'Now you know': Aussie pilot explains the meaning behind tiny detail on his uniform
If you fly regularly you may already have a general understanding of who it is sitting in the cockpit at the front of your plane.
But now an Aussie pilot, who flies for Emirates, has explained exactly how you can work it out, thanks to a tiny detail you'll find on their uniforms.
The pilot's epaulettes, or shoulder boards, are a part of the uniform for all airlines and indicate the rank of the crew member.
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A detail on a pilot's uniform will reveal their rank. Getty Images/iStockphoto
What do pilots have on their shoulders?
"One bar is for a training pilot, two bars are for a first officer, three bars are for senior first officers and four bars are for captains, like me," the airline worker shared in a video posted to TikTok.
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"Now you know," he added, pointing to his own stripes, indicating his top rank as a caption.
In the comments, plenty of people admitted they didn't know this detail.
"I was today years old wow," one person wrote.
"Thanks for sharing," another added.
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The Aussie pilot flies for Emirates as a captain. TikTok
What do pilot epaulettes mean in Australia?
According to aviation site Airflite: "Epaulette bars carry a rich tradition and history within the aviation industry, dating back to the early days of flight."
"Understanding the significance and etiquette of epaulette bars is crucial.
"The truth is that every aviation organisation has a different epaulette system for their pilots. A good rule of thumb to remember is, the more bars, the more experienced the pilot."
Depending on the airline, two, three or four stripes are shown on a pilot's shoulders, explains the flight training center, AeroGuard.
On Qantas pilot uniforms one stripe signifies a Second Officer or Trainee, two stripes indicate a Junior or Second Officer, and three stripes represent a First Officer. Captains, the highest rank, have four stripes.
Qantas uniforms will also have the stripes at the end of sleeves of a suit jacket or blazer.
Qantas crew also have their stripes on their jackets. Supplied/Qantas
Secret codes of flight attendants
Now pilots may have this sneaky detail on their uniforms, but their cabin crew have plenty of 'secret's' of their own.
In fact, you may have heard a host of these 'code words' on a plane before without realising what they actually mean.
The word "Bob", for example, means you've landed in the good books, a flight attendant revealed in a column for Sun Travel.
"Crews use that abbreviation to mean 'best on board'," they said.
Flight attendants also have a secret code they use on flights. Getty
On the flip side, though, if you're labelled a "Philip" then you've done something wrong.
"That name originated from the term PILP - Passenger I'd Like to Punch - but has changed over time," the airline staffer added.
"Mermaid" in flight attendant code is referring to a behaviour that is actually very common on flights.
It is a "playful yet passive-aggressive nickname for a passenger who deliberately sprawls out across empty seats to deter others from sitting in their row," travel experts told HuffPost.
A little more serious is the term "Code Adam", which refers to a missing child.
It references an incident where a six-year-old was abducted from a department store in 1981.
