contacting ground tower etc.

[comander]

I used to call first example cessna1234, wait for there response and then say my intentions.
Lately Ive been hearing ground cessna 1234 at kilo with information tango, requesting taxi.

or tower mooney 1234
mooney1234 go ahead

mooney1234 holding short of rwy 01 ready for take off

or the whole message?
tower mooney1234 holding short of 01 ready for departure?

whats the correct way to establish radio contact?

 

[unreal]

Simply say your request in one transmission. If the controller is busy, making two transmissions is only going to make the frequency more congested and probably make the controller a bit annoyed.

From the AIM:

4-2-3. Contact Procedures
a. Initial Contact.
1. The terms initial contact or initial callup means the first radio call you make to a given facility or the first call to a different controller or FSS specialist within a facility. Use the following format:
(a) Name of the facility being called;
(b) Your full aircraft identification as filed in the flight plan or as discussed in paragraph 4-2-4, Aircraft Call Signs;
(c) When operating on an airport surface, state your position.
(d) The type of message to follow or your request if it is short; and
(e) The word "Over" if required.
EXAMPLE-
1. "New York Radio, Mooney Three One One Echo."
2. "Columbia Ground, Cessna Three One Six Zero Foxtrot, south ramp, I-F-R Memphis."
3. "Miami Center, Baron Five Six Three Hotel, request V-F-R traffic advisories."

 

[MauleSkinner]

On the other hand, if the request is going to be lengthy (I'm holding short, ready to go, but need to request something like westbound for thunderstorms before I turn north on course), I'll establish contact first, and then make the request on the second communication.

Fly safe!

David

 

[kf4amu]

Don Brown has a column or two addressing this as one of his pet peeves. I used to do the 2 transmission thing...mostly because I was timid.

But as a 911 dispatcher, nothing makes me more mad that units that call me and wait for me to respond before telling me what they want...as if I'm not listening to the channel. Even if I WAS busy and didnt answer them, if they repeat themselves and I acknowledge it, its still only 3 transmissions...one less than the back and forth back and forth crap that makes no sense. But thats FWIW, we dont follow the FAR/AIM...

 

[Tonala2k]

Here's one.

Initial contact 1: (I like this one when not too busy)
CE) Houston Center, skyhawk-one-two-tree, five miles south Eagle lake VORTAC at six thousand five hundred, request VFR flight following to College Station Easterwood.
HC) november-one-two-tree, Houston center, squawk two-four-fife-two and indent.
CE) november-one-two-tree, squawk two-four-fife-two, ident
HC) november-one-two-tree, say type of aircraft
CE) Cessna 172 equipment G
HC) Skyhawk-one-two-tree, radar contact two mile south eagle lake VORTAC, maintain at or bellow eight thousand for traffic.
CE) Skyhawk-one-two-tree, at or bellow eight thousand

Initial Contact 2: (when very busy)
CE) Houston Center, Skyhawk-one-two-tree, request for flight following.
HC) "VFR traffic, stand by;" No reply at all; "Aircraft calling say again" (then I'd start the previous conversation); "Unable flight following at this time;" I even got this one "Unable flight following at this time, maintain frequency for traffic advisories." Our controllers really do everything they can for pilots out here. Likewise, I know many pilots who, when it's busy, cancel IFR well before their destination and maintain flight following, weather permitting.

What do you guys think? Are both of those initial transmissions appropriate?

 

[kf4amu]

I like that and it makes sense, but as Don Brown has said a few times, you can't tell if a controller is busy from frequency congestion. If he has a controller helping him, he may be rapid firing instructions on the radio and be just loafing along workload wise. But if he's by himself, dead air on the radio is probably being used on the landline for coordination.

 

[Kream926]

just think about when you break it all up like in your example

xxx ground cessna bla bla bla

cessna bla bla bla xxx tower

xxx grnd cessna bla bla bla at yata yata yataa with bravo ready to taxi bla

cessna bla bla bla taxi to yatta yatta yatta yataa

taxi to bla bla bla cessna bla bla



5 transmissions

when you do it all at once

xxx ground cessna bla bla at yatta yataa ready to taxi south bound with bravo

cessna bla bla bla taxi to where and so

taxi to so and so cessna bla bla

only 3

 

[AirBadger]

You skipped over the yatta yatta! The yatta yatta is the best part.

 

[Lazy8]

(e) The word "Over" if required.

What or who dictates if the word "Over" is required at the end of the transmission? One of the tower controllers uses it occasionally where I work if things get busy, but none of the other controllers use it.

g

 

[down2mins]

In CMH tower yesterday, we asked one of the guys about this. He said it depends on the frequency / if you hear they're busy. Said for clearance to just call up first with call sign, then wait for a reply before going into your request. As for ground, "them, you, info, clearance, ready to taxi" and be done with it. Same with tower. Only other time they wanted a callsign only first transmission was headed back inbound, talking to approach. I've done it different ways at different airports, but that was straight from the mouth of a 25 yr supervisor.