“Mayday“It is the term that is used in radio and telefphony communications to report a particularly serious emergency and a request for urgent help, especially in the event of a plane or naval crash. But what is the origin of this word and why has it been chosen to communicate a request for help? Mayday, corresponding to the signal SOSderives from francesce “m’ider“And it was used for the first time in the 1920s in an international radio and telephony communication by a London operator, Frederick Stanley Mockford.
Origin of the term “Mayday” and international adoption
The expression “Mayday” derives from the sentence French “m’ider “what does it mean “help me“ helpcorresponding, as meaning, to the signal SOS Used in Morse code radio and telegraphic communications. Its first use dates back to the early 1920s by Frederick Stanley Mockforda radio operator at Croydon airport in London. At the time, much of the air traffic took place between London and Paris, and Mockford was commissioned to find one easily understandable word Both for English and French drivers, to be used in emergency situations. He proposed “Mayday”, based on the sound similarity between “Mayday” and “M’Aider”, which made the term easily recognizable for both linguistic groups and difficult to misunderstand with other communications. It was in 1927 that, during the agreement Washington International RadioTelegráfica“Mayday“It was officially adopted as a radio and telefphony rescue sign. What does the procedure provide? In case of emergency, the practice establishes that the” Mayday “signal comes repeated three times consecutively (“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday”) to avoid misunderstandings and ensure that the rescue request is clearly identified. After issuing the signal, the communicating provides details on the nature of the emergency, the current position and other relevant information to facilitate assistance.
Cinematographic examples and curiosities
The cinema has adopted the “Mayday”, using it frequently to create tension in the critical scenes. Here are some examples:
- Sully (2016): during the Us Airways 1549 flight accident, masterfully interpreted by Tom Hanks In the role of the commander Chesley Sullenberger, the pilot clearly announces the message “Mayday, Mayday, Mayday” clearly via radio; And in the film the procedure is represented with extreme realism and historical loyalty.
- Cast Away (2000): In this famous film by Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks, again the protagonist, lives in the first person a dramatic plane crash in the Pacific. The moments excited before the crash are marked by the “Mayday” signal desperately screamed by the pilots, adding dramatic intensity and realism to the scene.
- The Perfect Storm – The perfect storm (2000): The Andrea Gail crew desperately transmits the emergency signal while trying to survive in the midst of a violent storm in the Atlantic. The repeated “Mayday” is a particularly poignant moment of the film, as it clearly shows how this signal can often represent the last desperate hope of salvation.
“Mayday” and other emergency signals
Clearly, Mayday is not the only signal used for emergency communications, and it is important to distinguish it from others. If what we have taken into analysis refers to a situation of immediate urgency, pan-panderived from French “panne“(failure), indicates an urgent situation that is not immediately dangerous for life, as a mechanical malfunction; or sortEcurité, used to transmit safety information to navigation, such as Meteorological notices or reports of obstacles to navigation.
