General
home plate
What does home plate mean?
A brevity code for an aircraft's home airfield or ship — the base it will return to for recovery.
""Winchester and bingo — returning to home plate.""
Origin
Multiservice tactical brevity code used in air operations.
Frequently asked questions
What is "home plate" in aviation brevity?
It's a brevity code for an aircraft's home airfield or ship — the base it returns to for recovery.
When would a pilot say "home plate"?
Typically when heading back, e.g. after running low on weapons or fuel — "returning to home plate" means heading home to land.
Where does the term come from?
It borrows the baseball image of home plate as the place you return to; it's a standardized multiservice tactical brevity code.
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