Radar Contact

In this week's show we are going to live dangerously. We are going to talk on a radio frequency when there is another aircraft on the same frequency with a similar sounding call sign. Ooh, scary! You think I'm kidding? Just you wait and see what happens. We are also going to step inside your brain's movie theater and crank up the flight projector. It's going to be a cosmic trip down memory lane. When the house lights come up again, you are going to have some new ideas on how to prepare and execute your radio calls to ATC. Show Notes: 1. Predictability contributes to a safe and efficient flight. 2. You can make your radio work more predictable by something called flight projection. 3. Even when you plan your next several moves in your airplane, the plan may have to turn on a dime when the flight situation changes. Be ready and project through those changes. 4. Similar sounding call signs on the same frequency is more dangerous than you think. 5. When someone else on your frequency has a call sign that sounds similar to yours: Pipe down and pay attention; don't abbreviate your call sign; don't grab a clearance if you aren't sure it isn't intended for you; get clarification from ATC when needed--don't guess. 6. Thank you, if you were one of the crowd who has gotten on board with Clearance Magic, the program for copying IFR clearances with ease and accuracy, every time. Question(s) of the Week: You are entering downwind in an airport traffic pattern. Tower says you are number 3 in the sequence for landing. Your airplane develops engine trouble and you need to get on the ground right now. You declare an emergency and get priority to land number 1. After landing, the tower supervisor wants you to deliver a written report to her explaining why you needed to deviate from your original clearance and land immediately. 1. Does the request for a written report indicate you are in trouble with the FAA? 2. How long do you have to get the written report in the tower supervisor's hands? When you think you know the answers to these questions, click here: Answers to Questions Asked in Radar Contact.

The Aeronautical Information Manual says be brief on the radio, yet some pilots use the radio like a personal chat line. The Aeronautical Information Manual also says, use your full call sign, including your prefix. Many pilots make up their own call sign rules. Here's a link to a free .pdf copy of the AIM. In this week's episode, we'll talk about why the guidance in the AIM about radio use might save your butt some day. It begins with a weird arrival to Runway 22 at Puerta Vallarta. Then there's this part about bad Atlanta drivers who wouldn't know the difference between a turn signal lever and a hole in the ground. It ends with a rebel pilot who hides his true identity to keep a controller guessing. Makes sense? Tune in, and it will. I promise. Show Notes: The Aeronautical Information Manual says brevity on the radio is very important. I have a story about an arrival into Puerta Vallarta that illustrates why it can really mess up a good day if the radio is tied up with yackity-yack. There is the right way to use your call sign and there is the wrong way. Despite clear guidance about what is the "right way," most pilots do it their way--which is wrong. Be a trend-setter and do it right. I explain how. Thank you to everyone who bought Clearance Magic over the last couple of weeks. The program for pilots learning IFR clearances is still on sale at IFRclearance.com. Question of the Week: Your call sign is Piper 5378 Yankee. You are flying VFR over the western United States in the late evening. The controller says to you, “Piper 78 Yankee, change to my frequency, 128.7.” You acknowledge this radio call and then tune your radio to the new frequency. What is the radio call you would make to check in on the new frequency? When you think you know the answer click Answer to Questions Asked in Radar Contact. That will take you to a page where you will find the answer, along with a complete explanation. Questions for me? jeff@ATCcommunication.com

This week's edition of Radar Contact is built on the questions I received from pilots who visit ATCcommunication.com. That's great! It's great for me, because it creates new material for the show. It's great for you because you and I get to discuss the issues that are on pilots' minds. Show Notes: True story: You are transitioning through an airport traffic area when the tower controller sends not one, but two other aircraft on a collision course with your airplane. Besides running away, what else can you do to fix the situation? True story: You are flying under Class B airspace, in very crowded skies, using VFR flight following. All of a sudden, you lose contact with ATC and cannot get it back. Your radio is okay, but the controller you were working with does not answer. What now? Announcing Clearance Magic: Copy IFR clearances with ease and accuracy, every time. This is a brand new product I just produced for sale. It's designed to help pilots who fly IFR, and struggle to copy route clearances. Look for it on the sign-in page for ATCinsider.com, and at IFRclearance.com. Question of the Week You are currently using VFR flight following service from ATC. You have been assigned a transponder code of 1-5-1-0. After handoff to the next ATC sector, the controller says, “Reset your transponder. Squawk 6-5-0-1.” First, why would a controller assign a new transponder code to your airplane? Second, what is your primary concern when switching your transponder code from 1-5-1-0 to 6-5-0-1? When you think you know the answer, click here for Answers to Questions Asked in Radar Contact.

A couple of weeks ago, I received an email from an Insider with ATCcommunication.com. Daniel wrote to me asking about a non-standard instruction given to him by a tower controller. The controller told him to fly "towards the numbers." He couldn't find that phrase anywhere in the Aeronautical Information Manual. It turns out, tower controllers say a lot of things that aren't in the manual. It's perfectly legal for them to do so. In this show, you and I will cover what, how, and why airport tower controllers give instructions that are non-standard. We'll also talk about what you can do when a tower controller says something that surprises you. Show Notes: The Air Traffic Controller's Manual allows controllers to use non-standard phraseology to ensure the safe and expeditious flow of traffic.   If you feel safety has been compromised by non-standard phraseology, file a NASA report at this link:http://asrs.arc.nasa.gov/report/electronic.html If you need to talk to someone at the FAA about non-standard phraseology, you can try contacting an agent at your local Flight Standards District Office. Use this link to look up the phone number and address:http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/field_offices/fsdo/ Questions of the Week: 1. What is the difference between the departure leg and the upwind leg of a traffic pattern? 2. In the example I gave, was the tower controller phrasing correct when he said, “Continue on the upwind leg?”Answer to Radar Contact 10's Questions of the Week If you are planning to take the ICAO English Language Proficiency Test or a Radio Transmission Test, feel free to contact me with your questions at jeff@ATCcommunication.com.