so the internet tells me:
"In the pipe, 5x5 means --In progress, loud and clear--
'5 by 5' is a radio response which essentially spells --loud and clear-- the first '5' being the best out of five in terms of audibility, and the second '5' meaning the best of five in terms of clarity."
BAM
pls confirm.
The pilot was saying it after entering the atmosphere, it was her moment to show off, coming out of the drop, she regains control and is "in the pipe" which was the landing trajectory. Like following the line or staying inside a pipe at the correct angle and speed to the landing zone.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gXSuYpaFd10
Thats what I always thought as a kid.
From the article Quora you pulled from another dude that looks like he should know something says:
Actually, "in the pipe," as I recall it from my Navy days (and those days were close to 50 years ago), was an aviators' term, meaning they were aimed correctly to fly on a bombing or strafing run. And as an ex-Radioman, I can say definitively that "five by five" is, as has been stated, a term meaning "reception is close to perfect." So "five by five" in the context of "Aliens" means "near to perfect," and "in the pipe" means "on target."
https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-meaning-of-English-sentence-were-in-the-pipe-five-by-five