Could some 1 please explain the term planes use when they say their call sign then say (heavy)?

The term "heavy" when used as part of a callsign relates to the wake turbulance category of a particular aircraft type . All aircraft generate wake turbulance , some more than others and this is usually caused by wing design . The term is not used to denote aircraft weight . For example the Boeing 757 is of a higher turbulance category than its bigger brother the 767. The term is used to advise and confirm with ATC that seperation may be needed for following aircraft to minimise the risk of flying into unforcasted wake turbulance .. Hope this clears it up a little .

Dave C

Thxs Dave i always wondered what was meant by that .

In general Dave I think it is anything bigger in size than a 767 right?

Yes thats right Darren ... The one exception being the 757 .

Dave C

I've always found it a bit confusing as to why the pilot has to say 'heavy'. Surely atc know what kind of aircraft it is anyway? I would have thought it would be a given that if it was a 747 for example, atc would naturally keep the necessary separation between it and the following aircraft. Btw, a Qantas flight was having troubles tonight at around 9.45 into Sydney. They were having 'operational' problems and the landing gear wasn't lowering. No Mode-S or plots on SBS so couldn't tell what sort of aircraft it was. They also didn't reply to any radio calls for about a minute which was starting to freak me a out a little (was wondering what atc were thinking). All worked itself out in the end thankfully and it landed without incident.

Pat