Radio Pet Peeves

[172driver]

How about these two:

1. We've got 4244 in the box

2. ATC: N4971F, standby

Pilot: N4971F standing by


And the 'with you' thing is extremely irritating...

 

[Ty Webb]

Of course, nobody mentioned the "windcheck", "what's our sequence" and "how long's the final" transmissions we hear so much in Atlanta.

Sorry, Food, but "how long's the final" and what's our sequence?" are both very valid questions in ATL, perhaps you just don;t understand WHY we need to know these things. Just because it isn't info that you need in your airplane (t-prop or draggy, straight-wing jet) doesn't mean it isn't important info in mine (slippery sucker that doesn;t like to come down).

"How long's the final?" When you are entering the downwind turn at 12,000 or 10,000 feet and are given 7,000, it is important to me to know whether I need to come down at 1500' ft/min or 3000'/min . . . 2 different configurations and plans. Re-configuring after the fact is sloppy and wastes fuel. Don;t get down quickly enough, and you may find some other guys vectored in between you and your turn to final; get down too fast and waste fuel slogging along for a 20-mile downwind- that's not the way we liek to operate.

"Who's our sequence?" Again- something I need to know. Usually, they'll tell you, but once in a while they get busy and forget. If I have an engine shut down and it has a five-minute warm-up restriction prior to takeoff, you bet I need to know who I am following out of there.

 

[MetroSheriff]

My toppers:

1. With you

2. Checking on (we know, we can hear you)

3. In the box (we know where the code goes)

4. In the window (we know where the altimeter setting goes)

5. Squawking and talking (we know what 19.3 and 5621 are)

6. On the hold

7. Here we go (we know that cleared for takeoff means you will start moving)

8. Flashing (it's an ident button not a Kodak Instamatic)

9. Instrumnets to XYZ (no foolin)

10. Decimal (we know that "point" is short for, there is no need to remind us)

Typhoon, I told you this we be a good thread. Thanks. It was nice to have a funny thread to read.

 

[Typhoon1244]

Oh, and if I never again hear a TCAS called "the fish-finder," it'll be too soon!

 

[Ty Webb]

2000Flyer,
You don't get 10 pilots to check in with you because you weren't listening as you approached the airport. If you base you approach to the pattern on the lack of responses you get, you will be mighty surprised to find all that traffic. Keep you eyes open, listen on the unicom, and look for the guys without radios. sure, I can believe youmight alert someone every now and then that has been lazy with his radio calls, but for the most part, your request is ignored.

Sorry, Anne, this may not be a necessary call for you in your airplane, but as a pilot who operated a jet based at an uncontrolled field for three years, I can tell you that it was a necessary call.


Sure, if all I had to do was monitor one frequency, and navigate visually at 120 KTS, yeah, that call might be unnecessary, but we're not all doing the same thing out here.

When you are 20 or 30 miles out, in a jet, that means you are only five to seven minutes from entering the pattern, yet you are picking up airplanes on overlapping CTAF frequencies for perhaps a 100-150 mile radius, so it's not always clear who is who/where/what.

When we are talking with approach, reading checklists, trying to get an airport advisory, briefing and setting up for the approach, trying to monitor CTAF and doing everyhting else that we are doing at that time, we may miss a call from Skyhawk #2 or number #3 as they announce their position. Therefore, I ALWAYS say, "Any aircraft in the area, please advise". Sometimes, I get a call from an aiplane I was not aware was in the area . . . and that's why I do it.

If you think it is unecessary, well, sorry, but I don't do it to please you, I do it to keep you out of my airplane, literally.

 

[dsee8driver]

ATC..

How 'bout when you "check in" twice. All of a sudden ATC comes back, "Sorry I was on a landline." You don't hear us ignoring ATC and saying, "Sorry I was on company frequency."

I guess when it comes to communications there are times when it's busy, you just need to get your message across in a proper manner. At our company we do quite a bit of flying in and out of military fields and worldwide airports and we try to use standard ICAO phraseology which makes it easier for ATC ands us to understand.

 

[DCitrus9]

In most cases "how long's the final?" is not necessary. Instead of asking; listen up for a few seconds and you'll hear "5 from ajaay" or "5 from freal" and cleared approach for an aircraft in front of you. That will tell you how long the final is. If there's no one in front of you they'll offer or advise a short approach so you can plan accordingly.

 

[ifly4food]

In most cases "how long's the final?" is not necessary. Instead of asking; listen up for a few seconds and you'll hear "5 from ajaay" or "5 from freal" and cleared approach for an aircraft in front of you. That will tell you how long the final is. If there's no one in front of you they'll offer or advise a short approach so you can plan accordingly.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

I know it makes you feel important to be flying right seat in a "slippery jet" instead of a "draggy straight wing" one (yeah, that 717 is one hot rod, eh Ty? ) , but my point wasn't really that the calls are unnecessary. My point was that if you listen up before shooting your mouth off you will find out how long the final is and that the wind is the same as it was 30 seconds ago when the last guy asked.

 

[ATCER]

Re: ATC..

How 'bout when you "check in" twice. All of a sudden ATC comes back, "Sorry I was on a landline." You don't hear us ignoring ATC and saying, "Sorry I was on company frequency."

LOL ! Good point... It's an equipment thing. When a controller is speaking on a landline we here the landline in the headset and all other coms are redirected over a speaker. The speaker volume is very often set low as not to disrupt the sector sitting next to us. When you here that happen the radar controller is most likley working solo (no radar associate) so the workload is a bit increased, especially the coms part. The RA will generally handle all landline info... unless they are very busy where both the R and RA are on landlines. (that's a good indication that the sector is down the crapper )

I'm not making excuses, it's just one of those things.

 

[AirportRat]

i should clarify....a tower controlled airport