AVSIM Feature "Things We Say... But Shouldn't" Compiled by Maury Pratt, Managing Editor, AVSIM Online February, 2000
| |
|---|---|
As a pilot flying with SATCO's SquawkBox I've often wondered, "What do controllers expect me to say (or do) — or rather, wish I didn't say?"
Well, evidently I'm not alone, as this recent thread in SATCO's mail list attests. The editors at AVSIM Online found this dialog to be so interesting that we asked Executive Director (SATCO1)Randy Whistler whether we might reprint selections from those posts for our readers, to which he graciously assented. So here's excerpts I've chosen to give you a flavor for "virtually savvy ATC communications"
Each item (in no particular order) is attributed to its SATCO mail list author, with our thanks.
| |
Starting with an excellent overall perspective, Dave White offers these insights: "I'm not nearly the best source for information on flying or air traffic control. But I have learned a few things being a real life private pilot training for my Instrument ticket and also as a SATCO controller/pilot. These are some things that I think we all, pilots and controllers both, might want to keep in mind.
These are just my thoughts, take them with a grain of salt. They are not meant to be a personal attack of any kind. I'm sure there are several better things to remember, and I'm sure some (most?) of the things I mention are wrong, so please feel free to make some well intentioned and constructive criticism or comments. <G>.
If you don't understand something ATC commands, ask for clarification or help. If you accept an ATC clearance and you don't do what ATC has cleared you to do, it's not the controllers fault, it's the pilot's.
"UNABLE" – the most underused word in SATCO.
2. AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL - A service provided by appropriate authority to promote the safe, orderly and expeditious flow of air traffic. Remember this definition. Controllers, it doesn't say vector into oblivion. To state this definition
another way, it means "Let them fly their fligh tplan, unless safety is compromised in doing so." Don't give
unnecessary vectors or instructions. Get the pilot to his destination by his flight plan. And approach, get
the pilot to the airport by the safest and most expeditious means possible (are 30 mile finals really
necessary?)
As I said before, the pilot is in charge. He's in the airplane, he usually knows what's best. Controllers
shouldn't order anything on the pilot except in the case of following established approach and departure
procedures, collision avoidance and things like that. If a pilot can't do something, he can't do it. Don't
argue, just try another clearance. (i.e. He can't go to an intersection because he doesn't have GPS? Try
vectors.)
3. Pilots... Have a Flight Plan you understand. As a controller, I don't care what pilots have in their
flight plan, be it GPS direct or a zillion waypoints. All I ask is that you understand what the flight plan means. GPS direct means put the airport into your GPS and fly the course it spits out. If you have a zillion
waypoints, then the pilot should be passing over every single one of them... Unless of course, ATC directs
otherwise.
4. Pilots... Learn to use the SquawkBox FMS. This is a great tool. A pilot can punch in a fix and fly
direct to it when asked by ATC. And even better, you can punch in a bunch of waypoints, speeds, and
altitudes before departing and have the plane fly exactly that. I'm always a little puzzled when as a
controller I tell a pilot to report over some fix and he can't, because the FMS is right there. Of course,
this isn't the case for every plane. If a plane has the /U or another non-GPS code then I understand the
pilot is flying a plane that probably in the real world is without GPS and this is perfectly fine, it's
as real as it gets. He purposely wants to fly without GPS. But if you usually fly an airliner on SATCO (and
most of us do <G>) then give the FMS a try. The real guys use them so why don't you?
5. Experienced controllers and pilots... please assist the newbies. Now just about everyone is great with
this. But occasionally, someone will just yell at an obviously rookie controller or pilot. If it looks
like he needs help, offer it. They've taken the plunge with SATCO and most who do so really want to
learn to do it right, and while the documentation available is wonderful, a lot of the knowledge
required to be a good SATCO controller/pilot comes from just trying.
6. Inexperienced controllers and pilots... read the available documentation and before diving in, sign on
as a SATCO observer and just watch. (But didn't I just say above...?) Yes, actually trying to fly or
control in SATCO will be your best learning tool, but you need to have some sort of foundation before
jumping in. Learn some of the phraseology and what is expected of the pilot and controller. And probably
the best SATCO learning tool available, except for actually trying it—for both pilots and controllers—is to sign on as an observer in some busy approach area, and watch. This is where you'll quickly learn a lot about SATCO, especially phraseology.
