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Unapproved radio calls poll, which are you?


201er

Unapproved CTAF radio calls   

88 members have voted

  1. 1. Which of these do you say on the radio?

    • Any traffic in the area please advise?
      6
    • What’s the active?
      3
    • Clear of the active
      22
    • Last call
      10
    • Meow
      1
    • Other unapproved calls
      2
    • I don’t say any of these
      61


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In the big scheme of aviation miscommunication, none of these seem like that big of a deal. 
 

Much worse the guy VFR pilot flying on your Victor airway not looking for traffic and not monitoring ATC. 

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Posted (edited)
24 minutes ago, NickG said:

In the big scheme of aviation miscommunication, none of these seem like that big of a deal. 
 

Much worse the guy VFR pilot flying on your Victor airway not looking for traffic and not monitoring ATC. 

Per the FAA, “Most midair collisions occur in VFR weather conditions during weekend daylight hours. The vast majority of accidents occurred at or near uncontrolled airports and at altitudes below 1000 feet."

Edited by 201er
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12 minutes ago, 201er said:

Per the FAA, “Most midair collisions occur in VFR weather conditions during weekend daylight hours. The vast majority of accidents occurred at or near uncontrolled airports and at altitudes below 1000 feet."

Fair enough but we’re talking about “clear of active” versus “clear of the runway” or “clear of runway 26”. Better some communication versus none. 

 

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To the point of avoiding mid-airs, I agree. But it’s one thing to waste frequency at a busy un-controlled field and a whole lot more serious to be ignoring the guidelines of traffic pattern entry and flows given in AC 90-66B

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-66C.pdf

Nothing upsets me more than having to take evasive maneuvers and avoid the idiot that starts blindly formation flying with me; especially on the mid field entry!

For us tapatalk users it would be nice to also list the poll choices in the original post. Can’t see the poll.


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5 hours ago, BDPetersen said:

Okay, I’ll bite. Who “approves” radio calls?

I think some people just mean whether it's in the AIM or not, or some similar guidance.

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14 hours ago, 201er said:

I don’t care what direction everyone else is landing, I’m not landing a Mooney with a tailwind.

Wind favored 27 when everyone went up.  It started to favor 9 about 6hrs ago.  Everyone is still landing 27.  
 
The herd mentality is strong…..

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17 hours ago, M20F said:

Wind favored 27 when everyone went up.  It started to favor 9 about 6hrs ago.  Everyone is still landing 27.  
 
The herd mentality is strong…..

At my home base someone usually points out, “wind is favoring Xx now..” People turn around.

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15 minutes ago, midlifeflyer said:

At my home base someone usually points out, “wind is favoring Xx now. People turn around.

Sheep dogs :-)

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I guess my non standard is to say red and white Mooney is doing this or that instead of tail number.  Nobody cares what your tail number is but they can see that I am a Mooney in a field of Cessnas....I hear others do that and If I am confused on who is doing what I can just look at my ADS and specifically ask that pilot whats up...and they can do the same....

As mentioned earlier there is no "active runway" at an uncontrolled airport.   don't sound like a FNG......

the meowing on 121.5 does not bother me much....when I hear it at 3am it makes me laugh and takes me out of my unconscious state for a few minutes...then back to studying the overhead.......

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At my home base someone usually points out, “wind is favoring Xx now. People turn around.

I am not sure, wind Magnitude and direction is everything. When the wind is light, say 3-4 kts with lots of planes in the pattern i don’t see the need to try and move the pack. Same when the wind is > 60 degree xwind and not strong. And harder to change the flow when both pattern to opposite runways are on the same side of the airport ((i.e. one runway has Right pattern)


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8 hours ago, mooneyflyer said:

I thought there wasn't any "active" at an uncontrolled field, only "runway in use"

I usually just say "clear of the runway" or in the case of my current Apt, "clear of all runways" since there there are parallel paved runways and an unofficial Grass runway that you can request/use.

 

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10 hours ago, BDPetersen said:

Okay, I’ll bite. Who “approves” radio calls?

Just in case you're not pulling our legs. :D  The AIM and some ACs.  

The ol' "any traffic please advise" is actually called out in the AIM to never use as you may be talking over someone at the airport you're going to or some airport on the same Freq behind you or off to either side.  That why so many people actually get upset with the bogus calls.  If you've ever flown in an area with multiple airports near by on the same Freq, you'll instantly figure out why.  Down low in the Pattern you typically only hear the planes at that airport.  But when you're 10 miles out and still high, you can block people at multiple airports.  Even at 5 miles out if you're still descending it can be an issue.  (I'm sure some folks that fly in 'Jersey can relate! It can get crazy on most weekends. :D)

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41 minutes ago, kortopates said:


I am not sure, wind Magnitude and direction is everything. When the wind is light, say 3-4 kts with lots of planes in the pattern i don’t see the need to try and move the pack. Same when the wind is > 60 degree xwind and not strong. And harder to change the flow when both pattern to opposite runways are on the same side of the airport ((i.e. one runway has Right pattern)
 

Yup.  Even on a towered field you can wind up with a tailwind until it gets sufficient to warrant the tower changing runways.    Flying out of one of the busiest GA airports in the country, they don't change the runway until it reaches the limit that they're allowed if the pattern is full, which is usually.    When it starts to get close they'll just start making reading off the wind direction and velocity as part of their normal chatter, maybe every other landing clearance or something.    It's a good clue to start paying attention when they start reading off the wind regularly unsolicited.     At an untowered airport, you don't get any of that, and if it's busy it may be difficult to herd the cats to go a different direction if the wind changes.

