"Gord Beaman" wrote in message
news
Y'know, I get a kick out of this statement...although I've flown
in the busuness end of aircraft for 25-26 years while logging
13,000 hours of flying time, I've NEVER heard any pilot say
"Mayday" on air ever, not once in all that time!

When I did the practical RT exam for my PPL, the examiner (and the head
controller at a smallish international airport) gave me a useful morsel of
advice afterwards (and after awarding me a "pass", I'm glad to say). He
pointed out that if you have declared an emergency, it is useful to prefix
your subsequent calls with the word "Mayday". This means that (a) the
controller can pick you out with the greatest of ease among other broadcasts
(you may be on a frequency other than 121.5, after all, so there may well be
others broadcasting); and (b) other pilots know there's someone with an
urgent problem and can keep their traps shut unless it's important. Same
with "Pan" calls.

David C