I use "last call" when my departure is between 100-180 degrees of either side of the departure end of the active runway or any time my departure direction requires me to depart somewhere from the pattern (e.g. a noise abatement or ridge line that prevents me from making a right turn out and requires a climb in the pattern to depart on the base leg). I continue to make normal position reports in the pattern and announce a "last call" just before I leave the pattern. This way if someone is just joining the pattern and hears me call downwind, they aren't confused when I never call base/final or clear. For a straight out or 90-degree departure, I dont bother with last call.
That is announcing your tail number to identify yourself and not including any other info such as aircraft type.
My other favorite is when they make broad general statements like the "white cessna is maneuvering in the practice area." Great...Which white Cessna and are you; most of them are white as the base color and if I'm close enough to see your red stripes, I'm probably too close. For that matter, what type of Cessna... I'm not as concerned by a 152 capable of 90 miles an hour closing the distance in a few seconds as I am about a 182 going 140...
As to the other calls:
1) I use "with you." The "official" language of the radio is very stilted and unnatural feeling. ABC Approach, Skyhawk N12345, 4000 while shorter, it also sounds more curt and less friendly. I typically try to keep my tone more conversational which is covered by "ABC Approach, Skyhawk N12345, with you at 4000.
2) I use "roger" when I get an advisory from ATC. "N12345, traffic 1 o'clock and 2 miles" usually gets a "roger, 12345 is looking for the traffic" from me. I do however know when a readback is appropriate and a roger will be ok. I cant think of any situation in which I use wilco.
3) I do a pretty good job of avoiding starting radio calls "and" and "ah" except for those moments when I have a radio call in mind and then have a brain freeze when I key the mic. My biggest failing in the "filler" portion comes when I get busy and get a readback. A lot of times I'll read back more information than needed... Like "cleared to land runway 29, winds 330 at 10" will get the winds read back in addition to the landing clearance. This can get particularly lengthy when I'm doing an approach in which the controller gives me the winds, current ATIS information, clearance for approach, altimeter setting and tower frequency. Easiest way to tell when I'm getting to my saturation point? Listen to my read backs... Instead of parsing out and repeating cleared for the approach, altimeter and frequency, I read back everything the controller just gave me including winds and atis. Its a habit I'm trying to break because I've found it to be somewhat dangerous as I'm essentially on autopilot... I dont actually register all the information being given to me and have caught myself on more than one occasion having to re-request the frequency or not adjusting for the winds but its a difficult one to break for me.
4) I'm a bit torn on the TMI. I'm a fan of double-keying the mic as an acknowledgement to other traffic. I'm also dont see much reason to make 4 different airport position calls while on the ground but I do like the "taxi'ing" calls, particularly when taxi'ing to or near a runway. From the ramp to the run-up area seems a bit excessive at times unless the run-up area is near the runway. I do find myself skipping some of them at less busy airports but this is one you need to be careful with in general as it is expected that you announce your position anytime the plane is moving so you could find yourself in trouble with the FAA (or failing a checkride)
5) I definitely try to avoid local landmarks... about the closest I get is on departure out of my local airports, I'll call "upwind on the noise abatement." I do this because our noise abatement procedure requires a right turn out and then you make a left turn to come back across on the crosswind so for those unfamiliar with the pattern, it probably looks like I'm leaving the pattern. By calling "noise abatement" whether you're familiar with the procedure or not, I feel it makes it known I'm not leaving the pattern. I also use landmarks when my pattern gets elongated for some reason... Like if I have to extend downwind for landing traffic, I'll use landmarks to augment my position report "345 is on an extended downwind over the steel mill" for example... But my landmarks in that case tend to be large, easy to spot and not "the red barn"
6) While I try to keep in mind VFR pilots dont know IFR procedures and hearing these calls used to drive me crazy when I was in California and had a particularly popular VOR approach at one of my local airports that made local pattern work somewhat difficult, sometimes you just forget. I did this one just the other day... I called 5 miles on the ILS before switching to position reports of being on final... I usually like to state that my ILS is a 5 mile straight-in final when in VFR conditions but I was a bit late and rushed and was cheating using the ILS to avoid having to fly all the way to the airport to join the pattern before flying the pattern to land.
7) I hate ATITPA calls and they seem to becoming more popular with the semi-professional pilot as I cant tell you how many time's I've heard it coming from a jet or turbine aircraft on the approach. I realize ATC sometimes doesn't have you change to CTAF until well into the approach but didn't ATC advise you before the frequency change over of how many planes are in the area and what they appear to be doing? The call seems useless.
I have an eighth one which I know I am guilty of and recall seeing a video with a better terminology but cant remember what it was now... Any advice on this is appreciated... Using "to" or "for" in stating your current altitude and cleared altitude... e.g. "ABC Departure, Skyhawk N12345, climbing through 3-thousand to (or for) 6-thousand...
I guess "for 6-thousand" isn't likely to be confused by anyone since flight operations at 46-thousand are uncommon but "to 6-thousand" could be confused as 26-thousand.
