For some pilots, talking to air traffic control elicits full-on panic and fear.
If you are one of those pilots, a new quiz in the latest FAA Safety Briefing will help you master talking to air traffic controllers. It not only tests your knowledge of the proper terms to use, but also gives helpful tips and no-nonsense advice from air traffic controllers, as well as free or low-cost resources you can use to learn and stay sharp on the radio.
After you take the quiz, come back here and comment below to share your tips for mastering the art of talking to ATC.
I don’t think the quiz was especially helpful, whether to newbies or experienced pilots.
There aren’t very many “aviation specific” terms that most pilots need to know, and certainly there aren’t any that should be left to guessing, if the pilot has been properly instructed.
Most situations can be handled well if both pilots and controllers use plain (not plane) English and speak clearly, and at a pace that insures that they can be understood. Problems arise when the transmission is garbled and/or spoken at a rapid machine gun-like pace. My observation is that both pilots and controllers tend to forget that as they develop a little experience, as if it’s some sort of badge of honor that they can spit out whatever they have to say quicker than anyone else. Then as they develop more experience, they learn that it’s easier to say things clearly and concisely than to have to repeat themselves because the other party couldn’t catch everything that they had to say.
One last observation: although they’re supposed to follow the same standards, I have found that FAA tower controllers generally seem to be much easier to get along with than contract tower controllers. Perhaps it’s better training or better supervision.
I stick my foot in my mouth fairly frequently and really hate to do that when talking to ATC. 🙂
I liked the quiz. I prefer short, to the point information like this.
Quiz not really a quiz just posits scenarios and explains proper phraseology. OK not great article.
I’m not sure this is a great idea. If you’re new to the system and ATC can hear your nervousness and hesitation, they might be careful about giving you complex clearances, etc. Sounding confident should be a result of genuine confidence that comes with experience, not something you fake to look good.
It has been my experience in the past that if on first contact with ATC you state “student pilot” they will usually slow down and issue simpler instructions. They likely will give you more spacing as well. You may have to wait a bit longer to take off for instance to let arrivals land rather than being sent out and told to “expedite” take-off while a heavy is on a one mile final.
For someone like me who seldom is under ATC control anymore it is a great tool that seems to help avoid having to say “unable” as it lets the controllers plan on me taking a little more time.
Knowing how to respond correctly to ATC isn’t faking anything. It’s important, and the quiz makes that clear. What you’re reacting to is a poorly worded title on the article. The quiz isn’t designed to make you sound good. It’s designed to make you respond and communicate effectively. But sometimes headline writers do a poor job of accurately depicting the content of the article.