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meow

Some love it, some hate it, but we've all heard it - that's right, pilots meowing on guard frequency (121.5).

When did it start? Does (or did) it represent something?

Does ATC ever do it?

Jpe61
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Steve V.
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    Don't know if that is better or worse than "guuuuuaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrddddddddddd"... – Ron Beyer Jun 27 '21 at 01:19
  • ATC comms are recorded at the individual control position. The tapes are occasionally pulled for random auditing. Unlike a lot of other decisions a controller could make, meowing on guard isn't really defensible... – randomhead Jun 27 '21 at 01:26
  • @RonBeyer - Yes, but we know when that originated - October 22, 2105: https://youtu.be/YoZE0nE60sk?t=232 – Steve V. Jun 27 '21 at 01:28
  • 2105? Were they time travelers? – Ron Beyer Jun 27 '21 at 02:06
  • To be followed by "Who dat?", "Who dat who say who dat?"... – Gerry Jun 27 '21 at 12:11
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    We've all heard it? Not so. Indeed, I don't really know what you mean by "on guard". – jamesqf Jun 27 '21 at 17:26
  • @james, you are familiar with the "guard frequency" 121.5, I hope? It is common for pilots to make a transmission on guard unintentionally, upon which they will receive the reply "ON GUARD" from a multitude of airline pilots. Or, if they're unlucky, a pilot impersonate whoever the first guy tried to contact. Usually this happens to airline pilots but GA folks may also mistake guard for CTAF, or so I gather from the responses I overhear at my facility. When I transmit on guard, I will say "N12345, Podunk Approach on guard," and so will other pilots if they are using guard intentionally. – randomhead Jun 27 '21 at 19:34
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    This problem seems to be specific to CONUS (which may also be a clue toward its origins), so not everyone will have heard it. – StephenS Jun 27 '21 at 19:57
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    @randomhead: I've never seen 121.5 called "guard frequency", it's always been emergency or distress frequency. – jamesqf Jun 28 '21 at 05:51
  • @jamesqf https://aviation.stackexchange.com/q/887/31936 – Organic Marble Jun 28 '21 at 12:09
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    Do I look like a cat to you boy? Am I jumpin' around all nimbly bimbly from tree to tree? Am I drinking milk from a saucer? DO YOU SEE ME EATING MICE? – Dean F. Jun 30 '21 at 05:27
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    https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2017/july/pilot/turbine-on-guard – DeltaLima Jun 30 '21 at 10:00
  • https://youtu.be/eMDknmovgP4?t=265 – DeltaLima Jun 30 '21 at 10:03
  • https://aviation.meta.stackexchange.com/a/3179/42636 point #11 – Jpe61 Jul 14 '21 at 08:29

1 Answers1

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“Meow” is a reference to a well known movie trope from the US mindless 2001 comedy from the improvisational comedy troupe, Broken Lizard Production, called Super Troopers. In the film, the main characters are Vermont State Highway Patrol law enforcement officers who play games and pranks to break up the monotony of patrolling a very rural area. The same trope is repeated in the 2018 sequel, Super Troopers 2.

After the movie premiered, law enforcement officers would often mimic the characters in the movie amongst themselves. It is extremely rare that a police officer would do this with the general public. It would be a matter of professionalism.

I would hazard a guess that ATC controllers conduct themselves according to a similar professional standard and decorum. Any utterance of “meow” on frequency is more likely to come from a General Aviation pilot.

The Cat Game

Dean F.
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    I would +1 for the origin if you had stopped there, but the article linked by @DeltaLima suggests it is airline rather than GA pilots. – StephenS Jul 03 '21 at 17:36
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    I postulate that the ATC includes, just as any cohort, a wide range of personal traits. There are asshats among them too. – Jpe61 Jul 14 '21 at 07:53