Things I wish Pilots Knew about ATC

[Lrjtcaptain]

here is a very simple one for pilots to follow.

Know the ground and tower frequency before you fire up your airplane. "Ah, ground, what is tower freq" "Ah, tower, i couldn't get a hold of ground on 121.7 so im taxing anyways" --thats cause ground is .9

Opposite direction.

Ill run it workload permiting.
#1 If your on a practice ILS to a runway opposite direction to what I am running at the time, dont necessarily think your taking it to minimums or even if your full stop your taking it to circling minimums. Ill work it as far as I can but when i say start your circle or go missed, don't bitch and continue to fly the ils for another 30 seconds. Everything I do is for saftey reasons. I don't want a GV starting his turn below 200agl to avoid a C172 on the ILS cause he doesn't understand the Start your missed call.

If for some reason you just have to takeoff on an opposite direction runway and tower approves it, when you take off offset right or left of centerline. There are more aircraft out there besides you!

Dont talk to your buddy on my radio! The radio is not for you to say hey man, hows it going. You got a cell phone, call them. A few times ive had to issue go arounds, but got stepped on by locals saying hi to the guy they were just sitting at the FBO with. My radios do have overwrite power but sometimes i still get stepped on.

As for the TCAS stuff, MY TCAS is bigger, has pretty colors and has a neat little compas and I can zoom it out to 60 miles if i want to. Your tcas is worthless to me, if i call traffic, you see him or you dont....seeing him on TCAS isn't seeing him.

As for the guys busting through airspace without clearence. Happens all the time and i always find out who they are. Just so you all know, if you don't have a xpdr turned on, i can still see a primary target out there. The radar will still pick you up. Then I just quote traffic, grab the binoc's and start looking. Yesterday I had a guy come in with his mode c on, came within about a mile from the airport, when i asked him to id himself he turned around and flew north bound, landed at an airport 10 miles north. I tuned in the Unicom and i know exactly who it was.

 

[Vector4fun]

FracCapt,

They'll do a Quality Assurance Review (QAR) on the tapes, and if it's true that the target wasn't plain some time before the incident, then likely not much will happen to the controller. If the target was there, and the controller just missed it, and didn't have something else really pressing going on, then he'll get dinged for the merging target rule I just quoted. Most Supes are reasonable about it. Sometimes there's just not time to call all the traffic and do everything else.

About a year ago, I had an IFR BE90 at 5000, and a VFR twin descending outta 8500. It's plain they're gonna pass real close, but I'm not too worried because it's mostly good VFR WX. About the second time I issue the traffic, (10 o'clock, 3 miles), the KA says "We're IMC". I said something to the twin, and he says "Were in and out". WTF??
I kinda lost it on freq.



Typhoon, English,

There's so many different model Citations and RJs running around nowadays, I can barely keep a basic idea of what most models are capable of, and I'm a pilot. I'm not surprised the non-pilot controllers can't seem to differentiate. All the 500 series climb relatively slowly (IAS), but some will still hum right down final. The 650s are right about even with the Boeings, and the 750's just seem eat everything else up not wearing stars and bars.

Most RJs aren't bad in cool weather, but some are pigs when it's hot. Keep in mind, I'm only watching aircraft below about 15,000'.

Alchemy SAT can see you at 3000' if you're east of I-35. When you get over around Canyon Lake, you need to be up around 3500 for us to make a handoff in a timely manner. The hills block radar.

 

[Groucho]

Excellent Post.

I lean something everytime I read one of these.

There are however some things I wish ATC knew about pilots, the aircraft they fly and the operations and limitations imposed.

1. Speed and descent reductions. Some aircraft the
B737 and A321 and B757 in praticular, cannot slow down and come down at the same time. It just aint possible. Don't ask me why but it's just the way it is. The best one I ever heard was a 757 guy say to ATC "If you shot this thing down with a SAM the wreckage wouldn't make 30 out at 10 and 250"

2. Runway and arrival changes in the era of computerized air craft are a pain in the A%&. It was easy in the DC-9 just aim at a different piece of pavement. The A320 series gets all upset over this kind of stuff and if you change the runway in the computer all the previous restricions on the arrival drop out and require reprogramming. To this end there is an unoffical agreement on the STARS into LAX that allow only one change in runway assingment. This hampers ATC flow but it becomes a safety issue to automated aircraft to have everyone heads down and reprogramming while trying to fly a profile descent.

