odd CTAF calls
- Thread starter GeorgeC
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Hobobiker
Line Up and Wait
Pretty sure I've been guilty of that a time or two, especially during my first visit to a controlled field. I remember my CFI reminding me that there was no need, I was already cleared for landing.
Hobobiker
Line Up and Wait
We are expected to do that at our uncontrolled airport too...
airguy
Cleared for Takeoff
Pretty sure I've been guilty of that a time or two, especially during my first visit to a controlled field. I remember my CFI reminding me that there was no need, I was already cleared for landing.
I will still call turning final on a towered field if it's a "stale" clearance - many times I've come into an airport that had little traffic and was given "cleared to land" while still several miles out. In that case, things can change in the intervening few minutes and I generally do give a call to tower "turning final" if there has not been any other traffic on the frequency.
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Bro do you even lift
I'm guilty of that. Was calling my turns early on and did that a few times before my instructor informed me not to.
I did it once as well. instructor informed me and I haven't done it since, but kinda laugh to myself that I did it.
Skylane81E
Final Approach
Depending on the malfunction he could be sitting there with the gear partially down not wanting to put it in the water like that.
OR
He wants to ensure that folks know he has an emergency before he lands in a body of water that may be off limit to seaplane operations.
OR
He knows that it never hurts to declare and a landing gear failure is an emergency
sdflyer
Pre-takeoff checklist
I remember one time I flew to AVX and heard the call "Catalina Cessna XXX is 3 miles out landing runway Catalina" . I asked the guy where he is north, south,west, east and which runway he meant by Catalina. He said he is approaching from the north, and doesn't runway numbers 
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moonshine
Line Up and Wait
Guilty of that one. I also hear it a lot. I guess what it implies is "if you are in this area, don't bother asking me on this frequency where I am" which is something we do quite a bit at my home field. 322/ops a day according to airnav - fairly busy and diverse
Another funny one I remembered..
One of our guys flew on a commercial flight where there was a passenger yelling "A woman pilot! We're all gonna die!!!" upon hearing the flight deck announcement. Heard "Oh-oh... a woman pilot!" once on CTAF when a fellow girl CFI checked in - she was a good sport about it though
And another one..
Was helping some CFI buddies from ERAU one day. It was hot as all hell, so just drove out in my truck with a yellow blinky to the runway and was watching a student solo from the comfort of an air conditioned vehicle.
First landing was more of an arrival than a touchdown, so the following conversation took place over the frequency
"How did that one feel?"
(solo guy in the best Arnold Schwarzenegger voice ever)
"It felt like sh_t"
At least the kid didn't try to sugarcoat it
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roncachamp
Final Approach
What kinds of changes have you observed in those intervening few minutes when there has not been any other traffic on the frequency?
roncachamp
Final Approach
I remember one time I flew to AVX and heard the call "Catalina Cessna XXX is 3 miles out landing runway Catalina" . I asked the guy where he is north, south,west, east and which runway he meant by Catalina. He said he is approaching from the north, and doesn't runway numbers
MAKG1
Touchdown! Greaser!
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MAKG
He eventually landed in the Bay, after (at Tower's suggestion) doing a slow low pass over the runway with flaps down to verify the gear was indeed up..
It was clearly a case of "oh s**t" panic. He rolled at least four fire trucks.
Even if you land a Lake gear up on the runway, it has a reinforced keel and the engine and fuel tanks are on top of the aircraft. A fire is not likely, and neither is a prop strike.
sdflyer
Pre-takeoff checklist
Sorry I meant " he doesn't remember runway numbers. "
jpower
Cleared for Takeoff
Not exactly weird, but I find it funny when people say "Taking runway 29." I always have the urge to say "Well, bring it back soon, becuase I want to use it too."
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Comes right after 'taking the active'.
roncachamp
Final Approach
That could be troublesome.
numl0ck
Line Up and Wait
Guilty of saying "taking runway XX". I need to stop doing that... I do not say AAITPPA, and I want to curse anyone who does, including one of my owning partners.
When I was a student and doing my night requirements I landed without my landing light on (on purpose) and exited the runway, forgot to release the mic and said "Now, if I could only see where I was going! That would be nice eh?" I look over at my instructor who's just shaking his head. There were two other planes taxiing at the time.
+1. Some airports just have lots of flight school procedure monkeys.
And I wish when people would call, "departing runway XX", that they do it just before they start rolling. Many make the departure call and then take 5 minutes to mosey past the hold short line, onto the runway, line up and wait, and then spent about a minute doing final take-off checks.
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Shepherd
Final Approach
Depends on where you are.
If you are at 44N (Sky Acres) you had better announce when you start to taxi, or you could run head on into someone. Taxiing there is like taking a drive on a winding, hilly, back country road. Coming up from Swift Air it's more than half a mile and a 150+ feet of altitude change before you can even see the runway. Good luck if someone is coming DOWN the hill at you.
danhagan
En-Route
At our field, if you depart the FBO/fuel ramp there's a turn obscured by large desert bushes leading to Alpha 3 taxiway that is the ONLY way to get to the runway (or from it). Unless you have reverse on your plane, not announcing will eventually lead to a "nose to nose" situation where someone is going to have to shutdown, get out and push. This portion of A3 is about 45-50 yards. With student traffic, jump school planes, fueling AC and transient AC, that area gets very busy on weekends.
