Unapproved radio calls poll, which are you?

[201er]

What unapproved radio calls do you find yourself making at unpowered airports on the CTAF frequency? 

Edited August 31 by 201er

[BlueSky247]

Lol! Funny thread. A couple of fields near me are in college towns, so you’ll hear things like “Go Dawgs!” on ctaf. 

[takair]

Didn’t know it was unapproved, but I find “clear of the active” useful at airports where there is a hump obscuring the opposite end of the runway. 

[Lax291]

"Any traffic in the area please advise" is the worst, I die a little inside every time I hear it. Can you not listen to the calls like everyone else?

I never understood this call, is it people looking to do straight ins because they can't take the extra few minutes to fly a standard pattern?

[N201MKTurbo]

What’s the problem with asking what the active is?

When I started flying, most uncontrolled fields had a Unicom operator who would tell you what runway they were using. Those all went away around 1990. You would say “Glendale Unicom, Mooney 6319Q for airport advisory” and they would tell you what the winds, altimeter and runway were and any traffic in the pattern. It was a wonderful thing. It has been replaced by AWOS. 
 

If it is an uncontrolled field and the AWOS says the winds are calm, sure you can look up the calm runway., but there is a 50/50 chance that is what they are using. If nobody answers, land anyway you want. 

[Andy95W]

11 minutes ago, takair said:

Didn’t know it was unapproved, but I find “clear of the active” useful at airports where there is a hump obscuring the opposite end of the runway. 

I think the reason that it’s not a recommended transmission is that you may as well say the number.  That way, if the winds are calm or someone just got on the frequency, they will actually know which runway is the active, and won’t have to ask.

Also, “the active” is three syllables.  Saying the actual number is at most only two syllables.

[BlueSky247]

32 minutes ago, Lax291 said:

"Any traffic in the area please advise" is the worst, I die a little inside every time I hear it. Can you not listen to the calls like everyone else?

I never understood this call, is it people looking to do straight ins because they can't take the extra few minutes to fly a standard pattern?

I agree and also had the opposite happen last week. Untowered field, a twin came barging in, ignored all calls and current traffic patterns and landed against everyone else. 

[201er]

6 minutes ago, BlueSky247 said:

I agree and also had the opposite happen last week. Untowered field, a twin came barging in, ignored all calls and current traffic patterns and landed against everyone else. 

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

[Hank]

35 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

What’s the problem with asking what the active is?

When I started flying, most uncontrolled fields had a Unicom operator who would tell you what runway they were using. Those all went away around 1990. You would say “Glendale Unicom, Mooney 6319Q for airport advisory” and they would tell you what the winds, altimeter and runway were and any traffic in the pattern. It was a wonderful thing. It has been replaced by AWOS. 

My first tailwind landing ever, and in my Mooney, was when I listened to an airport advisory instead of looking at the windsock for myself. Those "advisories" are only advisory in nature, you don't have to follow them!

Now I pick a runway, enter downwind, look for a windsock, and compare my GPS groundspeed with the Airspeed Indicator--if the AI is lower, then I'm on upwind.

34 minutes ago, Andy95W said:

Also, “the active” is three syllables.  Saying the actual number is at most only two syllables.

My IA is at an uncontrolled field, Rwy 9 & 27. I dare you to say "two seven" in two syllables . . . .

[Flash]

"Clear of the active" presupposes that the listener knows what runway is active (if there is more than one). It also can be replaced by "clear of the runway" if there is only one runway and you have forgotten the number of the runway you just cleared.

[BlueSky247]

55 minutes ago, 201er said:

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

Agreed! But that twin did. 

[PeteMc]

I've had people rag on me on these types of conversations saying that Clear of the Runway is useless.  Well, once again last night I sat at the end of the taxiway where I was angled a bit and could not see all the way to the end of the Runway.  The guy that had been doing Stop & Goes came around and landed, but I never heard another call from him.  So eventually I asked if they were still on the Runway....  "Oh no, that was our last one, we've been clear of the Rwy for a while now."  

So that's one, especially at night, you need to speak up and say!!  There have also been a few Apt I frequent that have a bump on the middle.  Again, many a time people have been sitting there to depart and eventually the other plane comes up the hill on the taxiway and none of us had a clue they exited or were slowly taxiing all the way to the end. 

But don't get me started on "last call"  SWITCH and they're off the Freq.   "Oh wait! You're tow bar is still attached!  Hello???  Are you there???"  

 

ADDED:  @takair I didn't see your post until after I had posted mine.  TOTALLY Agree!!!

