Radio Pet Peeves

[wingnutt]

man, some of ya need to check into the availability of valium at your local drugstore. granted, ive been known to roll my eyes at a comment or two that ive heard over the radio, but to get so worked up over it...y'all need a freakin hobby

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

one petpieve of mine.....................MEMPHIS CENTER END OF STORY!!!!!!!

 

[dmspilot00]

Being a low time private pilot, my biggest pet peeve is pilots asking for a traffic advisory at an airport with an AWOS/ASOS, or with traffic already in the pattern making announcements. I learned to fly at an airport that hardly had any traffic, had no AWOS... just a windsock. So, I don't understand why you would need a traffic advisory at an airport that does have AWOS, and/or has traffic telling you which runway they're using. Even more annoying is the pilot that asks for a traffic advisory repeatedly and gets annoyed when there is no response--like he needs someone else to tell him where to land, and can't figure it out on his own.

As far as "any traffic please advise," I think it is just not needed. If a pilot hears a Citation coming into his airport, he is going to advise, whether or not the phrase "please advise" is used. The fact that pilots start responding when you say "any traffic please advise" is coincidental. They respond not because you ask them to, but because they become aware of you and want to tell you that they are there. This happens whether you say that phrase or not.

It has been my experience that any traffic pattern announcement (i.e. "Cessna 12345, 5 miles west, blah blah blha...") causes everyone else to announce their position. Even if you want to rely on the radio instead of your eyes, which is not recommended, you still don't need that extra "magical" phrase. Announce your position, and the other pilots will, too. Not saying "any traffic please advise" will not result in the pilots ignoring you or purposely not advising--that is just absurd. The pilots do not think to themseleves, "hey, there is a citation coming in, but he did not ask the traffic to advise, so I am not going to say anything." What they think is, "hey, someone else is coming in, I'll make sure they know I'm here." And of course to say "any traffic please advise" at an airport where the traffic is already making advisories is really outdoing it.

"Niner" is part of the phonetic alphabet. If you don't use Niner for 9 you might as well not say Alpha or Bravo etc. either.

 

[TXCAP4228]

ATC

How many times have you called approach, told them who, what and where you were and said you had whatever current information is on the atis, only for them to call you back and say: "so and so, say aircraft type and altitude and advise you have whatever information"? Drives me nuts.

And while I am talking about ATC....

I also had an approach controller forget I was IFR recently. It was late and the tower was closed at the field I was going into to and after he told me to squwak VFR and frequency changed approved I said I'd go ahead and cancel - he says "Uhh... oh yeah, I forgot about that. Cancellation received."

Does that happen very often?

 

[dsee8driver]

$ 0.02

DMSPILOT SAID:Being a low time private pilot, my biggest pet peeve is pilots asking for a traffic advisory at an airport with an AWOS/ASOS, or with traffic already in the pattern making announcements. I learned to fly at an airport that hardly had any traffic, had no AWOS... just a windsock. So, I don't understand why you would need a traffic advisory at an airport that does have AWOS, and/or has traffic telling you which runway they're using. Even more annoying is the pilot that asks for a traffic advisory repeatedly and gets annoyed when there is no response--like he needs someone else to tell him where to land, and can't figure it out on his own.

How many times have you approached an uncontrolled field with AWOS/ASOS and still found 2 guys on opposite traffic patterns? I can think of a few. Maybe in a 172 where you can overfly the field and enter the pattern after surveying the traffic around you don't need to. But when we come in after the tower is closed on a heavy jet where you get setup for a 20 mile straight in ILS by Center it's in my opinion important to get a traffic advisory if you can of others in the area.

"With you" is a minor annoyance, but it only takes 1/2 second to say, and it's appended to the end of the transmission. It is better than "checking in," which is more annoying, because it is placed in the middle of the transmission and takes longer to say; it interrupts the standard transmission. If you say "with you," you're merely saying the standard transmission and then adding two words. If you say "checking in" you alter the entire thing. Not that it bothers me much, but that is my unique perspective on the subject.

I cannot see a difference between "Citation123 checking in at FL310" and Citation 123 with you at FL310"

I get more annoyed by people not listening and stepping over each other.

 

[ms6073]

Humorous - not a pet peeve...

Several years ago while on arrival to SAT, as typical for summer afternoons, there was a pretty good thunderstorm passing over the airport/city at the time. We were being sequenced for the approach behind another aircraft when the controller advised the aircraft ahead of us (US Air as I recall - before they pulled out of SAT) of the current boundary winds for the airport, decreasing visibility, and the possibity of windshear. The controller then asked them if they wanted to continue or proceed to the VOR and hold until the weather passed? The response was "I think we will take the hold, the radar is purple! (pause) I have never seen purple before!"