7. Controllers... If a pilot says "Airport in sight" while being vectored for an ILS, ask if he wants a
visual approach. Chances are, that is why he said airport in sight.
8. Pilots... readback just about everything! This is the way we controllers know you heard us right. Don't just say "Roger". Obviously, this is a million times more important when using voice than text, but even when it's written right in front of you, sometimes you read one thing and understand it a different way.
9. Pilots... be understanding of a busy controller. Please be patient when the controller is obviously
overworked for the moment. Remember, we controllers are mostly rookies. We do this a few hours a week (a
month?) just for fun and there will be SNAFUs when the traffic is busy. Be patient, be understanding, and
the controller will be very appreciative and you'll eventually get back to the simulated ground.
10. Pilots... if you are going to pause your game, say something and squawk standby. This is a pet peeve of mine <G>.
11. Controllers... if you've been experiencing lag, tell the pilots occasionally. That way, when the next
lag bomb hits (and there is always a next lag bomb) the pilots will understand that you're not ignoring
them. They'll know it's an unavoidable and temporary delay that no one can really be blamed for. (Pilots, that's "unavoidable" and "temporary")
12. Pilots... use SIDs and STARs (especially STARs) as often as possible. It makes controllers workload a
lot lighter which helps during busy periods. Even if you don't have a STAR in your flight plan, most
airports have arrival "gates"—a few waypoints positioned on the perimeter of the airport's approach
airspace—that you will probably be directed through anyway, especially during high traffic periods. And
guess what, those gates usually are also the ends of STARS. And controllers... please let pilots fly their
SIDs and STARs. If they went to the trouble of putting it in their flight plan, they want to fly it. But, if another STAR is more appropriate for where they're coming from, offer it to the pilot. (Don't order it on him; remember the pilot is PIC.)
13. Controllers... follow the Letters of Agreement with neighboring centers. They're there because
they've been tested and they work. If you're supposed to have a plane cross the sector boundary at a certain
altitude for a given airport, for gosh sakes do it! And if a plane is supposed to be heading for a
particular STAR, SID or waypoint when crossing a sector boundary for an airport, then tell the pilot to
fly to it. If it's a SID or STAR and he doesn't have the charts, tell them to fly to a VOR or intersection
that begins the STAR, or at the last resort, give them vectors. And don't forget to tell the pilots why you're give them a different course.
14. Controllers... when you divert a plane from its filed course, tell the pilot why. "Vectors for the
ILS 23L", "Vectors for spacing", "Fly direct XXX VOR for handoff to next center", "C/M 8000 IMMEDIATELY"
then next transmission "Climb for collision avoidance". So this is probably not the proper phraseology, but it sounds about right and the pilot should get the idea. If anyone knows the correct phraseology, please fill me in <G>.
15. Pilots... This is the proper order of things: ATC gives a clearance, like "turn left hdg 200, d/m 3000". Then the pilot should start to comply with the clearance, i.e., start the turn and begin the descent.
then, once you have actually started to comply with the clearance, that's when you readback the clearance. What ATC told you may be time dependent, as in the case of a late turn to intercept the localizer, and reading back first, then complying just wastes time and you may fly right through the LOC, and miss the clearance entirely...
Aviate. Navigate. Communicate.
16. Pilots... if you are suddenly out of the blue given a climb or descent clearance that says
"IMMEDIATELY", don't question it. Just start the climb or descent, readback the instruction, and then
if you want to, question it. If you sit there without following the clearance and just ask "why?", you may
be risking your and your passengers virtual lives. You are probably being told to climb or descend so you
can avoid another aircraft.
17. Everyone, remember this is just a game! When an airplane is late for whatever reason, no one is losing money. You are not going to get fired by an airline. If someone crashes, no one will be hurt. You can go back to your beginning airport and magically try again. Be calm, have fun... We're all doing this
because we enjoy it.
* DISCLAIMER *
Yes, like I said before these are mostly just my opinions gained during my real life and virtual flying
and SATCO controlling. And yes, I guess I mostly picked on the pilots, but that's because I have the most experience as a pilot, and I probably learned each from a mistake I made (oops!).
We are all human, we are all trying to have fun together, and we all have different ideas of fun on SATCO. This creates problems. Deal with it, smile, and be happy no matter what happens because this is fun, not a job, and it's not all that important.
