Flight Following

[gsengle]

Quote: PilotDerek

g

[jlunseth]

Well, if words don't have connotations over the radio, what about controllers saying "November" slowly.  Or pausing after saying it.  It has a meaning, it means "all you little guys not named Cactus or Gopher listen up, I am going to say something to one of you and I don't want you sleeping when I do."  Is that not right?  One of the benefits of going from the two syllable "Nectar" to the longer, three syllable "November."  Sort of rolls slowly off the tongue and that's what ATC controllers do with it. 

"Clear of the active xy" is the same thing at an uncontrolled airport, it means "I just landed and have cleared the runway, you can come in behind me."

In addition, what does "active" mean for use over the radio, if not that.  I fly out of a towered field and have for several years.  I have never heard the word "active" used, either by controllers or pilots.  Not even in the ATIS announcing the runways "in use."  You don't announce that you are "clear of the active" at a towered airport, its unnecessary, they know where you are. 

[gsengle]

Quote: jlunseth

Well, if words don't have connotations over the radio, what about controllers saying "November" slowly.  Or pausing after saying it.  It has a meaning, it means "all you little guys not named Cactus or Gopher listen up, I am going to say something to one of you and I don't want you sleeping when I do."  Is that not right?  One of the benefits of going from the two syllable "Nectar" to the longer, three syllable "November."  Sort of rolls slowly off the tongue and that's what ATC controllers do with it. 

"Clear of the active xy" is the same thing at an uncontrolled airport, it means "I just landed and have cleared the runway, you can come in behind me."

In addition, what does "active" mean for use over the radio, if not that.  I fly out of a towered field and have for several years.  I have never heard the word "active" used, either by controllers or pilots.  Not even in the ATIS announcing the runways "in use."  You don't announce that you are "clear of the active" at a towered airport, its unnecessary, they know where you are. 

[Hank]

Quote: gsengle

[201er]

Quote: Hank

I never "take the active," I "depart from 26" or whatever, but at uncontrolled fields I do report "clear of the active" to let other folks know I'm off the runway.

[Hank]

Because I've already said "26" in the downwind, base, final and back-taxi calls . . .

Because other pilots are free to use 8; I've seen consecutive planes land in both directions. When winds are calm, it's easiest to do pattern work by alternating directions--land on 26, roll to the end, turn around and depart 8. It's all up to the PIC, each operation, every airplane.

So when I'm "clear of 26" I am, by definition, also "clear of 8," either of which may become "active" for the next aircraft.

If someone is close enough behind me that they need to hear the runway number when I'm clear, they are also close enough behind me to have heard the runway number on one of the previous four calls around the pattern. But conditions change, and each pilot is free to choose his own runway, and each pilot should evaluate conditions before following someone else in. There are times when it's difficult to land on 26 due to a low sun, and the next one may choose a downwind landing on 8 simply for improved visibility, or because they can make a straight-in. "The active" can mean a different runway at any time, you don't have to use 26 just because I  did.

Wouldn't you feel bad if you used 8 just because the guy in front of you did, and he knowingly landed downwind because the sun was low, his old windshield was crazed and he had knocked his sunglasses off? How good are your downwind landings, with 3000' of runway, when you have to come down a slot in the trees to reach it? Bet you'd stay over the trees instead of between them, and then the runway gets really short. Oh, yeah, there's about 20' of grass past the end, then a 30' dropoff to a 4-lane divided highway if you overrun when landing on 8 . . . The picture below cut off the approach end of 8, though.

[74657]

Being that we are on the subject of radio communications whilst on the ground how many of you call out your positon at every runway intersection at an uncontrolled field while taxiing?

I do everytime whether there is traffic I can see or not.  In my opinion, just because you are at an uncontrolled field you have no excuse to be lazy.  I see waaay too many people at my field taxi out on Alpha, cross 2 runways and don't bother to call out.

 

[Shadrach]

Sometimes I don't say a friggin' word after my downwind call... So there! 

[Hank]

I haven't been to many uncontrolled fields with more than one runway! And enough taxiways to label! Oh, the luxury!! But I did  land once at an uncontrolled field, single runway with parallel taxiway, and as I was navigating my way back and trying to decide which FBO to give my business to, I looked up and saw a Delta 737 parked on the ramp. Yellowstone Regional, Cody, WY [KCOD I think]. Quite an eye-opener. When we left, a United jet was at the hold short waiting on his clearance, so I taxiied out one intersection before him and took off VFR. Not your "normal" uncontrolled field! [yes, I talked to him several times on CTAF first! I'm not suicidal!!]

[DrBill]

Quote: GeorgePerry

Charlotte/Douglas CLT controllers on the East coast are notorious for doing this.  They vector GA aircraft miles off course to keep them well clear of Class B airspace...

[jetdriven]

I turn all lights on and announce every runway crossing on ctaf just as a habit. "crossing runway 14 at bravo".  

Quote: 74657

Being that we are on the subject of radio communications whilst on the ground how many of you call out your positon at every runway intersection at an uncontrolled field while taxiing?

I do everytime whether there is traffic I can see or not.  In my opinion, just because you are at an uncontrolled field you have no excuse to be lazy.  I see waaay too many people at my field taxi out on Alpha, cross 2 runways and don't bother to call out.

 

[Ncbosshoss]

Quote: GeorgePerry

I prefer to fly IFR everywhere I go as long as I can get cleared "mostly" direct...If controllers start jerking me around giving me vectors to make room for the "big boy's" either IFR or VFR under advisories, I cancel, stop talking to them, go VFR direct, and let them work around me.  See and avoid still works pretty well and it's alot quicker than flying a SID or STAR.

Charlotte/Douglas CLT controllers on the East coast are notorious for doing this.  They vector GA aircraft miles off course to keep them well clear of Class B airspace...

[xftrplt]

Quote: PilotDerek

g

[Bolter]

My VFR tracks show up on flightaware at random, it seems.  A recent trip from KWHP - KVGT shows up part way through the flight, for example.

When I call ground at a towered airport, I request "taxi to active". With multiple runways, despite what ATIS may say, the tower may want you at a different runway to meet their needs. If I specify the runway, when I don't have a preference, I may be inadvertently delaying myself or messing with tower's plans. This is how I was trained, but it also makes sense.  Once assigned a taxi clearance, I adhere to strict discipline of stating the runway number with each call.

With non-towered airport, I always call the runway number in the calls on CTAF.  However, when clear, it is just "clear of the runway."

-dan

[rubixcube2k3]

Quote: jetdriven

[rob]

nm

[PilotDerek]

Quote: xftrplt

As a communicator in the Marine Corps, I continuously have to watch how I talk on the radio. Many people are named “roger”, many don’t understand “Lima Charlie”