Why do pilots often say "Roger Wilco"?

wiseoldowls

Not entirely sure about the "Roger" but I think it means R ("Roger" in the old British phonetic alphabet) but 'WILCO' is definitely an abbreviated form of "Will Comply"; so, put them together and you have "message received, I will do as ordered/instructed". Regards Chris Jones, quizzing.co.uk Mar 24 07, 11:31 AM

Sofie

Pilots and other military types say “roger” to acknowledge receipt of a message or instructions. “Roger” at one time was the phonetic designation for the letter R, which in turn stood for “received.” Why not just say "received"? From a safety perspective, it makes sense to use standardized language, particularly when dealing with international operations. An American pilot may not understand German, but they both understand aviation terminology. The International Civil Aviation Organization oversees this standardization and disseminates it accordingly. The use of “roger” isn't all that old. In the military's phonetic alphabet, "roger" didn't become the designation for R until 1927. (Previously the designation had been "rush.") The first citation given by the Oxford English Dictionary for “roger” in the sense of "received" dates from 1941, coinciding with U.S. entry into WWII. The term made the big time in 1943, when the Army Signal Corps incorporated it into one of its procedural manuals. In 1957 "roger" was replaced by "romeo," the current designation, but by then "roger" = "received" was so entrenched that the brass knew better than to try and change it. http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mroger.htm Mar 24 07, 11:53 AM

What-A-Mess

I was told by a WW II Navigator/Bombardier that "Roger" is NEVER followed by "WILCO" in Military communications. Mar 24 07, 3:00 PM

queproblema

This site looks pretty authoritative, if garish and amateurish. You don't have to be polished to know what you're talking about. http://www.ac6v.com/73.htm#roger Click on line 9 or scroll down almost halfway. Mar 24 07, 4:22 PM

What-A-Mess

It appears as though my WW II friend was telling me the truth! "Navy Pilots say the use of Roger Wilco is frowned on, use one or the other as applicable." Stated in the reference queproblema reference. Mar 24 07, 6:34 PM

What-A-Mess

Post Script: QP.....Good Hunting. Love the reference site! Mar 24 07, 6:36 PM