SATCO lets us do things with Flight Simulator that we never otherwise thought possible. It lets us do what most don't have the money, means, time or ambition to do in real life. It lets us fly our own virtual passengers to nearly every corner of the globe, it lets us vector tons of aluminum across the skies. It lets us escape our everyday lives and enjoy a few hours with others that share the same passion. Be thankful to the men and women who donate their time to keep it running and be thankful that there are thousands of others who use SATCO, because flying by yourself without ATC would be just about as fun as controlling an empty sector.
Okay, so I'll step off my box here, put up the flame retardant suit and prepare for some vicious words. Bring them on, I'm not afraid! Not that much, anyway.
[Editor's note: You can respond to this or any of the following messages using the "Feedback"
feature below.]
Nick Christie adds:
One to add, which I'd not spotted anywhere in the guides and got me into hot water some time ago:
Not having used the ProController side at the time, I thought squawking standby was equivalent to being invisible, which left one controller very unhappy one day when I suddenly appeared on his active runway
and slewed through a departing aircraft to the terminal. Big oops.
Moral: Disconnect, go to airport, slew to terminal, and reconnect.
Chris McCarthy, Controller 2 BOS ARTCC has some good advice on communications—don't be verbose!
I
just wanted to add my 2 cents to this thread concerning communications. This note, by no means, is an attack at anyone; merely a guide to help smooth communications between pilots and controllers, especially with all the fly-ins coming up: For the pilots what you should say when making initial contact are the "Three W's": Who you are... Where you are (position in reference to a nearest fix or VOR is helpful)... and What you want to do (i.e. landing at Boston w/ info Hotel).
What you shouldn't say, and what is basically unnecessary and clogs up the RW communications are the following:
1. Position reports after initial contact... Once we know who you are, and have given you instructions, there is no need to give us the play-by-play of every move you make. By talking on the frequency every step of the way, you could be preventing a controller from turning someone onto the localizer, etc. There is no need for Howard Cosell to be sitting in the right seat <g>
2. "Glideslope active" or "I'm on the localizer"... These are tidbits that can also be left out of a conversation. First of all, we can tell when you are on the localizer, we have radar, and can see when you are lined up with the rwy... Secondly, unless asked, there is no need to report on the LOC. Very few pilots in the real world, w/ perhaps British Airways as an exception, report on the localizer. Again, cluttering up the frequency—and during a flyin—that could be quite harmful to your fellow pilots.
3. Leveling at an altitude... This is another one that need not be reported. If a plane is told to d/m 8000, the controller can see the plane level at 8000; the pilot need not inform the controller at every altitude stop...(see Howard Cosell above).
Basically, don't talk on the frequency just to be heard... Limit what you have to say to what the controller wants, and needs to hear. And by all means—and this is the big one—when you hear a controller issue instructions to another aircraft please wait until that aircraft has read back those instructions before you check in!... I can't stress that one enough. The worst thing in voice are "step-ons" and "blocks;" these force the controller to have to repeat an instruction, or prevents an aircraft from receiving one... Be patient, and wait your turn, and when you check-in, remember these guidelines and you will be amazed at how smoothly your conversations with controllers will go... And just how realistic and professional you sound!
Finally, one last thing, please spend 5 minutes before you log on for your flight at the departure airport's ARTCC website. It only takes that long to find a preferred IFR route that you can download into your SB FMS, and saves valuable time once logged on. If a controller sees a beautiful flight plan, with a correct altitude for direction of flight, it helps in prioritizing clearances on the ground.
Thanks for letting me share some thoughts, and if you have any questions you
can email me privately (Chris McCarthy). Enjoy, and I hope this has helped.
Nico Terizakis adds a European perspective:
Chris,
What you are saying might be true for US airspace, but not necessarily for Europe, and even there things are not always standardised.
For a start, in Greek airspace, controllers do want you to report over waypoints (NDB/VOR) of your flight plan. Maybe a carry-over from the old good days when radar coverage was not as good as today, but nevertheless still a requirement, both in real and SATCO world.
Secondly, in all my flights in the UK I have been asked to report Localiser Active or established, no matter what airport. This has also happened during flights in some of the USA airports, but then again it could have been no SATUSA controllers controlling those airports at that time :).
