For me, flying an instrument approach to minimums is the easy part. The hard part is finding my way to the FBO. Copying, reading back, and following taxi instructions has always been challenging.
Controllers prejudge your skill level by your verbal responses to their clearances. Sometimes it can get ugly.
“Hello, from Cherokee 1234. I’m twenty-five out from the field and looking for traffic help.”
“1234, which direction, and from WHAT airport?” is shot back by the controller. That’s not the way to start a relationship. Some pilots set the stage with their first call to departure. Recently, departing Denton (KDTO) for a six-minute flight to Addison (KADS), I checked on with Lone Star departure.
“Lone Star departure, November five eight Papa Zulu is off Denton, heading two zero zero, out of one point two, climbing four with Addison information Zulu.”
The controller said, “Five eight Papa Zulu radar contact, and that’s the best check-on I have heard today.”
Finally, after fifty-eight years of trying, I did it right.
Since the age of ten, I have been listening to ATC cross talk. Some lessons learned:
- We get lazy with our readbacks. “Airline 5678, right turn at Lima, left Romeo, hold short Alpha two, contact ground point nine,” said the controller. The readback was something like, “Hold short Alpha two and point nine, 78.” Then there was a long, heated discussion about needing the complete readback and full call sign. The result was two pissed off people and a phone number to call.
- What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Big airports and small airports may handle things differently. At your home base, a single call to the tower when ready usually gets an immediate reply. At Phoenix (KPHX), a friend called once, twice, three, then four times ready for departure. Finally, the controller said, November 1234, I heard you all four times, and now you are number LAST in sequence.”
- If you fly long enough, even the rules change. In my early flying, entering an uncontrolled airport traffic pattern would require a call like, November 1234, three miles south, any traffic please advise.” Now, I’m not supposed to ask any traffic to advise. It’s hard to break previous habits.
Controllers are not perfect either. I’ve heard, “Airline 3456, right turn at Charlie two behind the seven three, left on Sierra, hold short Tango two behind the triple seven.” All of these instructions while the crew was still on the landing rollout.
Complacency figures in too. At my home base (KADS), the normal after-landing clearance is, “Five eight Papa Zulu, right turn on Alpha and monitor ground twenty-one six.” But once in a while, “Cross the hold lines, hold short Alpha and contact ground.” It’s easy to get in the habit of doing what you think the controller will say instead of what he or she actually said.
New software from Garmin and ForeFlight is making ground taxi instructions much easier to display and record. In addition, an app called ATC Live Air Traffic will record your flight audio and allow you to listen and critique yourself post-flight.
Now, if I can just find the rental car.
Fly safe.
