ATC 0 at BWI ???

[BigTex]

If you not ever listen to the latest episode (85) of Airline Pilot Guy podcast you need too.  He played some LiveATC audio from BWI when the tower used a term ATC 0 and closed the tower.  It's amazing the confusion that transpires.  The term "ATC 0" was unknown to any of the pilots flying into BWI at the time. 

 

http://airlinepilotguy.com/85/

 

The tower was struck by lightning which caused the tower to close.  They used the term "ATC 0" to basically turn BWI into an uncontrolled field.  So many of the aircraft on the ground there started calling Potomac Departure requesting takeoff clearances and their response is priceless.

 

Who on this forum ever hear the term "ATC 0"?

[BigTex]

Here's the actual LiveATC.net Feeds:

 

http://www.liveatc.net/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=11024.0;attach=7383

http://www.liveatc.net/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=11024.0;attach=7384

http://www.liveatc.net/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=11024.0;attach=7385

http://www.liveatc.net/forums/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=11024.0;attach=7386

[John Pleisse]

I was on a night IMC flight through Baltimore Airspace during the p-m push and I had never heard the radio so busy. They would literally make three calls and say "break" when traffic attempted to respond. All calls were 5 to and then they would prompt 5 replies. Turns out, my observation was right. Approach changed the ATIS and broadcast, from then on (to reduce radio chatter), all traffic would refer to Potomac Approach as "Edgar" to save verbiage and reduce clutter.  Never heard of such a thing and haven't run across it since.

[201er]

Who's Edgar?

[Jamie]

My google-fu doesn't turn up much specific to this, but Edgar Allan Poe is buried in Baltimore...

[Seth]

That was a heck of a storm that rolled through.  I landed just ahead of it and got the plane in the hanger as the rain hit the airport.  Listening on the radio to the lack of information given to the pilots was disconcerting.  It's one thing to protect yourself and not say anything that could cost you your job in the letigious society we live in, and it's another thing to cut the crap and say:  "the tower was hit by lightning, no takeoffs and landings are authrozied, the field is temporarily closed, no movement allowed, and relay that on ground to each other."  Then, someone with a hand radio or ground crews that have radios could simply slowly bring the aircraft at the pilot's discression and liability, as the aircraft is under their command anyway, back to the terminals in a very slow, but safe fashion. 

 

Just saying ATC 0 and having now one know what that means is not productive - still, a good learning experience.

 

-Seth

[John Pleisse]

Who's Edgar?

 

Precisely....and really how much unnecessary verbiage did they save?