Pilot Lingo

Check Your Six

“Check six” is a fighter pilot phrase used to denote a wingman protecting their flight lead by looking behind the flight lead for any threats (six o’clock is behind the aircraft, 12 o’clock is in front, 3 o’clock is straight off the right wing, and 9 o’clock is straight off the left wing; for those of us somewhat “clock face challenged” it was considered good form to use the phrase “right 3 o’clock” or “left 9 o’clock” to help keep us all straight.  If in the excitement of battle, there was a bit of transposition, say “left 3 o’clock” or “right 9 o’clock” it was universally accepted to first go with the left/right to look for the threat.  There may have been a bit of good natured harassment in the debrief by offering to write an “L” on the throttle hand and an “R” on the stick hand of the previously confused individual).   While modern day air combat threats come from all quadrants, when the phrase “check six” developed, the air-to-air weapon was the gun and the vast majority of attacks came at the rear of the threated aircraft.”