on the internet,  didn't anyone realize there would unusual accumulations of gas around the world? hehe..   

I thought Al Gore was only indirectly responsible for global warming ... thanks to all the heat generated by the porn that's all over the Internet that he did invent.

Jack

Why are we discussing this? Don't you guys know, the discussion is OVER! Al sez so. 

Tags - MIKE