The rest of your points on 'not eating up' the frequency are spot on. The question I have is: "What is the procedure when there is no-one transmitting at some point in time, and suddenly 2-3 planes (and some time the controller) start transmitting simultaneously? – How is precedence resolved etc...?"
And Aaron J. Diehl, Indianapolis ARTCC. C-1 adds:
You make a very good point, Chris. I'm glad that you brought this up. Some pilots say unnecessary reports such as "Localizer active" or "Leveling at 5000." In my two years so far of real world flying, I have learned one acronym that has been very beneficial to me :-) —"KISS" (Keep it short, stupid!). One example that was mentioned was pilots reporting their every single move. For example on initial contact someone might say "Indianapolis Approach, United two forty-five Heavy with you at 11000 heading 250 speed 250 with information Bravo." With someone who might not talk fast, this sentence could have lasted 10 seconds. All that is needed is "Indianapolis Approach, United two forty-five Heavy with you 11000, information Bravo." This sentence is short, sweet, to the point, and tells the controller what's needed. Simple things like that can make a world of a difference and can be very helpful to the controller, especially if he has a large quantity of targets.
What I am asking is for pilots to think what they are going to say before they key in and keep it as short as possible, so it will give the controller more space to give other aircraft instructions.
Perhaps Dave Armour should have the final word:
As a retired 30 year real world Controller remember these 3 things and you will usually stay out of trouble:
2) Where you are and what you want to do or are doing (20 North descending
to 3,000)
3) Acknowledge and carry out further clearances
The most important thing re the above is if you do not understand a clearance, are new to an area, are a rookie, or you cannot comply with a clearance, ADVISE the Controller immediately. The Controller is not out to get anybody he just has to know who he is dealing with. There is no shame in admitting you don't understand a clearance. The problems arise when you try to fake it or don't inform the Controller that you have limited knowledge.
Believe me you will get much easier instructions and will gradually learn the lingo. By the way even though the Controllers (real world) have a book the size of a New York phone book for correct phraseologies, almost all areas develop their own ATC "slang" if you like. So even though you may have your local area down pat, be expected to return to rookie status when travelling away from home.
George S. Marinakis, Chief, Indianapolis Center (and others) offer some helpful resources to help you get a feel for all this:
I would agree with (another correspondent's suggestion) to check out the SATUSA online training section to get an idea. Another great way to learn phraseology is to listen to real world ATC. You can do this several ways. First, if you have a scanner (the radio type), tune in to your local airport's control frequencies or the Center you are in and listen to how the pilots contact and respond to ATC.
Second, and even easier, is listen to real world ATC over the internet. Several of the large airports stream ATC using real audio. You can find Chicago O'Hare, Dallas Fort Worth and JFK (in that order) at the following links:
You can hear ground, tower, arrival and departure at these sites. If you have the charts, you can even pull them and follow along with the published procedures. If you don't have charts, go to the SATUSA ARTCC's web site for Chicago, DFW and JFK and use theirs.
One other thing: I respectfully disagree with the suggestion that you don't have to bother with learning exact procedures because this is the virtual world. I commend you for wanting to learn the right way to do it. Its often forgotten that the simulation is two ways—it's not only for the pilot but also for the air traffic controller. It enhances ATC's sim when the pilot knows the right way to do things.
Here's another from Nate Johns, C1/V NY ARTCC:
A much better link is here...
It includes all the below and then some... yah, some links are broken (though it was updated December of 99); and Omaha, well, no matter how long and hard you try, you'll never connect to a server (which is very odd since even the site is advertised at the Omaha NATCA site). Otherwise, give it a try.
And please keep in mind that Voice ATC training files are available. Dan Harris, C1, London ACC reported that SATUK released two R/W voice training MP3 files—an introduction to Controller voice procedures; the other is an actual example. According to Dan, "For those of you interested in learning how voice comms should sound, may I suggest you visit the SATUK Voice site where you will find a fantastic training course in mp3 format. Primarily aimed at controllers it can also be useful to pilots. One of the best 4Mb downloads you will make." You'll also find a link there to Microsoft's Internet Explorer Update site to download the current mp3 compliant Windows Media Player.
Ernie Alston, LAX_CHF adds, "Its also a good way to make note of some of the procedure differences in the UK as compared to the US."
|
|
|