 

Edited August 31 by PeteMc

[Hank]

14 hours ago, Flash said:

"Clear of the active" presupposes that the listener knows what runway is active (if there is more than one). It also can be replaced by "clear of the runway" if there is only one runway and you have forgotten the number of the runway you just cleared.

Almost all airports have two runways; even one-way airports generally use one for landing and the other for takeoff. 

At an uncontrolled field, the "active" runway is the one I just used, the next guy gets to choose his own active runway.

If it bothers you, just call, "XXX Field traffic, Mooney 123 is clear" when you pull off so that anyone waiting will know you're out of the way. I'm lazy, that's short, and it's finding its way out of my radio more and more often.

[BDPetersen]

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

[tony]

9 hours ago, BlueSky247 said:

Lol! Funny thread. A couple of fields near me are in college towns, so you’ll hear things like “Go Dawgs!” on ctaf. 

That's an approved radio call!  woof woof woof.......

Edited August 31 by tony

[midlifeflyer]

8 hours ago, takair said:

Didn’t know it was unapproved, but I find “clear of the active” useful at airports where there is a hump obscuring the opposite end of the runway. 

The contrary view does not negate calling when clear of the runway. It’s about the use of the term “active,” which really only means, “the runway I used.” I I use “the runway” or “runway 21” instead but don’t cringe at “the active” (any more :D)

[midlifeflyer]

Radio congestion permitting, I have some standard replies.

 

Any traffic in the area please advise? 
“It’s bumper to bumper on Route 1.”

 

Last call.

”Two Bud Lights.”

 

 

 

[midlifeflyer]

4 hours ago, PeteMc said:

I've had people rag on me on these types of conversations saying that Clear of the Runway

In over 30 years, I have never heard anyone complain about a standard “clear of the runway” call. 

[201er]

4 hours ago, PeteMc said:

I've had people rag on me on these types of conversations saying that Clear of the Runway is useless. 

Pilot announces:

taking off 36

left crosswind 36

left downwind 36

left base 36

final 36

but now suddenly it’s “clear of the active” or “clear of the runway”!? 

Next thing you know, dingus #2 gets on asking “ten miles out, what’s your active?”

[jetdriven]

8 hours ago, Hank said:

My first tailwind landing ever, and in my Mooney, was when I listened to an airport advisory instead of looking at the windsock for myself. Those "advisories" are only advisory in nature, you don't have to follow them!

Now I pick a runway, enter downwind, look for a windsock, and compare my GPS groundspeed with the Airspeed Indicator--if the AI is lower, then I'm on upwind.

My IA is at an uncontrolled field, Rwy 9 & 27. I dare you to say "two seven" in two syllables . . . .

In Texas , two seven is 2 syllables 

sounds like too semb

[mooneyflyer]

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

[takair]

13 minutes ago, 201er said:

Pilot announces:

taking off 36

left crosswind 36

left downwind 36

left base 36

final 36

but now suddenly it’s “clear of the active” or “clear of the runway”!? 

Next thing you know, dingus #2 gets on asking “ten miles out, what’s your active?”

I didn’t understand the point of the question until later…I now understand the emphasis is on “active” vs “clear”.  I think I usually say clear of XY.   I might say “active” if there are planes in the pattern and it is clear what the active is, but to your point, why not say the number?  I will certainly consider that in the future.

[201er]

21 minutes ago, takair said:

I didn’t understand the point of the question until later…I now understand the emphasis is on “active” vs “clear”.  I think I usually say clear of XY.   I might say “active” if there are planes in the pattern and it is clear what the active is, but to your point, why not say the number?  I will certainly consider that in the future.

At my home field my clearing call is usually "clear of niner at delta, taxiing alpha echo to the ramp". We have a lot of helicopters doing midfield departures or landing on the taxiway. Communication is great but it has to be concise and specific. "clear of the active" or "clear of the runway" is 4 words to say 1 thing "clear." At least saying "clear of three six" is 4 words to say 2 useful things!

[midlifeflyer]

50 minutes ago, mooneyflyer said:

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

Technically, make that "runway I'm using."  

[midlifeflyer]

18 minutes ago, 201er said:

At my home field my clearing call is usually "clear of niner at delta, taxiing alpha echo to the ramp". We have a lot of helicopters doing midfield departures or landing on the taxiway. Communication is great but it has to be concise and specific. "clear of the active" or "clear of the runway" is 4 words to say 1 thing "clear." At least saying "clear of three six" is 4 words to say 2 useful things!

That can be very useful.  For example, here's my home base. Taxi location when using 3 is not all that important. But with 21, the typical turn off is at A3. That means aircraft taxiing to 21 and back to the ramp from 21 are in potential conflict. The taxi call in either direction helps avoid many of them.