Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Friendliest aviation Ccmmunity on the web
  • Modern site for PC's, Phones, Tablets - no 3rd party apps required
  • Ask questions, help others, promote aviation
  • Share the passion for aviation
  • Invite everyone to Flightinfo.com and let's have fun

Extraneous useless radio phrases

  • Thread starter Thread starter Mach 80
  • Start date Start date
  • Watchers Watchers 57

Welcome to Flightinfo.com

  • Register now and join the discussion
  • Modern secure site, no 3rd party apps required
  • Invite your friends
  • Share the passion of aviation
  • Friendliest aviation community on the web
As long as morons waste time, add to radio clutter, and say these utterly stupid useless things -- watch for it next year and maybe the year after that too!
 
Looking back at the threads you've started (see below), you seem to have some sort of OCD re: the term "with you."

Here's a tip -- no need to ever tell a controller that you are "with him" as he knows that by the fact you are talking to him. It sounds so student pilotish to hear it.

Professional pilots sound like student pilots when they use "with you" in their initial transmissions to ATC. Here's a clue -- ATC knows you are "with them" by the fact you are talking to them! It's redundant and a waste of radio time....especially the stupid "checking in with you". Try dropping the "with you" crap and sound a bit more professional and like you've flown in other parts of the world. Next time you hear "with you" consider how stupid it sounds....and is. It's just a bad habit.

Also...drop the "Any chance..." when what you really meant to do is request something. i.e. "Comair 123 requesting direct xyz".

Is there any more pathetic unprofessional response to ATC's "cleared for take-off" than "on the roll"?

I heard a flight mumble that response the other day that and the tower thought he was saying "Positon and hold" so the tower had to repeat "Cleared for Take-off". Finally the flight read back "cleared for take-off". This is too important a clearance to respond with anything other than "cleared for take-off". Anything else might create confusion.

Over the years I have observed pilot radio phraseology deteriorate.


Why in the world do some pilots use the redundant, totally useless, stupid phrase "with you" in their 'check-in' call to ATC. He KNOWS you are "with him". "Checking in with you" has to be the worse. Call sign and altitude is all ya need and all he wants. Quit wasting time on the radio.

Why, when asked your speed by ATC do some guys add the useless "...what do you need?". Just answer the question -- ATC will tell you what they need, if any change, after you answer the question.

Major airport control towers have local radar. Just tell the guy you are on final for the runway. You don't need some long drawn out call telling him whether you're "doing the visual" or "on the ILS" or that you are (again) "with him".

Don't tie up center frequency trying to sound cool by asking ATC "...how ya doing today?" at the end of your check-in.

ATC gives you on-coming trafiic above 18,000' solely so you won't get startled by seeing the traffic so there is absolutely no need to call back ATC a minute later to tell him you have him in sight --he doesn't care!
 
LIke I said man "As long as morons waste time, add to radio clutter, and say these utterly stupid useless things -- watch for it next year and maybe the year after that too!"

Even though some more experienced guys who should know better still do it, ya know I have to educate the new guys coming into the industry to stop this ugly trend.
 
When I was doing my instrument training, I had a bad habit of saying "1234 in the box" and "punchin' out," which I picked up from the CFI who did my private. My CFII chastised me and said I sounded like I was in some F'kn John Wayne movie and I never uttered those words again. Looking back, I can see how ridiculous I must have sounded.
 
Why, when asked your speed by ATC do some guys add the useless "...what do you need?".


There's a B727 doing .80 going into BOS in the morning on the heels of a barbie jet doing .75. After asking ATC "what do you need", I've oftentimes been given the option to climb two thousand feet & give him .86 so we could pass the rj.

I all the time hear ATC ask the rj's if they can pick up the speed and all too often the pilot seems inconvenienced and usually says that they "might" be able to push it up to .78.

I say "what do you need" simply as a courtesy, letting ATC know that I have the capability to speed up anytime to .86 in order to help them out.
 
Why in the world do some pilots use the redundant, totally useless, stupid phrase "with you" in their 'check-in' call to ATC. He KNOWS you are "with him". "Checking in with you" has to be the worse. Call sign and altitude is all ya need and all he wants. Quit wasting time on the radio.

Why, when asked your speed by ATC do some guys add the useless "...what do you need?". Just answer the question -- ATC will tell you what they need, if any change, after you answer the question.

Major airport control towers have local radar. Just tell the guy you are on final for the runway. You don't need some long drawn out call telling him whether you're "doing the visual" or "on the ILS" or that you are (again) "with him".

Don't tie up center frequency trying to sound cool by asking ATC "...how ya doing today?" at the end of your check-in.

ATC gives you on-coming trafiic above 18,000' solely so you won't get startled by seeing the traffic so there is absolutely no need to call back ATC a minute later to tell him you have him in sight --he doesn't care!
You just wasted 187 words making a pitch for communication brevity.
 
Sound cool..? We are all people, I think it is nice to ask how'z it going..
If you hear someone in south Florida saying "Hey how's it going down there, it's probably me.."

You should lighten up, life is not that bad.. If the freq is crazy busy, I agree non-essential chat should be kept to a minimum..
Word.
 
LIke I said man "As long as morons waste time, add to radio clutter, and say these utterly stupid useless things -- watch for it next year and maybe the year after that too!"

Even though some more experienced guys who should know better still do it, ya know I have to educate the new guys coming into the industry to stop this ugly trend.

I think you should petition the FAA to stop wasting syllables with excess phraseology. For example, change 'affirmative' to 'yep' and negative to 'nope'. You might even request to change the phonetic alphabet to all one syllable words. The letter A could be Ass instead of Alpha and H could be Hole instead of Hotel.

I think you're onto something here...
 
And my favorite...."How long's the final"?
The answer is as long as I want it to be. Quit wasting time on my frequency!

...that's the attitude I expect from a controller.

I don't even want to imagine how difficult it is to manage all the traffic coming in and out of ATL and maybe things are different down there.

Try managing the energy of a jet. I don't want to unnecessarily waste fuel. If I know how long the final is, I know whether or not I need to hurry down, use drag--or not. I don't want to be at 2500' 20 miles out, and I don't want to be turning base to final 5 mile out @ 7000' still doing 250. Out here on the West Coast, controllers actually volunteer that information.
 
I always like to throw in a "bodacious " and work with a guy that throws in a "greetings and salutations" from time to time. Some things I have heard on the radio before are:
"fo shizzle"
"Thats Tight"
"See you later alligator"
"Keep it real"

But I'm sticking with my favorite, which always has been and always will be Bodacious.

Seriously though, do we really need another one of theseeeeee threads?

<Lots of sarcasm in the above post>


Bodacious:
In CB radio jargon, a general-purpose word of praise
 
Last edited:
This also reminds me of a story a really cool female Captain that I work with told me. She was flying down in Mexico and after every radio transmission she made the controller went "muuuuu" (sucking the lips, kissing noise) This went on the entire time she was on that frequency. She loved it. Who says flying in Mexico in the middle of the night isn't romantic?
 

Latest resources

Back
Top Bottom