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Things I wish Pilots Knew about ATC

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Vector4fun

Well-known member
Joined
Jul 25, 2003
Posts
796
I've had this idea for a thread for some time, but didn't want it to come off the wrong way and sound like I'm simply b!tching or complaining. That's not the intent. They are just some things that come up again and again, and it's obvious that many pilots simply don't know or understand the the situation from ATC's side. So in the spirit of education and explanation, I offer the following. I hasten to add that I speak for myself only, based on my own personal observations.

1. "Wind Check". I hear this request all the time. Here's what you should know. I have a wind display in the tower cab. It's a computer calculated two minute average of the center field surface wind. Nowhere in the Tower Cab do I have a direct reading, real time display of the wind, either at center field, or at the thresholds. Not all facilities are set up like mine, but even at those with standard LLWAS systems, if you ask for the wind, the book says we are to give you the centerfield average. Some places have the ability to display near real time wind from boundry sensors, but no requirement to do so when wind shear is not present. They display automatically when it is.

There is ONE real-time, direct display wind sensor at every airport. It's the old fashioned wind sock. There's usually one near each end of the runway. If you want a "real-time" wind check most appropriate to your runway, this is what you should use.


2. Opposite direction ops. We get these requests late at night or during slow periods. I don't have any problem so long as traffic is no factor, but jets/air carriers should know that flipping the ILS around to accomodate your request does NOT involve a simple flip of a toggle switch as in years past. Nowadays, many (most?) ILS systems are remotely monitored by computer, and that data is fed to a central office miles away. When I switch the ILS from one end of the runway to another, the system goes through a 30 second self test before the signal is useable. If I do this several time in succession, the computer will assume the ILS is somehow unstable, alarm, and freeze. The ONLY way to then get the ILS returned to service is to call a technician out on overtime to drive to the Localizer shack and re-set the system. Therfore, if you'd like to do a visual to rwy 17, when 35 is advertised and in use, then DO NOT expect me to flip the ILS around so you can monitor it during the approach. Same goes for GA or Mil asking for practice approaches. We do not routinely switch our localizers around to accomodate a request for a practice approach. ESPECIALLY around 6:00 pm on Fri eves...:rolleyes:

As with most things, we bend or break most any procedure to accomodate any aircraft in an emergency, or in difficulty.

3. I've talked about this before in discussing NORDO ops. What you file with DUATS or AFSS is a Flight Plan, what ATC deals with are Clearances. There is a difference. As a terminal controller in front of a radar scope, I may only know your call-sign, type, last assigned routing and altitude. I WILL NOT OR MAY NOT KNOW your entire filed routing, fuel on board, filed TAS, SOBs, ETAs, alternates filed, etc. I can probably find out, but it's not worth the time and effort unless you crash. (about 2-4 hours) If/when you go miss, your "alternate" is whatever you tell me it is, and I couldn't care less what you filed.

4. This is for the GA crowd. If you don't know the proper procedures for operating as a formation, then don't operate as a "formation" in controlled airspace. ONE guy talks, ONE guy squawks, the entire flight will get ONE clearance to land or depart. If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you have no business flying formation in controlled airspace. But just for general knowledge, two aircraft 100 yds apart both squawking altitude create all sorts of problems with ATC radar. It's called Beacon Overlap. Don't do it.

If you and a buddy decide to follow each other to/from my airport, but NOT in formation, I WILL usually attempt to pry you two apart by at least a mile or more because I DON'T want to listen to the Conflict Alert go off continuously for ten minutes. It gets on my nerves. Instructors, it's not really cool for your X-Country students to be doing this either, but they do. Psuedo formations a half mile apart, following a leader from airport to airport.


5. TCAS. Two things. "I got 'em on TCAS" means nothing to me operationally. Either you got him in sight, or you don't. The fact that you see a target on TCAS is of no benefit to the controller what-so-ever. I also assure you, the target you see is sometimes not the same target I see.

For the rest of you folks. I don't care that you have the airliner or Gulfstream in sight, I still want you to stay at least a mile away, or 500' above/below. I KNOW you won't collide, but TCAS doesn't, and will generate an RA. So when we say "Maintain visual separation", we really also mean maintain TCAS separation too, OK? The nice airline captain may want to admire your homebuilt up close on the ramp sometime, but not in the pattern.

6. VFR flight following. It's not cool to decline further flight following right after you're asked to contact the next facility or sector. That means your target has already been handed off, and the current controller often has no easy way to remove the data from the system. Just switch over and let the new controller know you've had all the Govt assistance you can stand. He has control of the tag and the flight data. Same holds true for you folks canceling IFR.

Also, it sounds so basic, but please try to use appropriate VFR altitudes when receiving flight following. If I try to put you in the computer VFR at 3000', the computer will assume you're IFR, and process the data that way. If I enter 3500, then the computer knows you're VFR. I actually have to deal with this several times a day folks. I don't know when it became cool to fly VFR at cardinal altitudes, or wrong altitudes for direction.

All for now, be careful out there! ;)
 
You can't know what you don't learn. Good info.
 
That's teriffic info. I'm sure a lot of new guys can benefit from this. Maybe some old guys too.

:D

Not that there's anything wrong with that....
 
Well said. Keep 'em coming.

I'm sure a "What I wish ATC'ers knew" post will follow shortly.
 
Vector,

How pissed off would you be if someone (first offense) after completeing a formation flight, forgot to turn the X-ponder on, and during that flew under a Class C shelf?

I had a friend that did this once.
 
Thanks for the "view" from your perspective. Lot's of good info. for all of us to use. Keep em coming if you've got more. Nothing better than to know your helping the guy whose trying to help you.

Regards!
 
That's good stuff, keep it coming. BTW, next time I'm at your field, I'm going to ask, "permission to buzz the tower," just outta spite!!:)
 
Vector,

Great post. I love reading stuff like this. The next time you hear stuff like this that annoys you on freq, post it here so we can learn from other mistakes.

Also, it sounds so basic, but please try to use appropriate VFR altitudes when receiving flight following. If I try to put you in the computer VFR at 3000', the computer will assume you're IFR, and process the data that way. If I enter 3500, then the computer knows you're VFR. I actually have to deal with this several times a day folks. I don't know when it became cool to fly VFR at cardinal altitudes, or wrong altitudes for direction.

I know what you're trying to say, but keep in mind that 3000 can be a perfectly legal VFR altitude. The regs say above 2500 AGL you must abide by the hemispheric rule, but in many areas (especially the state where I used to instruct), with the ground elevation around 600-700 ft., 3000 is used frequently as a VFR altitude.
 

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