tips for communicating

[AggieMike88]

One day in the pattern, though, Tower decided to change the active runway while I was on downwind

That reminds me.....

@JCranford, @SixPapaCharlie and others in and around KAFW... we need to go fly over to Alliance and ask the tower crew for the "Pattern Drills". Fun for them and us as they take you through all sorts of scenarios that could happen while in the landing pattern.

 

[Volitation]

That reminds me.....

@JCranford, @SixPapaCharlie and others in and around KAFW... we need to go fly over to Alliance and ask the tower crew for the "Pattern Drills". Fun for them and us as they take you through all sorts of scenarios that could happen while in the landing pattern.

Did that with my instructor the other day. Challenging, great fun, made one mistake: erroneously anticipated what the controller was going to tell me instead of listening to what he actually said. Terrific learning experience, and he had me thinking too hard to worry about perfect phrasing. Lol.

 

[Justin M]

I find it helpful to get recordings of your radio calls. Use liveatc.com's archive or record them yourself.

 

[coloradobluesky]

When the pilot anticipates what ATC is going to say is when things start getting comfortable. Its just practice. Listen to the pilots on the frequency and see what they say.

 

[denverpilot]

Years ago I had a student that I was taking to a towered airport for the first time. He keyed the mike and said "Tower.....uh......this is......uh......Cessna.......uh.......12345.......uh.........inbound from.........uh..........the northwest.....uh........northeast........uh.........ten miles out." He then looks at me with a worried look and says, " I forgot to tell him I was a student pilot!" I just responded, "He knows". It took him a second, and then we both burst out laughing.

Oh Gawd that's funny! LOL!

 

[Cogito]

I learned to fly in Los Angeles:
+1 Handheld radio
+1 LiveATC.net
+1 Write out your script and memorize it at first.
+1 Don't be afraid, (most) controllers are there to help. My PPL CFI (I'd already been a Light Sport) took me to a busy class C airport to do Touch and Goes on perpendicular runways (figure 8 pattern) until I realized how helpful and accommodating controllers could be. Did 7 Touch and Goes with airliners, helicopters, and a Gulfstream before it donned on me they weren't going to be ****ed off. Don't get me wrong, there are controllers (usually at contract towers) that get brain saturation if there are more than two aircraft in the pattern, then it's time for you to be accommodating.
+1 "Say Again for Cub 83E" (the phrase)
+1 "Say Again, Please" (the book.) Years after I'd still use it as a reference when flying into new airspace or airspace I hadn't been to in a while. (Bob, my book has an orange cover, I see a new one has a blue cover, how different is the new one?)