Operating in India - phraseology

[Chocks]

Just got back from a GV trip in India. Has anybody operated there recently? I was looking for the proper radio call for getting clearance/engine start. They always wanted something different...This is what I remember:

Clearance, XXXX

Stand XXX,
"Security checks complete" (whatever that means)
XXX people on board,
FL XXX,
requesting clearance, engine start

It always seemed that whatever we said in our request, they always asked us for something elso....."what is the third waypoint in your flight plan?.."

We were listening up to the airliners and such - but everybody used different procedures....there didn't seem to be many standards. I know it's India and everything, but they had some "quirks" I hadn't seen elsewhere. (I've been around..)

Looking for other's experiences.......Chocks

 

[semperfido]

i have been to mumbai, bangalore and dehli in the last year or so. i would agree that the country is pretty messed up in most respects. i would say we just followed any special instuctions on the jepp plate for clearance. when there were none, we just called for engine start and went from there. although it was a very interesting trip, i am in no hurry to return.

 

[filejw]

Basically they are a pain in the A##.I tell them what I normally would or what my FOM tells me they may ask.If we don't understand we just ask them to repeat it till we do.I get the feeling they just want to show who's in control in there little world.BOM tower is really good at being overly controlling.Knowing India there is probably six guys watching one guy work the tower . Way to much radio chat for me.En route and approach seem to do well though.

 

[Chocks]

Yeah - I was glad to leave their area...Got pretty good at imitating the controllers after a while.

Oh - we were on the ramp in the handler's car on the way to the jet - and got ATTACKED by a pack of DOGS. (Delhi) Yup - on the ramp, on the airport property. Wild dogs. Pretty much sums up the experience...

 

[Dave Benjamin]

Have you tried pprune.org? There is a lot more international info on that board.

 

[rice]

Yeah - I was glad to leave their area...Got pretty good at imitating the controllers after a while.

Oh - we were on the ramp in the handler's car on the way to the jet - and got ATTACKED by a pack of DOGS. (Delhi) Yup - on the ramp, on the airport property. Wild dogs. Pretty much sums up the experience...

Makes you wish you were back in that Bagel Bomber huh? How's life treating ya bubba?

 

[AA717driver]

Have you tried pprune.org? There is a lot more international info on that board.

It won't matter. India has taken bureaucracy and turned it into an art. Our handler had to take stacks of money to ATC to pay our fees. The poor schlep who was trip captain (not fido... ) had to stand there and watch it be counted--methodically.

It's dicked up but whaddya gonna do? TC

 

[Chocks]

Makes you wish you were back in that Bagel Bomber huh? How's life treating ya bubba?

Naw - don't miss the bomber too much. I can't imagine flying a jet where you actually have to move the throttles....I'm an autothrottle cripple!

The trips have been pretty good - great company. I'm definitly able to put pins in my world map in new places. Russia is the last frontier - haven't been there yet, but I'm sure by this time next year I'll have been there a couple times.

I'm flying around the world in the next 6 days...gotta pack.

Chocks

PS Are you still commuting from Denver?

 

[AA717driver]

Chocks--Are you flying with any of the BAK guys? I heard they kind of got "bait and switched"... "You'll be flying a G300, all domestic, no international."

Oops! TC

P.S.--If you ever get TDY'd to BAK, give me a PM. I'll buy!

 

[Chocks]

Naw-I was supposed to do a few trips with them, but always got cancelled. They might do a Europe trip here and there but it's mostly domestic kind of flying. They do stay busy though...

Spending all day tomorrow on Luftansa...

I'll take you up on the beer though...