Don Tuite wrote:
It's probably just because I got a lot of praise during my early
toilet training, but I get irked because flyers never get as detailed
training in emergency radio terminology as recreational boaters do.

Who says we don't? The following passage in the AIM was covered
repeatedly in my training and has been revisited occasionally in BFRs:

6-3-1. Distress and Urgency Communications

a. A pilot who encounters a distress or urgency condition can obtain
assistance simply by contacting the air traffic facility or other agency
in whose area of responsibility the aircraft is operating, stating the
nature of the difficulty, pilot's intentions and assistance desired.
Distress and urgency communications procedures are prescribed by the
International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), however, and have
decided advantages over the informal procedure described above.

b. Distress and urgency communications procedures discussed in the
following paragraphs relate to the use of air ground voice communications.

c. The initial communication, and if considered necessary, any
subsequent transmissions by an aircraft in distress should begin with
the signal MAYDAY, preferably repeated three times. The signal PAN-PAN
should be used in the same manner for an urgency condition.

d. Distress communications have absolute priority over all other
communications, and the word MAYDAY commands radio silence on the
frequency in use. Urgency communications have priority over all other
communications except distress, and the word PAN-PAN warns other
stations not to interfere with urgency transmissions.

e. Normally, the station addressed will be the air traffic facility or
other agency providing air traffic services, on the frequency in use at
the time. If the pilot is not communicating and receiving services, the
station to be called will normally be the air traffic facility or other
agency in whose area of responsibility the aircraft is operating, on the
appropriate assigned frequency. If the station addressed does not
respond, or if time or the situation dictates, the distress or urgency
message may be broadcast, or a collect call may be used, addressing "Any
Station (Tower)(Radio)(Radar)."