The Phonetic Alphabet
Alphabetic designations are common in aviation. But distinguishing between someone saying "B" or "D" or "P" over a scratchy radio channel can be pretty tough. Additionally, people from different countries have different pronunciations for the different letters. To minimize confusion, a phonetic alphabet has been adopted for international use. Thus you will hear controllers refer to "Taxiway Alpha" rather than "Taxiway A". The phonetic value for each of the letters is listed in the table below.
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Print a copy of this page, and memorize the phonetic alphabet. When you are ready, check your knowledge with the Phonetic Alphabet Tester. The tester will prompt you with a letter. Type in the phonetic value for that letter. Initially, you will have 12 seconds to type in the correct answer. If you get it right, 10 points are added to your score. If you don't get the answer in the allotted time, you get a strike. If you get three strikes, you're out.
If your score reaches 120 points, you progress to level two. Now each correct answer is worth 20 points, but you will only have eight seconds to make your response. Those who really know their stuff will make it to level three at 280 points. At this highest level, each correct answer is worth 50 points, but now you have only six seconds to respond.