Radio procedure

[Fairy Flycatcher]

I have long had the theory that you can hear the experience behind the pilot from the way they speak on the radio. New com pilots tend to deepen their voice and try to sound authoritive, instructors of all categories speak slowly and clearly, helicopter pilots rumble things off as if they are too important too actually talk on the radio, but that little triangle on the map means they have to. Microligth pilots generally talk clearly, but very few listen . And you can clearly hear the low hour and student pilots out there who do not have a PPT but an "UMmm button"

We try to grow our students into good radio procedure slowly. It can be daunting. On the first couple of hours of solo, the instructor stands on the runway with two hand-held radios, the student is on chat frequincy, and the instructor monitors 124.2. The instructor then encourages the student to do radio calls as if it was 124.2, but on chat, to make it just that much easier, and less embarrassing to make a mistake.

At the moment we have a full time student from Botswana, who is very Afrikaans, and the radio work is therefore extra difficult.

I was standing next to my skygod this morning, when I heard him ask the student for a circuit position report. The student started off slowly " Uhmm La Mercy traffic, Uhmm, charlie mike alpha, ummm, micro...micro..light student, circuit on downwind, uhmm, left hand touch and goes uhmmmm... two four". Skygod immediately told him how good it was, as he remembered each part of the radio call without needing a prompt.

He told him jokingly "My wife says it sounds like there is a "Boer" in the plane "

The student immediately came back with " Ja, boet. Dis baie makliker vir my om net te se: 'Passop voor, ek kom land"

Priceless :D

[C205]

'Passop voor, ek kom land"

At least he speaks on the radio (many don't) and that will get everybody out of his way!

[ACE]

I had the same at Klip on Sunday afternoon, the chap had a very heavy accent and so on, but at least we knew what his intention were..

Ditto on your statement C205.

[Wart]

Had 2 incidents at Cato with the same trike not radioing his intentions or his position.

Maybe we should start a thread where we can report such cases as we have the reg.

[Fairy Flycatcher]

Hi Everyone

I think the intention of my story got lost in a big way!!.

Did you know that by law, you do not even need a radio on board if you are flying outside of controlled airspace and less than 1000' AGL? We are flying VFR, fly outside!. Know your right of way rules, basic joining procedure etc.

Although we insist on the use of a radio at our airfield, and it is a good idea just about everywhere else, I don't think that we should put too much weight on someone flying without a radio, unless he flew like an idiot!

If your specific airfield insists on the use of a radio for whatever reason, keep the disciplinary procedure within that airfield or club.

[Wart]

FF I realise the intention of your post was to show a humerous side however my comment was a retaliation to the trike that overflew Cato (at about 1000 AGL) when there was quite a bit of traffic (including skydivers) and then proceded to the GFA and the only time there was a report was when they were about to cross Cato. It is not as if they didn't have a radio but that they chose not to use it.
If we have these tools at our disposal we should use them in order to keep the sport safe and incident free.

[Fairy Flycatcher]

Sorry Wart. This was not directed at you.

But your example is a good one for basic airmanship. Airlaw and your radio book etc. makes it very clear that if you overfly an airfield (anywhere in the circuit), without the intention to join, you have to fly over at no less than 2000' AGL. So clearly, if you have to have a radio over 1000', you may not overfly an airfield without a radio!.

This does not mean that lack of a radio, or speaking on a radio is automatically bad airmanship. Just know the basic rules!

If you have the registration number of the microlight, go to the SACAA website and follow the links to aircraft registry, where you can look up who the trike belongs to. He has to be told that what he did was outside of basic airmanship, so that he can learn, and not upset or endanger everyone again. If you would like myself or my skygod to follow it up, please send me his reg on a PM.

Bad airmanship is far worse than bad radio work, and unfortunately because of a couple of people like him, the rest of us get a bad reputation.

Very often, however, bad airmanship is just due to bad training, because the guys just didn't know better.

[RV4ker (RIP)]

Tough for those for who eng not first langauge.

I know some who are too afraid to fly in special rules for fear of radio proceedures and other who are too arrogant to even bother with radio calls.

Echo Ff's sentiments regarding training. I have had many instructors and it is frustrating (confusing) for a student when the instructors expecations, styles and manerisms are so different. Possibly we could start post in Tech, giving guidelines as to what to say when in given airspaces.

[C205]

FF didn't mean to hijack your post. I did realise what you were trying to say.

[Wart]

Great idea jcvb

This would draw on every-ones experience as well be used to inform us of the the correct and most used procedures. I actually asked my instructor this very same question on Saturday as we operate from a uncontrlled airfield and as he said "Who you are, what are you going to do and where".

[Morph]

I was at the WCMC club in June and we had a guy from Vredendal explaining the details regarding the fly-in and when he came to joining and radio procedures he tried to give a bit of a description regarding the circuit and ended with "soos ons se in Namaqualand 'koes'"

Now on the hijacked theme, I have a big issue with people not using their radios properly. I took a young guy out for his first flight late one afternoon. After flying along the coast a bit I headed back over to another airfield in our area and then headed straight back to our airfield. On approaching the airfield, I called my intentions to join overhead at 1500', which is the local rule. I was flying towards the sun and this guy came through the sun's glare straight towards me. Fortunately he saw me first, having the sun behind him, and turned away. What really irritated me was this guy didn't call any radio procedures at all, nothing about taxing to holding points, nothing about lining up for takeoff and what his after departure intentions were, nothing. It was a busy day at the airfield and there were a lot of guys on the ground and in the air. This guy just taxied onto the runway and took off.

[Fairy Flycatcher]

FF didn't mean to hijack your post. I did realise what you were trying to say.

I probably hijacked my own post more than what you did . Radio manners is very important and clearly close to many hearts.

I don't know how many times I have phoned FAVG tower to ask for the reg of... the bloody blue belly Barron, who has just cut me off at the coast, calling 1000' but flying 100m past me at 300', ... or the helicopter pilot who decided to practice hover training on the threashold of the runway I have just called... or the 152 coming straight through the circuit.

I have learnt flying at La Mercy, that radio procedure is soooo important, but nothing can take the place of a good lookout, and expecting the unexpected all the time.

[FAWGie]

Well, Ironically many aviators hijack radio time by spurting out lot's of unneccessary stuff.....

[Tailspin]

I had an incident where on short finals a trike turned onto the runway directly under me - and started to power for take off - i yelled into the radio for the trike to hold his position as i was vertually ontop of him and finally touched down just ahead of him - (OH yes i was practicing dead stick landings and there was no electric start.)

Gys who do not use their radios should get a swift kick up the ASS if you ask me

[Fairy Flycatcher]

I still think it is more an airmanship than a radio thing. If he had done a proper look-out, he would not have turned in front of you.

Awareness of the sky around you is super-important, and I find that a lot of people rely on their radio to take the place of their own observations and alertness.