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14 hours ago, kortopates said:


I am not sure, wind Magnitude and direction is everything. When the wind is light, say 3-4 kts with lots of planes in the pattern i don’t see the need to try and move the pack. Same when the wind is > 60 degree xwind and not strong. And harder to change the flow when both pattern to opposite runways are on the same side of the airport ((i.e. one runway has Right pattern)


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Yes, it’s definitely airport dependent. And some have “preferred” runways. When someone mentions “favoring” at mine, it’s not due to an insignificant change,

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15 hours ago, Jim Peace said:

I guess my non standard is to say red and white Mooney is doing this or that instead of tail number.  Nobody cares what your tail number is but they can see that I am a Mooney in a field of Cessnas....I hear others do that and If I am confused on who is doing what I can just look at my ADS and specifically ask that pilot whats up...and they can do the same.....

There’s a lot of value to that even with ADS-B displaying tail numbers. 

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7 minutes ago, midlifeflyer said:

There’s a lot of value to that even with ADS-B displaying tail numbers. 

Lots of value in ignoring FAA and FCC rules. The regulations clearly say you're supposed to include your tail number, and the AIM specifically says to not use aircraft type and color, just as it says to not call "any traffic in the area, please advise."

But hey, go ahead and choose which regs you follow and which ones you ignore. But you then lose the right to complain when I choose to ignore a reg that you choose to follow. 

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Any communication, technically correct or not, at an uncontrolled field, is welcome in my opinion. 
The caveat of being the guy following all the rules, is that no one else at the field will.  Between those without radios, those who don’t pay attention to the radio, students, and the guy who flys once every two years for “currency”, if you follow all the rules, you will be the turd in the punch bowl. 
I prefer to avoid uncontrolled airports when possible for this very reason.   When I do I almost always fly directly over the airport at 1000’ over pattern to check the wind for myself and see what’s buzzing around the airport before I decide how to handle my landing. 

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42 minutes ago, Hank said:

Lots of value in ignoring FAA and FCC rules. The regulations clearly say you're supposed to include your tail number, and the AIM specifically says to not use aircraft type and color, just as it says to not call "any traffic in the area, please advise."

But hey, go ahead and choose which regs you follow and which ones you ignore. But you then lose the right to complain when I choose to ignore a reg that you choose to follow. 

Wow! That's a heck of a leap! I'm aware of the rules and the guidance. I didn't say or even intimate that the call sign should not be used. Just that there is value in using type and color in a pattern where the whole idea is to visually identify traffic. Ever try to read a tail number from 3 miles? Adding brief identifying features doesn't in any way, shape, or  form require excluding the N-Number.

I don't know why you are so vehemently against "Red and white Mooney 9876Z, left downwind..."

Besides, type and color have limitations too. "White Diamond" is meaningless in a pattern full of them. That's true of a lot of Cirrus and late model Cessnas too. And you can't tell a blue pinstripe from a red one at any air to air distance unless you are flying formation.

ADS-B? I have a friend whose airplane is in the PIA program. For ADS-B purposes, it broadcasts an N-Number that is not associated with the airplane. So which one to use in the pattern? What good is "Cessna 1234A left downwind" if, even if you could read the number it's different than what you see on the traffic display? 

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51 minutes ago, Schllc said:

Any communication, technically correct or not, at an uncontrolled field, is welcome in my opinion. 
The caveat of being the guy following all the rules, is that no one else at the field will.  Between those without radios, those who don’t pay attention to the radio, students, and the guy who flys once every two years for “currency”, if you follow all the rules, you will be the turd in the punch bowl. 
I prefer to avoid uncontrolled airports when possible for this very reason.   When I do I almost always fly directly over the airport at 1000’ over pattern to check the wind for myself and see what’s buzzing around the airport before I decide how to handle my landing. 

In almost 34 years of flying not avoiding uncontrolled airports, I have not found any of that to be true. 

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26 minutes ago, midlifeflyer said:

Wow! That's a heck of a leap! I'm aware of the rules and the guidance. I didn't say or even intimate that the call sign should not be used. Just that there is value in using type and color in a pattern where the whole idea is to visually identify traffic. ...

I don't know why you are so vehemently against "Red and white Mooney 9876Z, left downwind..."

 

Read AC 90-66B, Non-Towered Airport Flight Operations, you'll find lots of information that you've either never heard or forgotten. For instance:

Screenshot_20240901_092132_AdobeAcrobat.jpg.7de6834f45c241201d68a77b5cd943c3.jpg

The very next paragraph says to never use "any traffic in the pattern please advise."

There is even advice for pilots of airplanes without radios, which you seem to thibknits wrong, but I'd perfectly legal at uncontrolled airports. It even tells how to communicate and land at s towered field without a radio, whether you dint have one or it just doesn't work. I had to do that once in a flight review from a towered field when the alternator on the school plane died, and I landed with partial flaps deployed before the battery completely pooped out, but no landing light or radio. Taxiing without lights was quite difficult, too.

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22 hours ago, kortopates said:

To the point of avoiding mid-airs, I agree. But it’s one thing to waste frequency at a busy un-controlled field and a whole lot more serious to be ignoring the guidelines of traffic pattern entry and flows given in AC 90-66B

https://www.faa.gov/documentLibrary/media/Advisory_Circular/AC_90-66C.pdf

 

Twin at my uncontrolled field consistently flies and enters a right base instead of overhead entry to midfield left downwind or to the 45 for left downwind.

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