ATC & Uncontrolled
Communication
Effective Communication
• A message successfully received and understood
• For Pilots - radio communication :
• Reduces Workload
• Reduces Stress
• Increases Confidence
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Ineffective Communication
• Just embarrassment? NO
• Poor communication plays a role in many accidents
• Examples:
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Why Communicate?
• Primary reason is to keep from colliding:
• With each other
• With hazardous weather
• With terrain
• The radio is a basic but essential piece of safety equipment
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Priorities of the Pilot
• Don’t forget that priority is to fly the airplane
• Aviate, Navigate, THEN Communicate
• “Don’t drop the airplane to fly the microphone”
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Priorities of the Pilot – 91.3
• PIC is responsible for and is the final authority of the flight
• Emergency requiring deviation – PIC may deviate from the rules to
the extent needed to meet the emergency
• May be required to submit a report to the ATC Facility Administrator
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Is Communication Required? – 91.123
• Only allowed to deviate from clearance if amended, emergency or
deviation is in response to traffic alert
• Except in emergency, no person may operate contrary to an ATC
instruction
• Required to submit report to FAA ATC Facility Administrator within 48
hours if requested to do so
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Two Ears, One Mouth
• Communication isn’t just talking
• Always listen first, then speak
• Interrupting or stepping on a transmission only increases workload
for everyone
• What is getting “stepped on?”
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The Four Ws
• Radio calls seem complicated, but it all boils down to four basic
elements:
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•
•
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Who you’re calling
Who you are
Where you are
What you want
“Montgomery Tower
Archer 282HP
Over Mount Soledad
Inbound for Landing”
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Letters and Numbers
• It’s important to know the proper way to speak letters and numbers
• Use the phonetic alphabet
• This will help avoid ambiguity and will keep things clear
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Eight Thousand, Five Hundred
One Two One Point Niner
One Eight Left
Flight Level One Eight Zero
One Seven Thousand, Two Hundred
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18,500
121.9
18L
FL180
17,200
Call Signs
• Always use your full N-Number upon initial contact
• Only abbreviate if ATC abbreviates for you
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Air Traffic Controllers
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Their primary responsibility is the safe separation of aircraft
They may offer guidance and help
A lot of them are pilots!
The MYF flight sequence:
• ATIS
• Ground
• Tower
• Practice Area Frequency
• ATIS
• Tower
• Ground
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Preparation and Practice
• Mic Fright is common
• Don’t let fear of ATC hinder your communication
• (They’re just like you and I)
• Prepare what you’re going to say
• Practice makes perfect
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Machine Gun Call
• While important to be concise, don’t jeopardize important
communication by speaking too quickly
• Banging out the machine-gun call can leave other pilot’s and ATC
baffled
• Talk to Chris Leonard
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Sound Like A Professional
• You don’t learn unless you study
• Luckily for us, studying is FUN!
• Live ATC.net
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Information / ATIS Codes
• Automated Terminal Information Service provides weather data along
with information on active runways, instrument approaches, and
other pertinent remarks
• Updated at a maximum of every hour between 48 and 05 minutes
• Always comes with a specific identifier
• Pilots use identifier and call it “information”
• E.g.: Information Bravo
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The Pattern
Downwind
Base
Crosswind
Upwind
28L
Final
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Examples
• Calling up ATC
• “Montgomery Ground, Archer 282HP”
• Wait for response
• “Archer 282HP, go ahead”
• Requesting Taxi
• “Ground, 282HP, at the transient ramp with information Papa, request taxi for
an eastbound departure”
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Examples
• Calling up ATC
• “SOCAL Approach, Archer 282HP”
• Wait for request
• “Archer 282HP, standby”
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Examples
• Calling up ATC
• “Montgomery Tower, Archer 282HP, holding short of 28L, westbound
departure”
• Line-Up And Wait
• “Archer 282HP, line up and wait runway 28L, traffic downwind to base”
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Examples
• Calling up ATC
• “Montgomery Tower, Archer 282HP, holding short of 28L, westbound
departure”
• Hold Short
• “Archer 282HP, hold short runway 28L, landing traffic”
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Examples
• Call from ATC
• “Archer 282HP, one departure prior to your arrival”
• Your readback
• “Roger, Archer 282HP”
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Examples
• Altitude Restriction
• “Archer 282HP, maintain at or above 2,500”
• Your readback
• “At or above 2,500, Archer 282HP”
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Examples
• Requesting Bravo Clearance
• “SOCAL Approach, Archer 282HP, just departing Montgomery, requesting clearance
through Miramar’s class Bravo to Ramona”
• Bravo Squawk
• “282HP, squawk 2764”
• Readback
• “Squawk 2764, 282HP”
• Bravo Clearance
• “282HP, SOCAL, Radar Contact, Altitude indicates 2,500, maintain 2,500 cleared
through the Bravo, own navigation to Ramona.”