Of course the controller then asked our intentions? Well neither of us had ever seen that much majenta on radar either -- we decided to hold as well!

 

[dmspilot00]

Re: $ 0.02

Maybe in a 172 where you can overfly the field and enter the pattern after surveying the traffic around you don't need to. But when we come in after the tower is closed on a heavy jet where you get setup for a 20 mile straight in ILS by Center it's in my opinion important to get a traffic advisory if you can of others in the area.

I cannot see a difference between "Citation123 checking in at FL310" and Citation 123 with you at FL310"

It is obvious I wasn't talking about you or your jet that you fly, but about the 98% of the pilots that fly at uncontrolled airports, which are in GA piston planes. Good lord!!!! If there are people flying opposite patterns, then the person entering the pattern would either hear them or see them, with no requirement for saying "traffic advisory please," repeated every 30 seconds. Like you said... you get annoyed by people who don't listen, and people who have to *beg* the unicom for an advisory are an example.

I don't know what I was talking about with the with you vs checking in thing, so forget I said that, but I do find the latter more annoying. I thought this thread was about pet peeves, so it does not matter if you have the same ones that I do or not.

 

[dmspilot00]

Although sometimes they can be funny, people who use the radio to carry on conversations with their friends can be rather rude... "Hey Bob, what's up?"

One other thing. If I tell ATC I am "Cessna 12345," why do they sometimes call me "November 345?" It should either be November 12345, Cessna 12345, or Cessna 345, or just 345.... not N345. N345 is not my tail number! It just doesn't make sense.

 

[dsee8driver]

It is obvious I wasn't talking about you or your jet that you fly, but about the 98% of the pilots that fly at uncontrolled airports, which are in GA piston planes. Good lord!!!! If there are people flying opposite patterns, then the person entering the pattern would either hear them or see them, with no requirement for saying "traffic advisory please," repeated every 30 seconds. Like you said... you get annoyed by people who don't listen, and people who have to *beg* the unicom for an advisory are an example.

Someone who requests a traffic advisory every 30 seconds is definetly out of place. But whether you fly a big jet or a 150, I don't think it's out of place to request a traffic advisory 10 or so miles from an airport. It can only help in getting the big picture. Ofcourse we can not ASSUME everyone flies like me or you and will make the appropiate calls.

 

[Rush Limbaugh]

"N345 is not my tail number!"

It is if you are flying an airplane registered in the United States.

 

[dmspilot00]

"N345 is not my tail number!"

It is if you are flying an airplane registered in the United States.

Umm, no its not

 

[El Cid Av8or]

If anyone thinks "with you" is bad... how about "witch you" ?!?!? I have heard that from a few pilots.


One thing that gets me...

"XXX Approach, Cessna 12YZ at twenty-five hundred, about 12.7 miles from the airport, inbound with information golf."

Like the .7 miles is really significant


As mentioned earlier, I don't mind the "good day," "see ya," etc. as long as it's not "123.45 see ya." If there was ever an accident (and I hope there's not) and there was a lot of radio communication going on, all that would do is cause more time and confusion while deciphering the tapes. I routinely use "Piper 123AB, frequency 123.45, good day sir (or ma'am)". I have been praised by a controller or two for this.

 

[dsee8driver]

Piss match...NOT

dmspilot00 One other thing. If I tell ATC I am "Cessna 12345," why do they sometimes call me "November 345?" It should either be November 12345, Cessna 12345, or Cessna 345, or just 345.... not N345. N345 is not my tail number! It just doesn't make sense.

DMS...I think you should read the AIM under communications and phraseology. You yourslef say it should be November 12345, well guess what ATC can and will shorten it to N345 and it's perfectly legal.. Maybe ATCER can add to this ....

 

[Typhoon1244]

Re: $ 0.02

I cannot see a difference between "Citation123 checking in at FL310" and "Citation 123 with you at FL310."

There is no difference. They're equally annoying.

"Checking in?" Why stop there? Why not say "Cessna Citation 123 is checking in with you, center, on the radio, using frequency 133.07." "Checking in" is superfluous. We know you're checking in!

What's wrong with "Center, Citation One-Two-Three, Flight Level Three-One-Zero, good morning." (Yes, I know "good morning" isn't by the book. Using proper phraseology doesn't mean you can't be courteous.)


Off the subject: I once heard a flustered controller tell someone "last aircraft that called, I got voice only, no carrier." Well, that would mean she heard him, but not through the radio...

 

[dmspilot00]

Re: Piss match...NOT

DMS...I think you should read the AIM under communications and phraseology. You yourslef say it should be November 12345, well guess what ATC can and will shorten it to N345 and it's perfectly legal.. Maybe ATCER can add to this ....

