radio-telephone operators use the old phonetic alphabet to indicate receipt of a message using the same alpha-code that was used by radio-telegraph operators! There’s a long list of such codes that carry over from telegraph days, the most commonly known being R (spoken “roger” meaning message received) and W (spoken “wilco” meaning message understood and I will comply with it).
The reference to Roger Roger is not necessarily to the movie “Airport” as radio operators have been making this joke ever since “roger” was used in communication. A common joke name among RT-phone folk has been Roger Wilco. The movie writers are just re-using another old joke.
So in answer to the thread title, it’s from an older phonetic alphabet. If the questions is why did they pick roger and not radishes, we’re gonna need a historian for that one I think.
I’m not sure about “Roger, roger” in Star Wars being an allusion to Airplane! (note exclamation point), though that could have played a part. It’s more likely to be a poke at naval “Aye-aye!”
It’s noted in the staff report that R is now Romeo in the phonetic alphabet but that no attempt was made to dislodge the phrase Roger.
In the course of my work I sometimes have contact with Australian Customs vessels. They use Romeo rather than Roger. Obviously a bit more “with it” than us aviators.
When I was in flight school in the late 1990’s the use of “roger” was being discouraged. The proper response to a statement/request/command from air traffic control, or from anyone else with business on the aviation bands, is now to repeat back what was said to you. Abbreviated forms OK.
An example might be “Cessna 123AB please climb to 3,000 feet and turn to a heading of 90 degrees.” A proper response could be “3AB climbing to 3,000, will turn to 90 degrees.”
The idea being that “roger” means you heard someone, but it’s not certain you understood what was said unless you regurgitate it.
In real life you do, occassionally, hear “roger” or “roger wilco” but it’s becoming much more rare than it used to be.
I’ve always been taught that you’re not supposed to say “roger wilco”. “Roger” means I have received your last transmission. “Wilco” means I have received your last transmission and will comply. To say both is as redundant as “Over and Out”.
Words like “roger” are formally known in Army parlance as “PROWORDS” and are specified in Army FM 21-75, Chapter 7. They will not be leaving Army parlance anytime soon.