If I'm at a field that I can see everything well and know that landing AC can see me as well (not obscured by trees like the 52F accident), then I won't announce taxi.
CJones
Final Approach
I usually do this as I start taxiing - especially if I'm pulling out of the aisle of the hangar - just to make sure I don't come nose-to-nose with someone around that blind corner.
Once I'm out in the open, though, I don't make a call until I'm ready to go.
sacbluesman
Pre-takeoff checklist
teethdoc
Pre-takeoff checklist
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teethdoc
I do this so that inbound traffic knows i'm paying attention and not about to jump out on the runway they are about to land on.
Shawn
En-Route
Being up in the pattern seeing a plane moving on the ground, getting the taxi call would be of great benefit knowing that the pilot is on the radio, aware of what is going on and letting other pilots knowing their intentions. As the above poster said...there is less worry that they are in their own world oblivious to the approaching traffic as they take the runway.
bflynn
Final Approach
Or some taxiways are long without the ability to see clearly to the other end.
joycem137
Pre-takeoff checklist
Was on short final nervously watching a plane taxiing towards the runway at E16 a few weeks ago and was very relieved when they called up to say "Holding short for landing traffic" for exactly the reasons you describe.
MAKG1
Touchdown! Greaser!
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MAKG
Don't be afraid to ask -- you don't have to use "approved" phraseology.
"Aircraft taxiing to South County 32 do you have traffic on short final in sight?"
No answer = go around, perhaps unless you see him stop and stay there.
Easy fix.................. Chain saw.. about 1/2 hour of time........ and Presto... those pesky "large desert bushes" are history...
Mt10Flyer
Filing Flight Plan
I heard "Cessna XYZ on short final, runway 26, Stead...what's that on the runway...is that a coyote...well frick...Cessna XYZ, going around, right traffic runway 26 Stead."
Wait a minute...that was me. Never mind.
Wait a minute...that was me. Never mind.
MAKG1
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Easy fix.................. Chain saw.. about 1/2 hour of time........ and Presto... those pesky "large desert bushes" are history...
Maybe if there is only one....
You've never dealt with desert plants, have you?
They tend to be (a) tough, (b) old (and the locals can get quite attached to them), and (c) SHARP. Heck, even clearing a couple of Pampas Grass plants will slice your fingers if you're not careful. Try that with a spiny cactus.
Yuppers.... I live in a high desert area..... I also have 80 acres on my private airport completely cleared of sagebrush and all other desert plants...... BTDT.....
ScottM
Taxi to Parking
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iBazinga!
There was a guy today using that call at 3CK.
Threefingeredjack
En-Route
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Threefingeredjack
When working an active SAR case we used the call sign "Coast Guard Rescue" or more frequently "Rescue" followed by our hull number. We were running ashore for fuel someplace in MA, ( I think GHG ), and announced three miles out. One pilot answered up and said he would yield the pattern for the "priority traffic" when we got there. A very officious voice came on the freq and informed us we needed to use "Lifeguard" if we expected to have priority. My AC said we never used that title, as we were not medivac. The voice replied "Well I'm a CFI and I know the rules"
The first pilot came back: "Apparently not all of them".
We were still chuckling when we touched down.
The first pilot came back: "Apparently not all of them".
We were still chuckling when we touched down.
roncachamp
Final Approach
Sounds like Levy.
jpower
Cleared for Takeoff
At one point "Navy airship Warlock 9" was on our frequency. Someone asked him the buzz Kentmorr, the grass strip about 3 miles south of Bay Bridge W29, and he said "ahh sure, why not." Then someone from Bay Bridge asked the same, and he buzzed Bay Bridge too! Unfortunately I missed out on seeing both . But I did see him in the air over Annapolis, which was pretty cool.
. But I did see him in the air over Annapolis, which was pretty cool.
Happened to me, punched a hole in the 172 wing knocking the leading edge back to the spar.
If they are really that long, then that means you're going to have several intersections along the way to pull off for a minute to let someone pass if you truly have a conflict. In all my years flying, at all types of airports large and small, I've never made or listened very closely to taxi calls, and have never had a problem. I simply use my eyeballs.
You're either taxiing from the hangars or ramp to take-off, taxiing back to runway after a full-stop landing, or taxiing back to the ramp or hangar. If you're taxiing to take off, then you'd only be a potential conflict for someone who has landed, cleared the runway, and is taxiing back to the ramp or hangar. Why do you need to see all the way to the end? Most of the people I see at big airports end up using the mid-field turnoff, 2000'+ down the runway. That's only needing to see halfway.
I simply feel most of the taxi calls are "monkey calls", without need or thought. And I even hear lots of taxi calls when there is nobody else around, and they are only taxiing about 50 yards to get to the runway.
Somehow things work out perfectly even at the airports that don't have a flock of flight school monkeys filling the air with all their taxi calls.
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brcase
En-Route
At our field generally all you end up doing is stepping on the guys transmission making the same announcements at the neighboring airport and all the guys in the air only hear a garbled transmission as they both think they are making useful announcements. And the guy entering downwind has to delay his announcement while they do it.
If it is really quiet and the runway in use is questionable or perhaps I am not using the most optimal runway I will make taxi announcement but otherwise just taxi to the runway in use and announce when you are departing.
Brian