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Examples
• Downwind Extension
• “Archer 282HP, extend your downwind, I’ll call your base”
• Your readback
• “Roger, we’ll extend our downwind, N282HP”
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Examples
• Calling up ATC
• “Montgomery Tower, Archer 282HP, holding short of 28L, in sequence,
westbound departure”
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Examples
• Downwind Extension
• “Traffic calling, remain outside of Class Delta Airspace”
• No readback because no callsign
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Examples
• Company Traffic
• “Archer 282HP, follow company traffic on a midfield left downwind”
• Your readback
• “We’ll follow the traffic, Archer 282HP.”
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Examples
• Traffic Call
• “Archer 282HP, traffic’s 1 o’clock, opposite direction, altitude indicates 2000”
• Your readback
• “We have the traffic in sight, Archer 282HP”
• Maintain Visual
• “Archer 282HP, maintain visual separation with that traffic”
• Your readback
• “We’ll maintain visual separation, Archer 282HP”
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Examples
• Traffic Call
• “Archer 282HP, say intentions”
• Your readback
• “Inbound for touch and goes, 282HP.”
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Your Magical Get Out of Jail Free Card
• “Unable”
• This is your quick way of saying, “Sorry, I really can’t do that. Anything
Else?”
• Even Sullenberger used this when deciding to ditch in the Hudson
• Long Beach Tower Incident
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Another Magic Word
• “Say Again”
• Shorthand for “I’m sorry, what?”
• Expect to get the same instructions
• Not to be overused
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Why Didn’t They Respond? – Lost Comms
• Check your mic
• Check your frequency
• Check the volume
• Check your headset connection
• Check if mic button stuck
• Confirm PTT Transmission
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Why Didn’t They Respond? – Lost Comms
• Check your mic
• Check your frequency
• Check the volume
• Check your headset connection
• Check if mic button stuck
• Confirm PTT Transmission
© 2015 Coast Flight Training. All Rights Reserved.
What about Non-Towered Environments?
• Remember: Collision avoidance is key
• Airport Advisory or CTAF (Common Traffic Advisory Frequency)
• Listen first, then make the call
• Listening allows you to decide on which runway to use
• Also, get a feel of where the other aircraft are
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What about Non-Towered Environments?
• Always confirm everything visually
• Did they say short final? Confirm that before you cross the active
• Avoid using “the active” Why? Which active are you talking about?
• Avoid using “any traffic in the pattern, please advise” They will
without you asking, trust me.
• Make calls early, make calls often:
• “Duderanch Traffic, Archer 282HP, over Beacon Hill, inbound for landing,
Duderanch.”
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The Practice Area Frequency
• Instead of our tail number, we use our color
• Only a SoCal Convention
• Three different practice areas:
• San Diego Coast
• San Diego North
• San Diego East
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The Practice Area Frequency – 122.75
• “San Diego Coast Traffic, Green and white Archer, over the San Elijo
Lagoon at 1400 feet, simulated engine failure, San Diego Coast”
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Calling for Help – 121.5
• “MayDay” – From the French “Meizdez” which means “In distress”
• “Pan-Pan”
• “Minimum Fuel”
• “Declaring a Fuel Emergency”
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What About the Paperwork?
• ATC Fears Paperwork too
• Better to do paperwork and meet with the FAA than be severely
injured
• Remember, paperwork is never required
• When in doubt, DECLARE AN EMERGENCY
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Lost Comms
• Squawk 7600, overfly airport 500 above TPA
• Light Gun Signals
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Steady Green – Clear to Land
Flashing Green – Return for Landing
Steady Red – Give Way to Other Aircraft, Continue Circling
Flashing Red – Airport Unsafe, Do Not Land
Alternating Red and Green – Exercise Extreme Caution
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Light Gun Signals on the Ground
• Light Gun Signals
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Steady Green – Clear for Takeoff
Flashing Green – Clear to Taxi
Steady Red – Stop
Flashing Red – Taxi Clear of Runway
Flashing White – Return to Starting Point on Airport
Alternating Red and Green – Exercise Extreme Caution
© 2015 Coast Flight Training. All Rights Reserved.
Light Gun Signals on the Ground
• Light Gun Signals
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Steady Green – Clear for Takeoff
Flashing Green – Clear to Taxi
Steady Red – Stop
Flashing Red – Taxi Clear of Runway
Flashing White – Return to Starting Point on Airport
Alternating Red and Green – Exercise Extreme Caution
© 2015 Coast Flight Training. All Rights Reserved.
San Diego Waypoints
• Mount Soledad
• Scripps Pier
• Torey Pines
• Del Mar
• Battiquitos Lagoon
• The Powerplant
• Escondido
• Valley Center
• Ramona Dirt strip
• Lake Hodges
• Lake Sutherland
• San Vicente
• Cowles Mountain
• San Miguel Mountain
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San Diego Waypoints
• Alpine
• Barona Casino
• Mount Helix
• Lake Jennings
• Lakeside Golf Course
• El Capitan
• Viejas Mountain / Valley
• Loveland Reservoir
• Cottonwood Golf Course
• San Diego State
• Lower Otay
• Sweetwater Reservoir
• Black Mountain
• Poway
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