Mayday and PAN PAN call format
| Signal | Level | Meaning | Immediate assistance | Opening call |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MAYDAY | International radiotelephony distress signal | Aircraft threatened by serious and/or imminent danger | Needed | MAYDAY MAYDAY MAYDAY |
| PAN PAN | Urgency signal | Safety concern for aircraft, vehicle, or person on board or within sight | Not needed | PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN PAN (PAN PAN spoken three times) |
(RIC-21 App. B; NAV CANADA VFR Phraseology)
Call format (both):
- Then call sign, then message
- MAYDAY message content: see
distress-message-and-sequence
Urgency message content (RIC-21 7.4), as many elements as required, in this order:
- Urgency signal "PAN PAN" (three times)
- Station addressed, or "ALL STATIONS" (three times)
- "THIS IS"
- Aircraft identification
- Nature of the urgency condition
- Intentions of the person in command
- Present position, flight level or altitude, and heading
- Any other useful information (persons on board, fuel/endurance, per NAV CANADA VFR Phraseology Pan Pan)
Once safely on the ground: if able, update the ATS unit.
Trap: call format is identical for MAYDAY and PAN PAN; only the opening word changes.
References
- RIC-21 Appendix B, 7.4
- NAV CANADA VFR Phraseology, Emergency Communications
- NAV CANADA VFR Phraseology, Pan Pan