In the pilot's alphabet, "E" is represented by the word "Echo".
The pilot's alphabet, also known as the NATO phonetic alphabet or the International Radiotelephony Spelling Alphabet, is designed to avoid confusion when communicating letters, especially over radio or other noisy channels. Each letter is assigned a unique and easily distinguishable word.
| Letter | Word |
|---|---|
| A | Alpha |
| B | Bravo |
| C | Charlie |
| D | Delta |
| E | Echo |
| F | Foxtrot |
| G | Golf |
| H | Hotel |
| I | India |
| J | Juliet |
| K | Kilo |
| L | Lima |
| M | Mike |
| N | November |
| O | Oscar |
| P | Papa |
| Q | Quebec |
| R | Romeo |
| S | Sierra |
| T | Tango |
| U | Uniform |
| V | Victor |
| W | Whiskey |
| X | X-ray |
| Y | Yankee |
| Z | Zulu |
For example, instead of saying "C, D, E, T, Z", a pilot would say "Charlie, Delta, Echo, Tango, Zulu" to ensure clarity. This is especially useful in situations where accents or poor audio quality might make it difficult to understand individual letters. According to the reference, "If we use the pilot's alphabet, there is no way we can confuse these letters. 'C' becomes 'Charlie', 'D' becomes 'Delta', 'E' becomes 'Echo', 'T' becomes 'Tango', and 'Z' becomes 'Zulu'."
