At ATL Tower we just had an internal memo put out that announced March as Surface Incident Awareness Month. In a nutshell, the facility managers at ATL, LAX, DET, ORD, EWR, LAS, and DFW, are trying to improve runway safety by improving the quality of hold short read backs. When an incorrect or incomplete readback is recieved, they have mandated that we will write down your call sign, date, time, and what was done incorrectly on a standardizaed form. When I asked what would happen to these forms, I was told that they will be turned over to your airlines, the airports, and other interested parties.
In order to keep you out of trouble in more than one manner, let's review what we (controllers) need to hear, so that your name does not appear on any of these lists, at any of these facilities:
A) Your call sign
B) The words HOLD SHORT
C) The entire runway name (no short cuts), example: "Runway 2-7-Right."
Also when given a taxi instruction to a runway, you must read back the runway assignment, and any hold short instructions attached to the clearance. Remember that if you get a simple "Taxi to Runway 27R" clearance that this in a sense is also a form of hold short clearance, because you may taxi to the runway but may not cross it.
Let's all try to keep these lists really short. Maybe it will keep you out of trouble and also help prevent you from having a runway incident! Please pass this on, I would love to not have to write any down this month!!!
And BTW, the controllers are not getting off scott-free either, they are doing random tape audits on us as well (1) making sure we are using correct phraesology, and (2) ensuring that we ensure that you've given us a correct read back - so if we let you slide then were at fault too!
Help us to keep you safe!!
In order to keep you out of trouble in more than one manner, let's review what we (controllers) need to hear, so that your name does not appear on any of these lists, at any of these facilities:
A) Your call sign
B) The words HOLD SHORT
C) The entire runway name (no short cuts), example: "Runway 2-7-Right."
Also when given a taxi instruction to a runway, you must read back the runway assignment, and any hold short instructions attached to the clearance. Remember that if you get a simple "Taxi to Runway 27R" clearance that this in a sense is also a form of hold short clearance, because you may taxi to the runway but may not cross it.
Let's all try to keep these lists really short. Maybe it will keep you out of trouble and also help prevent you from having a runway incident! Please pass this on, I would love to not have to write any down this month!!!
And BTW, the controllers are not getting off scott-free either, they are doing random tape audits on us as well (1) making sure we are using correct phraesology, and (2) ensuring that we ensure that you've given us a correct read back - so if we let you slide then were at fault too!
Help us to keep you safe!!
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