What is MAYDAY call?
A “Mayday” call is an international distress signal used in aviation and maritime communication.
- It originates from the French expression “m’aidez”, which means “help me” or “come to my aid”.
- Pronounced: “meh-day”
- Comes from: “Venez m'aider” = “Come help me”
- In the 1920s, a British radio officer named Frederick Stanley Mockford, working at Croydon Airport (UK), coined the term.
- He chose "Mayday" because many pilots and air traffic controllers spoke both English and French.
- In 1927, the International Radiotelegraph Convention officially adopted “Mayday” as the standard emergency word in both aviation and maritime sectors.
- When a pilot or ship captain says “Mayday” three times ("Mayday, Mayday, Mayday") on radio, it alerts Air Traffic Control (ATC) or other stations that immediate rescue or emergency help is needed.
