Why Is “Mayday” the International Distress Signal for Aircraft?

In movies like “Sully” or “Captain China”, when the pilots encounter an insurmountable danger, they would shout “Mayday” three times in succession before reporting the actual situation. However, “Mayday” means May Day in English and seemingly has nothing to do with airplanes. So why is the distress call for aircraft “Mayday”?

In real life, “Mayday” is abbreviated as “MD”, and it is the highest distress signal for aircraft in flight. It is used in life-threatening situations, just like “SOS”.

The aviation industry has a unanimous understanding of this signal. It is considered a miracle if anyone survives after issuing a “Mayday” call. That’s why the “May 14th Sichuan Airlines Flight Emergency Landing in Chengdu” in 2018 received such widespread attention.

The “Mayday” in aircraft distress signals does not come from English, but from the French word “m’aider”. “M’aider” is not usually used alone in French. It is used with “Venez m’aider” or “Aidez-moi”, which means “Help me”!

In 1915, the Marconi Company in the United Kingdom first installed radio communication equipment on aircraft, enabling voice communication between the air and ground.