A go-around

Have you ever wondered what pilots really get up to when they're in the cockpit? Monty Python, that eccentric team of British comedians, gives their version in this short sketch.

To help you understand the pilots, here’s an overview of some of the more important expressions that the actors use. Mouse over the words in green to see the translation.

• I spy with my little eye
• fasten one’s seatbelts or safety belts
• safety regulation
• warning buzzer
• life jackets
• scramble
• racks
• gobbledegook

Whenever I fly now, I always listen carefully to the announcements just in case the pilot has a British sense of humour. Of course, this sketch is nothing like the conversations pilots really have.

On the next page, you’ll find a vocabulary exercise on a real conversation between a pilot and air traffic controllers.

Deborah Capras