麻豆视频

Giving Pilots and ATC A Voice Through Effective Radio Communication

January 2018

I sit across from my wife at dinner leaning forward, eyes fixated on her, and intently nodding at her every word. I can assure you it doesn鈥檛 mean I have a clue what she鈥檚 been saying for the last five minutes. I might also stare off into space while she鈥檚 talking, hearing and receiving everything she鈥檚 saying. Two common themes are occurring here: 1) I will get in trouble in either situation and 2) it is a fact that non-verbal communication dominates how we interact. So, what happens when the non-verbal component is removed and we鈥檙e left with just our voices? Well, that is what we as pilots and controllers face every day.

I had a controller once tell me that the only way they could direct a multi-thousand-pound aircraft doing several hundred knots was through the tone of their voice. It put the air traffic controller鈥檚 job into perspective. Everyone on a given frequency knows when a controller or pilot is having a bad day. Their tone speaks for itself. Good controllers and pilots are able to hide their stress by maintaining a cadence in their transmissions and a calm demeanor. Listen for it next time the radio seems to be a flurry of non-stop chatter. You鈥檒l know it鈥檚 working when the pilots adopt the controller鈥檚 same demeanor and tone. You鈥檒l also know when that symphony is abruptly ended when a pilot requesting Flight Following isn鈥檛 sure of where they are or what they want from ATC.

So how do those of us that are a bit timid on the radio avoid being the cymbal crasher? It starts with the basics and standard phraseology. No one will chide you for using standard phraseology even if your tone doesn鈥檛 command the attention of an auditorium. The AIM is an excellent resource and has a multitude of examples. Listening to others is ideally the next step, but take caution. On a busy frequency some pilots can get away with poorly worded read-backs sprinkled with some jargon that was probably a medieval term from the Scottish Highlands. Hence why you should have a good grasp on what you鈥檝e read in the AIM. While it鈥檚 admittedly expensive to rent a plane, and go flying just to hear the chatter on the radio, there are cheaper options. You could purchase a handheld VHF radio to listen in on local frequencies. Better still, go online to websites such as LiveATC.net and pick frequencies from all over the world.

Sometimes there isn鈥檛 an appropriate term or phraseology for a given situation. If such an issue rears its ugly head, just be clear and say what you need. Avoid making your situation worse by remaining vague or disregarding a controller鈥檚 instructions. Remember, they can鈥檛 see your face and the disappointed look on it when you aren鈥檛 getting the assistance you need.

There are a few tips or suggestions that I would like to include that have been passed down to me over the years that I have found consistently worthwhile. These are particularly useful when the frequency is congested with a lot of chatter and/or at busy airports:

Switch to ground after leaving the runway.

This allows you to hear ATC in the event that they need you to move out of the way of an aircraft behind you while you complete your after-landing checks.

Use the word 鈥渞equest鈥�.

If you feel as if your request for Flight Following or practice approaches may take more than a 3-5 second transmission simply state your tail number and 鈥渨ith request鈥� and then wait. This primes the controller so they can anticipate your need for an extra moment. If they reply 鈥渟tandby鈥� remember to be patient and wait. They will get back to you.

Lose the frivolous jargon.

Avoid excessive jargon on busy frequencies. Adding a polite 鈥渉ave a nice day鈥� is cute, but in the words of Kimberly 鈥淪weet Brown鈥� Wilkins, 鈥淎in鈥檛 nobody got time for that.鈥� Save those extras for when the frequency is much quieter.

Like any other skill in aviation, radio communication takes practice. The key is keeping it concise and to-the-point. Find a friend or instructor to practice with and make efforts to visit airports with operating control towers regularly to keep current. Many control towers even offer tours. Having the 鈥済round knowledge鈥� of radio communications can greatly improve your non-non-verbal communication skills!