ChatGPT
Off the wall question:
When pilots tell the control tower how many people are on board, they say, “I have xxx souls on board plus xxx crew.”
Why do they call them “souls” and why do they differentiate the souls/passengers from the crew/souls?
In an emergency, tower or approach asks for souls onboard and fuel state. There isn't a differentiation between crew and passengers. As for fuel pilots should be giving the amount in pounds not time. All of this is in case of a failed return for the crash/fire rescue guys.
A sop to Christianity? It is too much work to ID all the lefties and gingers, so the default is to give them a soul even if they lack one.
” When pilots tell the control tower how many people are on board, they say, “I have xxx souls on board plus xxx crew. “
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A head nod to the truth, and also the responsibility borne by the pilot and crew as accepting. The pilot must be Christian. I am unaware that’s standard procedure, but maybe souls are a universal term, unaffiliated with religion.