Here's what 9 mysterious codewords mean on an airplane, according to a Canadian pilot

"We're completing some last minute paperwork"

You may hear your pilot say this before the flight takes off. However, in reality, there's not much actual paperwork involved.

"Essentially, we aren't physically writing anything down," says Ryan,* a pilot based in Canada. "What 'paperwork' means is we're getting the final load numbers for the baggage, how much baggage we have onboard, the passenger count that we have on board."

"So last-minute paperwork is getting the weight and balance calculations before the flight to ensure that we have the right numbers to put into the computer system so that we know this is our centre of gravity, this is our weight, our takeoff performance, and other things we need."

In some cases, he says the phrase could even be said to refer to the loading of bags, or getting rid of last-minute passengers on board.

"We're cruising at flight level 350"

Once in the air, you may have heard your pilot say that you're cruising at a certain flight level (for instance, flight level 350). But what does it mean?

"Flight level 350, essentially means we're flying at 35,000 feet," says Ryan.

"Let's say the Atlantic Ocean is what we base sea level on — we are flying 35,000 feet above that," he says, noting that they may also use "metres."

"Some pilots might say, 'OK we're 10,000 metres above the ground or sea level,'" he says.

"We're in a holding pattern"

This is another phrase you might hear while in the air, but it could spell a delay.

"[A holding pattern] means we're in a circular pattern, essentially waiting to land," says Ryan.

"The reason why we hold is that there might be something happening on the runway, like in winter, they might have to clean the runway to remove snow piles."

"It might not mean that it's unsafe to land, it just could mean that there are too many planes landing at one time. In that case, they'd give priority to the plane that got to that point first, and then the airplanes behind would land in the order they arrived."

So what exactly is the "pattern" that the plane holds in? According to Ryan, a horseshoe.

"Instead of flying zigzags or up or down, we fly a horseshoe-type pattern around a specific point," he says.

Air pocket

"An air pocket is pretty much the same as turbulence," Ryan says.

"An air pocket may cause the plane to move up and down, kind of like in that roller-coaster turbulent motion."

He says you may hear your pilot mention an air pocket before takeoff if the route is expected to be turbulent, or during the flight before turning on the seatbelt sign.

"On route we might say 'Passengers, we're flying through an area of turbulence, please remain seated, with your seatbelts fastened.' And, sometimes, if we know that the turbulence will be more severe, we might ask the flight attendants to have a seat as well."

Final approach

"'Final approach" is a signal that the plane is about to land, says Ryan.

A pilot would say that the plane is making its final approach to "prepare the flight attendants to secure the cabin and make sure that everyone's wearing their seatbelts, and put away the trolleys that they might be using."

"Essentially to say that we're about to land," he says.

The final approach is the final portion of the flight, after the plane makes its descent.

"If you wanted to put a timeline on it, it would depend on what altitude you're flying at. If you're flying at 3,000 feet — which is as tall as a building — it might be the last 3-5 minutes of the flight."

"This is something the pilot would say to tell passengers that we're on the way down, essentially. We're on the way down and are minutes within landing."

ABP

"[ABP] stands for 'able-bodied passengers,'" says Ryan, noting that the term is mostly used among cabin crew.

"Able-bodied passengers can be anyone that you can see is physically fit to help in any situation. For example, in an emergency evacuation, these passengers can help other passengers who might need directional or physical help, or to be physically carried off the plane."

"So these are passengers who are willing and physically fit to help with any needs," he explains.

He says able-bodied passengers might be peace officers, other pilots on board, or doctors.

"They're people that are able to help physically, in any situation, most likely an emergency."

V1

"'V1' is pretty much a decision speed that pilots use," says Ryan. "Pilots use it to either continue our takeoff, or abort the takeoff."

"Before reaching V1, aborting the takeoff would ensure that we have enough distance to stop the plane on the runway," he says.

"For example, if our takeoff speed is 160 knots, our V1 speed might be 150 knots." If the V1 speed is not called (which Ryan notes is done by a co-pilot or a computer in high-tech aircraft), and there is some issue with the plane, for example, the pilots can just abort the takeoff.

"The reasons why we might have to abort takeoff is because, for example, there's an engine failure, or a control issue. Or something could be crossing the runway, whether it's an animal or another aircraft."

If they pass the V1 speed, the plane will still take off.

"Let's say we take off and an engine fails — we can still take off with one engine and then come back and land safely, rather than passing that V1 speed and then we don't have enough room to stop on the runway," he says.

Doors armed and cross check

According to Ryan, "doors armed and cross-check" simply means that the plane door is ready for use in an emergency situation.

"The plane doors are closed, and when they're armed and cross-checked, that means that the doors are ready for those [escape] slides to be used in case of situations where the plane has to evacuate," he says.

"When the door is armed, if anybody opens the door from the outside or the inside, the chute or the slides will open."

This takes place as soon as the doors are closed, pre-takeoff. The pilot will ask flight attendants to "arm doors and cross check" (or check their work), before the plane starts.

After landing, you'll hear the pilot ask the crew to disarm the doors. This means that the emergency slide has been deactivated.

Ground stop

​This phrase could indicate a delay for passengers. 

According to Ryan, a ground stop is similar to a holding pattern, but happens on the ground. 

"A ground stop is when, essentially, the airport cannot accept planes to take off or land," he says. "There might be a storm over the area, or there might be an accident on the runway."

For example, if there was suddenly a large accumulation of snow on the runway, they may have to call for a ground stop. 

"Let's say a New York airport has a ground stop; that means we cannot continue with this portion, so we may have to wait on the taxiway, or if we were already in the air, we might have to enter a holding pattern," he says.