Pilots learn Morse mainly to identify navigation aids. VOR, NDB, ILS, and localizer beacons all transmit a short Morse identifier so the pilot can confirm they've tuned the right station.
Identifying a navaid by Morse is the only way to be sure of station identity in IFR conditions. The chart shows three letters, if those three letters aren't keying audibly through the receiver, the navaid may be off-air or under maintenance and shouldn't be used for navigation.
Morse identifiers on aviation beacons are a legacy of the 1930s low-frequency radio range system. They survived because they're robust, language-independent, and decode by ear without specialized equipment.
To identify navigational aids (VORs, NDBs, ILS) by their three-letter Morse identifier transmitted on the navaid frequency. Without identifying the station, you can't safely use it for IFR navigation.
Navaid Morse identifiers are typically sent at 7 WPM, slow and very deliberate so any pilot can copy by ear without prior CW training.
In practice pilots only recognize the three letters of each navaid they expect to receive. But knowing the full alphabet makes identifier recognition automatic and helps with backup signaling.
Some legacy NDBs are being decommissioned as GPS-based RNAV replaces them, but VORs and ILS systems still actively transmit Morse identifiers and remain in active use globally.
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