10.3 Distress and Urgency Messages

Exercise 10.3.1 Read and translate the text.

Any distress or urgency message must be as short, full and clear as possible. Every station received this kind of message should retransmit it to the ATC unit immediately and the controller must acknowledge it at once.

An emergency message is usually transmitted on frequency-in-use, but special emergency frequencies can also be used.

A distress message begins with the word “Mayday” pronounced 3 times and consists of:

1. ATC unit call sign;

2. identification of the aircraft;

3. nature of the distress condition;

4. intentions;

5. position, level and heading of the aircraft;

6. any other useful information.

All station received the message should monitor the frequency and the controller will impose radio silence with the phase: “STOP transmitting”, addressed to all or one particular station.

When the aircraft is no longer in distress, it cancels Mayday.

The controller cancels silence with phase “Distress traffic ended”. It means resuming of normal communication operations.

Urgency message starts with signal “PAN PAN’ 3 times and includes:

1. ATC unit call sign;

2. identification of the aircraft;

3. the nature of urgency;

4. intentions;

5. other useful information.

Urgency messages have priority over other except distress messages. Nobody may interrupt them.

Exercise 10.3.2 Answer the questions.

1. What should every station received distress or urgency message do?

2. What frequency is an emergency message usually transmitted on?

3. What does a distress message consist of?

4. What phrase will the controller impose radio silence with?

5. What phrase does the controller cancel silence with?

6. What does an urgency message include?

Exercise 10.3.3 Write T if the sentence is true and F if the sentence is false.

1. ____ Any distress or urgency message must be long, full and clear as possible.

2. ____ The controller doesn’t have to acknowledge a distress or an urgency message.

3. ____ An emergency message is usually transmitted on the frequency -in-use.

4. ____ A distress message begins with the world “Mayday” pronounced 3 times.

5. ____ All station received the message should monitor the frequency.

6. ____ The controller will impose radio silence with the phrase ‘Stop transmission’.

7. ____ ‘Distress traffic ended’ means resuming of normal communication operations.

8. ____ Urgency message have priority over all other.

Exercise 10.3.4 Give the English equivalents for the following.

Сообщение о бедствии; срочное сообщение; аварийное сообщение;ретранслировать; пункт УВД; подтверждать; рабочая частота; специальная аварийная частота; опознавание воздушного судна; местоположение, эшелон и курс ВС; полезная информация; прослушивать частоту; ввести режим радиомолчания; отменить режим радиомолчания; любая другая полезная информация; приоритет; прерывать.

Exercise 10.3.5 Find in the text synonyms for the following words and word combinations.

Obtained; type; relay; starts; said; quiet; denotes; apart; no-one.

Exercise 10.3.6 State what part of speech the following words belong to.

1. possible

1. adjective b) noun c) adverb d) verb

2. usually

1. adjective b) noun c) adverb d) verb

3. retransmit

1. adjective b) noun c) preposition d) verb

4. emergency

1. noun b) verb c) adjective d) adverb

5. interrupt

1. conjunction b) pronoun c) noun d) verb

Exercise 10.3.7 Match the words and word combinations in column A with those in column B.

A	B
1. ATC unit call sign	a. происхождение, состояние бедствие
2. identification of the aircraft	b. намерения
3. nature of the distress condition	c. обмен бедствиями закончен
addressed	d. позывной диспетчерского пункта
5. Distress traffic ended	e. возобновление
6. resuming	f. кроме
7. except	g. опознавание ВС
8. intentions	h. по возможности
9. as possible	i. произносимый
10. pronounced	j. адресованный

Exercise 10.3.8 Fill in the gaps with the words from the text choosing from the ones given in brackets.

1. Any distress or urgency message must be short, full and clear as ______ (possible, special, particular).

2. The controller must _________ (retransmit, impose, acknowledge) a distress message at once.

3. A distress message begins with the word Mayday _______ (addressed, pronounced, retransmitted) 3 times.

4. All stations received the distress message should ________ (retransmit, impose, monitor) the frequency.

5. The controller will ________ (impose, stop transmitting, cancel) radio silence with the phrase: “Stop transmitting!”

Exercise 10.3.9 Fill in the gaps with the related words.

1. When the aircraft is no ________ (LONG) in distress the ______ (CONTROL) cancels Mayday.

2. “Distress traffic ended” means resuming of normal communication ________ (OPERATE).

3. _________ (URGENT) message starts with signal “PAN PAN” 3 times.

4. Urgency messages have _________ (PRIOR) over all other except distress messages.

5. Special emergency ________ (FREQUENT) can be used.

Exercise 10.3.10 Make up sentences using the given words.

1. Distress/any/be/must/message/short.

2. The/must/emergency/acknowledge/at/controller/once/message/an.

3. The/pronounced/three/Mayday/word/is/times.

4. The/Stop transmitting/phrase/is/all/particular/or/addressed/to/one/station.

5. The/Mayday/is/no longer/canceled/when/in distress/aircraft/is.

Exercise 10.3.11 Fill in the gaps with a suitable preposition.

1. The emergency message should be retransmitted _______ the ATC unit immediately.

2. The controller must acknowledge the emergency message ________ once.

3. A distress message begins _______ the word Mayday.

4. A distress message consists _______ several points.

5. The control will impose radio silence ___________ the phrase “Stop transmitting!”

6. When the aircraft is no longer _______ distress, it cancels Mayday.

7. The phrase “Distress traffic ended” means resuming ________ normal communication operations.

8. Urgency messages have priority _______ all other except distress messages.

Exercise 10.3.12 Translate the following sentences into English.

1. Любое аварийное сообщение должно быть кратким, полным и ясным по возможности.

2. Аварийное сообщение обычно передается на рабочей частоте.

3. Сообщение о бедствии начинается словом Mayday, которое произносится три раза.

4. Диспетчер введет режим радиомолчания фразой Stop Transmitting.

5. Если ВС больше не испытывает бедствие, оно отменяет Mayday.

6. Диспетчер отменяет режим радиомолчание фразой Distress traffic ended.

7. Срочные сообщения имеют приоритет над всеми другими, за исключением сообщений о бедствии.

Exercise 10.3.13 Retell the text.