3. Our company is now on everyones back to increase single engine taxi. ATC needs to understand that runway crossings from a dead stop will take longer. We are limited in static thrust settings on one engine so as not to damage aircraft in line behind. The aircraft will be slower to cross in between traffic.
Additionally when we get to the congested end of the Runway, PHL, LGA, BOS, we need to know our sequence because the other engine requires a warm up period. This always seems to cause ATC some grief. A periodic mention of the sequence for the next 5 or ten aircraft would allow everyone to save fuel and still meet operational requirements.

4. Clearing the runway for traffic behind. I don't see the need to burn up my companies brakes to maintain a flow rate that is too optimistic to begin with. I don't spend more time on the runway than necessary but getting the first available turnoff needs to be balanced against the cost of new brakes. The carbon brakes on the Airbus are expensive.


These are just my rants and the rants of others I work with. "Please don't get made and leave in a huff. Stay for a minute and if your still mad you can leave in a minute and a huff."

 

[TonyC]

The A320 series gets all upset over this kind of stuff and if you change the runway in the computer all the previous restricions on the arrival drop out and require reprogramming.

Doesn't sound like a very user-friendly FMS to me.

 

[:-)]

Doesn't sound like a very user-friendly FMS to me.

It's French, need I say more?

 

[Raskal]

This is the best thread I've read in a long time...thanks for the post!

 

[UpNDownGuy]

Great stuff Vector4Fun! I often wonder what the other end of the radio thinks about some of the things we do.


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.

This is good information, but you'll probably hear wind check requests most often when there is a large difference in speed/direction between the surface and final approach. I DO have an instantaneous readout of wind direction/speed in front of me, so that doesn't concern me. I also have an Engineer who's more than willing to give continuous real-time wind calls all the way to touchdown. What concerns me is seeing winds of 180/99 at 3000', and the ATIS says 350/10. Sumpthin's gonna happen 'tween here and there...


Now for MY pet peeve (you brought this on yourself, Vector, so suck it up...). Why is it such a big deal to get across a runway after landing? Many, many airports use the outboard runway for landing, and the inboard for takeoff. It seems to take an act of Congress to get clearance to cross after landing, even if the taxiways on the other side are clear, my gate's open, etc. For example, I can't count the number of times a controller will clear a plane holding at "x" intersection to cross, but not the plane holding at "y" intersection on the same runway. If the runway is safe for "x" to cross, why not send "y" at the same time? Nope, wait for three more departures...AARRGGHHHHH!!!!


Anyway, great stuff....keep it up.

 

[halfmoon]

Please post more. Most of us don't deal with your side of the "world". Very useful.

 

[Lrjtcaptain]

Now for MY pet peeve (you brought this on yourself, Vector, so suck it up...). Why is it such a big deal to get across a runway after landing? Many, many airports use the outboard runway for landing, and the inboard for takeoff. It seems to take an act of Congress to get clearance to cross after landing, even if the taxiways on the other side are clear, my gate's open, etc. For example, I can't count the number of times a controller will clear a plane holding at "x" intersection to cross, but not the plane holding at "y" intersection on the same runway. If the runway is safe for "x" to cross, why not send "y" at the same time? Nope, wait for three more departures...AARRGGHHHHH!!!!


well, in our case, its because local is too busy sometimes to coordinate with, you get the first crossing ealier, and when you need the second you dont have time to get it from him or her. So, like our SOP's read, if you don't have permission to cross them, dont cross them. Its just the way it is.

 

[NJA Capt]

I don't see the need to burn up my companies brakes to maintain a flow rate that is too optimistic to begin with. I don't spend more time on the runway than necessary but getting the first available turnoff needs to be balanced against the cost of new brakes. The carbon brakes on the Airbus are expensive.

How many exactly have you had to buy????

I don't care how much the brakes cost. It's the people in the back of the tube that matter. They tend to get PO'd when you slam their face into the back of the seat in front of them. Which do you think the CEO would prefer, buy new brakes or have the pax switch to "the other carrier in town?"

Then you have the guys that like to role out to the end of the runway to save the brakes. Those of us riding in the back want off the _________ airplane!!!!! Thanks for the extra :10 minute taxi.

Or another favorite...."Folks, we have arrived :20 minutes early so we'll have to sit here until our gate opens up......(in :20 min)"
20 open gates and we have to wait for "ours" to open up.