What to say to ATC?

[BoDEAN]

If tower says "Fly runway heading, then contact departure" and you reply with your tailnumber, is that legal ? Or should you readback more?

 

[350DRIVER]

If tower says "Fly runway heading, then contact departure" and you reply with your tailnumber, is that legal ? Or should you readback more?

I would simply say "cleared to go, runway heading, departure when airborne, Cactus 210 is on the roll."

I could think of many different ways to reply but a lot depends on the departure airport and how busy it is. There is nothing like frequency congestion at busier airports like JFK, LGA, DFW, etc,..
I don't think it would be "illegal" to just reply with your tail number, some of the busier airports want communications kept to a minimum.


3 5 0

 

[Flying Illini]

"cleared to go, rwy heading, departure, XXX"

 

[jdog78]

i'm too tired to go flipping through the FARs but here's what I would do...
In the takeoff clearance on the ground, i read back everything.
If you're already airborne, it is more important to fly than read back everything so in my opinion, the tailnumber would be sufficient, even a "roger" if you're in the mood (even though that's not proper radio terminology).

-j

 

[8HourPilot]

Runway Heading, C-Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

 

[BoDEAN]

Reason I asked......


been listening to O'Hare Tower tonight, and a lot of guy's were just giving call signs.

 

[350DRIVER]

ORD is a busy place and there is very little room for frequency congestion. As stated in my previous post, it is not unusual for this to occur at your busier airports around the country.

3 5 0

 

[Flyingtoohigh]

If tower says "Fly runway heading, then contact departure" ...

In my neck of the woods, the local Class-D tower controllers always initiate the handoff to TRACON for our bug smashers after taking off and turning left/right a heading of xxx. Is it common for tower controllers to want you to start your own handoff after takeoff, as illustrated with the sample clearance by BoDEAN?

How soon in time, distance, or altitude would you contact departure after takeoff in this situation?

 

[Sniper@YourFeet]

Re: Re: What to say to ATC?

Is it common for tower controllers to want you to start your own handoff after takeoff, as illustrated with the sample clearance by BoDEAN?

No, it is most certainly not.

How soon in time, distance, or altitude would you contact departure after takeoff in this situation?

I'd query O'Hare tower at 3000' AGL or so, right after I'd accomplished my 'After T/O' flow, b/c that's usually when O'Hare (and all other high congestion towers) issue the switch.

Despite what BoDEAN may have though he/she heard, I believe BoDEAN failed to mention the second part, that O'Hare Tower would issue a frequency change to each departing aircraft about 40 seconds after the clearance BoDEAN heard. Then, and only then, would the aircraft change frequencies. Trust me, O'Hare Tower will not issue the T/O clearance BoDEAN described and expect the flight to hand itself off to departure.

All of this is not particularly relevant to general avaition, though. If you are not handed off to the next controller as you approach the edge of Tower's control zone (4 miles or so from the runway), simply query them with a simple "XYZ Tower, Aircraft XXX. Did I miss my hand-off to departure?". You may have missed the call, and, if you didn't and Tower simply forgot, they'll issue you the frequency change. No big deal, controllers are human too and forget sometimes.

As a GA pilot, I would not try to use the same EXACT phraseology that you might hear the airlines use, and would try to follow the example of ATC instead, who generally use standard phraseology rather than the "see-ya's".

If you are in doubt, read back what ATC just told you, and add your callsign to the end of the transmission. It is better to be too long and tie up the frequency than to be too short and cute in an effort to sound like an airliner and end up not complying with ATC's request b/c you neglected it in your readback and ATC assumed you understood and would comply.

Even if you read back the wrong clearance to ATC, if is still your responsibility to comply with the one they issued you. At least if you read back the whole thing you give them a chance to correct you. Beleive me, they'd rather issue you a clearnace again then have you fly willy-nilly around their airspace while they break everyone out around you.

 

[midlifeflyer]

Re: Re: Re: What to say to ATC?

Yes.

However, you should readback all clearances, so I would recommend you readback "Runway heading, departure, Aircraft XXX".

Bingo.

There really aren't any regulations on readbacks, so everything is in the AIM and Controller Handbook. The only "must" readback item, in the sense of ATC having to hear something specific, is runway hold short instructions.

Beyond that the AIM recommends that

" Pilots of airborne aircraft should read back those parts of ATC clearances and instructions containing altitude assignments or vectors as a means of mutual verification. "

So, the bottom line is that a mere "Roger" is okay, but you increase the risk of being called down for an error.

 

[JCJ]

never heard of a "contact departure" instruction along with the takeoff clearance for civilian aircraft; but that is a takeoff clearance sometimes given for the F-16's at FSM

"Hog 01 fly runway heading, climb and maintain 15 thousand, contact departure, runway 25 cleared for takeoff"

 

[T-Gates]

Being told to contact departure when airborne in conjunction with the takeoff clearance is very common (possibly standard) in Canada.

 

[English]

...and in Mexico...

 

[TR4A]

never heard of a "contact departure" instruction along with the takeoff clearance for civilian aircraft; but that is a takeoff clearance sometimes given for the F-16's at FSM

For "single seat" military aircraft it is a normal procedure. Switching to departure frequency prior to takeoff minimizes head down switching radios immediately after takeoff in IMC. You have a Guard receiver, 243.0 Mhz, on all the time that tower can call you if needed.

 

[low-key]

"runway heading, departure" and a hearty
"SEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"

 

[Typhoon1244]

If tower says "Fly runway heading, then contact departure" and you reply with your tailnumber, is that legal ? Or should you readback more?

I don't know about legal...I've always replied "over to departure, Candler _ _ _, s'long."

Seems to be what most other people do, if they say anything at all. The most abbreviated reply I've heard to such a clearance came from a Delta guy who said "bye!"

 

[bart]

You might try:

"I got your runway heading hanging..."

and then read someone elses N Number to them.

 

[Hawker1]

Reason I asked......


been listening to O'Hare Tower tonight, and a lot of guy's were just giving call signs.

Can you buy some sort of scanner (or what-have-you) to listen to the radio calls at the local airport? I've been looking for something like this for a long time. When I took my intro flights, the hardest (and most surprising) part was comm. on the radio. Thanks in advance.

 

[dmspilot00]

Yes! I got one at Radio Shack for $99 about three years ago. You can also get one through an aviation magazine or other electronic stores. If you are not sure if the model you're looking at receives aircraft band, just ask.

It does get easier as you go along. You definitely don't need a scanner in order to learn to talk on the radio, so if you don't have a lot of money I would suggest saving it for your flying. But if you do have the extra money, go for it.

 

[Hawker1]

Thanks. Is there anywhere on the internet that I can find a live feed to a certain airport's tower? That would be cool to be able to listen to it over the internet. I know they have a live feed for a police scanner, but I wasn't sure about the aircraft one? Thanks.