Originally Posted by
Grumble
The term "Bingo" is situation dependant. It means "I'm done for the day, I've hit RTB fuel, any delay will result in emergency fuel."
I can be Bingo with 2 hours of gas on board, or twenty minutes of gas. Some controllers may know what it means, but this ass hat didn't even know himself.
If you're Bingo on downwind, you're a freaking emergency.
I had a situation once with a 4v4 DACT where I had set a Bingo high enough to knock off the fight out in the 'Y' areas off KNBC, gather the flight together, and RTB with required SOP fuel on deck. I'm -1, got a new guy (about 6 months in the squadron) as -2, -3 was fairly experienced, and -4 was a guy about 2 weeks out of the RAG.
Last run at about the middle of the flow, -4 calls "Bingo". I acknowledge and call for a "continue". My idea being to basically flow to this merge, call the KIO, check the flight 90 right and RTB (we would have all been in the about the same place of pie at the KIO.) This -4, without telling anyone else, departs the fight and head's home direct - - -AND SWITCHES FREQS to SeaLord.
Well Grumble - you can imagine the momentary scare I got when a few minutes later I call for the KIO and there is no -4 echoing the call
His claim was that he had been taught at the RAG that Bingo meant 'put the neddle on the nose and head home'. Having just come from the RAG instructing I knew that they did not teach that - at least when I was there (I had been out of instructing for about 2 years at that point).
when I got back into the RAG at -125, I made sure to emphasize that Bingo (unfortunately could have many meanings and was as Grumble pointed out - situational.) I made sure to be much more clear in my particular briefs from that point forward. Maybe BDGR will pipe up and give the current thought process at the RAG.
'Bingo' itself does not constitute a fuel emergency. If you are on a 'BINGO profile', then it would generally be understood that fuel is an issue. It can be one of the more confusing terms in comm brevity imo.
USMCFLYR