Thanks for the info. I wasn't saying that what they do is wrong in the sense that against std. op procedures, but it is just weird. It's like taking out the middle two numbers. What if there is an actual N345 and an N12345 both flying at the same airport? (Please don't answer---a rhetorical question only.)

Anyway, I meant to say airport advisory before, not traffic advisory. The part that annoys me is that some pilots can't figure out which runway to land on without getting one...even when the airport has awos and/or people flying around in the pattern making their appropriate announcements.

I was thinking "Chicago Approach, N12345 level at 5000, with you" sounds a little better than "checking in at 5000" because the with-you part is more like a greeting, and although both are unnecessary, "checking in" is also dorky/corny-sounding. If you find both equally annoying or equally unannoying then you are entitled to feel that way, I'm not disputing anything.

While flying around in my little C172, I've never said either to ATC. I don't have any right to critique airline or other prof. pilots, but when a GA pilot flying a Warrior or whatever says either of those phrases, I think it is just pointless and dumb-sounding.

I think Typhoon's idea is a good alternative if you feel compelled to add extra words on the radio.

 

[Yahtzee]

It's all relative

All you guys that get upset with the "xxx checking In", and "xxx with you" calls need to log some time in a multi-engine jet with a student that has maybe 120 hours total time. I can't begin to describe how bad the radio calls from students can be, especially since the Instructor handles about 95% of the radio calls as the PNF.

Biggest pet peeve: Center gives a radio call to us and my stud has to practice the radio call in his or her head for a minute so they don't dork it up. By the time he has the radio call down in his head, Memphis is calling again. By the time the student keys the mic, he forgot what he was going to say and lets out an extended "UUUUHHHHHGGGGG....while he collect his thoughts once more and reengages Memphis with someone elses Callsign, and reads back the incorrect frequency."

If nothing else, this job has taught me to be patience and understanding. So the next time a guy "Checks in" or gives a "with you", please think of all those poor IPs out there that experience my example daily.

Here's one of the worst calls from a student and a great comeback from Memphis as told by one of my fellow IPs:

18 miles from the entry point of a low level route still at 16K feet. The student realizes he is in a jam and needs to get down now.

SP (in an excited voice): "Memphis Center, Callsign XX, requesting your lowest altitude EVER."

Mem Ctr (with a fatherly tone in his voice): "Callsign XX, I could give you Sea Level, but you're not gonna like it."

Welcome to my world.

Yahtz

 

[ms6073]

I cnat believe nobody has mentioned...

Regional Approach: Cessna 12345, say intentions?
Student Pilot: Yes, I am wanting to become an airline pilot!


More Humorous...
Approach: Mooney 12345, sir, you are number two behind a SW 73 with an American MD90 5 miles in trail. Best speed to the marker please sir!
Mooney Pilot: Yes sir, how about 150 to the fence? But I doubt we will be able to make the first turnoff!

 

[Typhoon1244]

Re: It's all relative

I can't begin to describe how bad the radio calls from students can be...

I had this one student, a young lady who couldn't get it into her head that a degree of formality was required in aviation communications...

VRB Tower: "Cherokee Three-One-Victor, number two behind a Seminole on a two-mile final, cleared for the option runway one-one-right."

31V: "Okay."

That wasn't the worst, though. The worst was when I sent her ona solo from Vero Beach to Fort Pierce...a flight of about two minutes, for those of you who aren't familiar. They're right next to each other. I'd flown the trip with her a dozen times.

She gets to the end of the runway, does a very careful run-up, then says: "Tower, Cherokee Three-One-Victor, ready for takeoff at runway four. Which way do I go to go to Fort Pierce?"

[Sigh.] Well, we all have to learn somehow.

Oh, one more pet peeve. You captains ever had a first officer who made editorial comments on the radio without giving you the benefit of screening them?

ELP ground: "Hey Connection, got time for a question?"

My F/O: "Sure."

ELP ground: "Are you guys replacing that 727 that used to come in here?"

My F/O: "Yeah, now that they got their new contract, they can't afford that anymore."

Me (on interphone): "Doh! Don't say that on the radio, you jerk!"

 

[cessna_driver2]

I cnat believe nobody has mentioned...

Regional Approach: Cessna 12345, say intentions?
Student Pilot: Yes, I am wanting to become an airline pilot!

I heard that one when I was @ a 141 in Oklahoma. That was almost a classic there.

 

[maverick_fp00]

I was flying back from Nashville the other night and when I had to change over to Alanta Center... believe it or not... when I switched frequencies there was a conversation between a pilot and the controller - it lasted about a minute, literally.. by the time the conversation was over I knew the guys life from the past 5 years. So when I finally got my chance I said "Mark good evening Navajo 100XR level 8000" he came back and asked me how I knew his name... I couldn't believe it