Things I wish Pilots Knew about ATC

[Pilot124]

Vector4fun

Thanks for the info. We would all like to hear more..

 

[prpjt]

Bravo !!!

Let's hear a big round of applause for Vector4fun's informative and well thought out post. Keep it coming. Best info I've seen here in quite a while.

 

[pilotman2105]

I realize that much of this information is published, but not as hard fast rules. It's nice to know that there is a REASON for all this crazy stuff besides safety. It actually does make someone else's job easier.

Bravo Vector!!!

 

[A Squared]

Good post Vector4fun.

More good reading can be found on AVWeb. A center controller writes a column there wich has much good information and advice for pilots recarding ATC and communications.

 

[Simon Says]

Thats good stuff, especially about the ILS being switched over. I used to always do that and request the ILS be switched, but never again. I will either use the runway advertisd or shoot the visual without the ILS.

Thanks.

 

[Sunken_Lunken]

Great Post Vector!

Here's the link to Don Brown's column on Avweb that A Squared reccommended.

http://www.avweb.com/news/columns/182651-1.html

 

[NJA Capt]

Good info Vector, I thought I would share some reponses and other questions.

"Wind Check"...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.

Hard to see in a jet (at an unfamiliar airport) at 600' 2 miles from the airport. Some aircraft like the C750 are very restricted in crosswinds (less than 4 degrees bank at times), that's why we ask on short final. Some airports don't locate windsocks anywhere near the landing threshold.

Instructors, it's not really cool for your X-Country students to be doing this either, but they do. Pseudo formations a half mile apart, following a leader from airport to airport.

Must be the students of the guys logging dual given from the backseat.

TCAS.
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.

Why is it when we are vectored "for traffic" it is always toward the ONLY TCAS targets? Or even better.....We are told of passing traffic 15nm away (don't care), and are given no warning of the 767 that passes 2000' over my window (DO care!!)?

...when we say "Maintain visual separation", we really also mean maintain TCAS separation too.

TCAS RAs are inhibited at approx 1200' AGL and shouldn't give RAs. 95% of GA traffic and half of the corporate world have no idea what we are talking about (TCAS). There is no FAA guidance to maintain "TCAS" separation.

 

[enigma]

Good stuff, Vector. I want waste your time again asking for a wind check. I'll also quit gripping about the lack of a localizer after a quick runway swap.

Thanks,
enigma

 

[Typhoon1244]

"I got 'em on TCAS" means nothing to me operationally.

I'm glad somebody said that. I'm trying to break some F/O's of the habit.

Great info, by the way! (I didn't know tower wind data was an average.)

Now, on the flip side, something (some) controllers don't know: when I'm in my fully loaded CRJ struggling through 250, and you ask me if I can be at 330 in three minutes or less...the answer is always no!

 

[Vector4fun]

First of all, thank you all for taking this info in the spirit in which I offered it. Just "heads up" stuff. I hope I'm able to explain why we do some things, and don't do others.

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?

Aircraft without transponders happens all the time. The Big deal is, TCAS doesn't work without your Xponder, so we discourage it. Class B is more serious.

I know what you're trying to say, but keep in mind that 3000 can be a perfectly legal VFR altitude.

Correct. It's just a problem when entering the info into the NAS for flight following between facilities. If you're just headed outta class D for the practice area, no big deal. On the other hand, there was this guy who was determined to go to HOU (heading 100 deg) VFR at 6000' last week.

Simon and Enigma, feel free to ASK any facility you frequent sometime if they mind swapping ILSs. Perhaps they still use one of the old systems. Ours are now CAT III monitors, and seem especially tempermental. I offered the info because some folks expect me to swap them, and seem irritated that I don't. Ours are so sensitive, a Mower in the Critical Area will send it into alarms, and eventually lock up the system. So we have to coordinate that work with the airport for midshifts.

NJA Capt, I'll have a longer reply to your questions when I get home. Need to explain some stuff from the .65.