Say Again, Please: A Pilot's Guide to Radio Communications, 7th Edition

Talking on an aviation radio and understanding air traffic control (ATC) instructions can be one of the most intimidating aspects of flight training. In Say Again, Please Bob Gardner explains how the ATC system works and teaches pilots what to say, what to expect to hear, how to interpret and react to clearances and instructions, and understand the chatter of the other aircraft sharing your airspace. His conversational-yet-concise writing style will help increase your comfort level when using an aircraft radio. Inside are talk examples of typical radio transmissions explaining how ATC works, as well as simulated flights that clearly demonstrate correct communication procedures in each class of airspace. This hands-on book covers the following: The ABCs of communicating Understanding radio equipment Communication etiquette and rules VFR, IFR, and emergency communication procedures Air traffic control facilities and their functions Review of airspace definitions Glossary of pilot/controller communication terms and phrases Let Say Again, Please help you learn how to communicate in the air. Cover Title Page Copyright Contents About the Author Introduction Conventions Editor’s Note Acknowledgements Chapter One: The ABCs of Communicating The Pilot-Controller Partnership for Safety Doing Things by the Book Can’t We All Just Get Along? Mic Fright Technobabble Not Spoken Here Licensing Hello, Operator? Drones Chapter Two: Understanding Your Equipment Look At All Those Knobs and Buttons! Transceivers GPS/Communication Devices Squelch Microphones Speakers Aviation Headsets Push-to-Talk Switch Intercoms Audio Panels Transponders Handhelds Chapter Three: A Matter of Procedure Phraseology Why You Have Two Ears and One Mouth What’s In A Name? November First or Last? Say It All in One Breath “Roger, Wilco, Over and Out” Other Readbacks Be Brief, But Clear “VFR Bigburg.” “Say Again?” Similar Callsigns Type Confusion Communicating an Emergency Minimum Fuel vs. Emergency Fuel Simplex vs. Duplex Hooked on Phonics Chapter Four: Class G Airspace There’s Not Much of It UNICOM and MULTICOM Let’s Go Bore Some Holes in the Sky You Want Fries With That? The Tower of Babble When Is a Tower Not a Tower? Tower in Class G Airspace? Summary Chapter Five: Class E Airspace It’s Your Typical Flight Environment Departing Harvey Field Over the Top of Paine Field Extensions Making Position Reports Radar Flight Following Handoffs Terminating Radar Service Requests and Clearances Requests or Instructions? Strange Field Entry Departing a Strange Field in Class E Airspace No Radio (NORDO) Special Visual Flight Rules Beneath the Ceiling Summary Chapter Six: Class D Airspace When is a Tower Not a Tower? Tower Frequencies Class G Tower? “What’s the ATIS?” Ground Control One Voice, Two Frequencies Clearance Delivery Progressive Taxi Departures Hold Short Position and Hold/Line Up and Wait Wake Turbulence Intersection Takeoffs “Request Frequency Change” Blocked Frequency Special Visual Flight Rules (SVFR) Satellite Airports in Class D Airspace Arriving at Olympia Strange Airport Arrival In the Pattern and on Final Approach Adjusting the Pattern Night Operations Landing Alternatives Land and Hold Short (LAHSO) NORDO Departing a Satellite Airport Just Passing Through When Your Eyes Deceive You UNICOM at Tower-Controlled Airports A Final Word About Class D Airspace Summary Chapter Seven: Class C Airspace Radar Required When Class C is Not Class C Transponder Use Arrival Departure SVFR Satellite Airports “Piper 70497, Stand By” TRSAs Summary Chapter Eight: Class B Airspace Clearance Required Approach and Departure Control Just Passing Through VFR Corridors, Flyways, and Transition Routes Landing at the Primary Airport Departing an Airport in the Class B Surface Area Departing From a Satellite Airport Beneath Class B Airspace Summary Chapter Nine: Class A Airspace It’s for the Chosen Few Chapter Ten: Flight Service Stations Service is Their Middle Name What Frequency Do I Use? Making Contact Special Use Airspace Special Flight Rules Areas (SFRA) In-Flight Weather and NOTAM Updates Filing Flight Plans Air-Filing Flight Plans Position Reports Close Your Flight Plan! Can You Tell Me Where There Is a Hole? Enroute Weather Summary Chapter Eleven: The IFR Communicator What’s the Difference? Filing Your Flight Plan OTP Write It Down Ready to Copy VFR Departure? “Cleared for Takeoff” “Request a Vector To . . .” On the Way Weather Deviations Traffic Reports Sectorization Another Handy Trick Holding Expect the Unexpected Changing Altitude Pilot’s Discretion “Say Heading” Airspeed Using Your GPS Cruise Clearances STARs Vectors Approach Clearances GPS Approaches Radar Approaches Visual, Contact, and Circling Approaches Missed Approaches Practice Approaches Lost Communications “Minimum Fuel” Good Operating Practices Summary Chapter Twelve: Now That You Know the System . . . Teamwork When All Else Fails In Conclusion Appendix A: Communication Facilities Appendix B: Airspace Definitions Appendix C: Clearance Shorthand Glossary Index Sectional Chart Excerpt Back Cover Talking on an aviation radio and understanding air traffic control (ATC) instructions can be one of the most intimidating aspects of flight training. In Say Again, Please Bob Gardner explains how the ATC system works and teaches pilots what to say, what to expect to hear, and how to interpret and react to clearances and instructions. His conversational-yet-concise writing style will help increase your comfort level when using an aircraft radio. Filled with examples of typical radio transmissions that explain how ATC works, as well as simulated flights that clearly demonstrate correct communication procedures in each class of airspace, this book will have you well on your way to speaking “pilot/controller” in no time. This hands-on book covers the following: The ABCs of communicating Understanding radio equipment Communication etiquette and rules VFR, IFR, and emergency communication procedures Air traffic control facilities and their functions Airspace definitions Pilot/controller communication terms and phrases Let Say Again, Please help you learn how to communicate on the ground and in the air.