Why planes appear to repeatedly say slur word to pilots while landing

The meaning behind a questionable word pilots hear in the cockpit while landing has been revealed after leaving people baffled on TikTok.

For plane enthusiasts, or those who accidentally stumble on 'aviationtok', there's a wealth of videos on TikTok that allow passengers to see their plane landing as they never could before.

Several pilots have shared their POV shots while bringing huge passenger jets in to land, and while the view is breathtaking enough on its own, there's another thing that's left viewers gasping too.

One particular video, which shows the pilot's view of landing an Airbus A350 at Zurich Airport in the dark, has left people questioning one unusual command uttered by the flight deck just before touchdown.

People have spotted an unusual command as a plane lands. Credit: Chris Sattlberger / Getty

As the plane gets lower and lower, the computer voice can be heard counting down the altitude, saying: "300. 230. 200. 120. 70. 60. 50. 40. 30. 20. Retard. 10. Five," before the wheels finally touch the tarmac.

Many viewers were not expecting to hear what they perceived to be a slur in the middle of the landing process, and took to the comments to share their surprise.

They wrote: "why did it swear at you," and: "What did it just call me??"

Others added: "the a350 always comes with wierd callouts," and: "it shouted the R word at you."

Why do Airbus planes say 'retard' on landing?

While many were surprised at the terminology, the flight deck is not actually trying to offend the pilot.

The command is actually an audio alert from the autothrust system to remind the pilot to pull the thrust levers on landing, to reduce the throttle during the landing phase to ensure a smooth and controlled touchdown.

According to Golden Epaulettes Aviation, the term 'retard' is "derived from aviation jargon, meaning to 'slow down or reduce.' Airbus uses it as a clear and concise message for global pilot."

One user on Reddit explained: "Reminder on Airbus to pull throttles to idle before touchdown. It's advisory only and pilot can use their own judgment to retard earlier or later as needed."

Others joked: "It is pissed after the long flight and is venting anger," and: "Oh, the good old I told you once, I told you twice, you should know already. Gotta love Airbuses condescending tone."

Another added: "It means you barely got your pilot license and the plane doesn’t trust you," and: "now i see! I thought i was being insulted. (I think everyone did…)".

Featured image credit: Chris Sattlberger / Getty Images