Writer needs info re communication between pilot and ATC for area west of Dulles

bflynn said:
Book "Say Again Please" by Bob Gardner.

Then read the FAA Controller's communciations guide, keeping in mind that pilots don't follow that.

Nobody says "over".
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Thank you. I found it on Amazon and will download the Kindle version.
 
RudyP said:
You seem to have the basics (kind of impressive actually for a non-pilot) but it will still take a while to teach you the correct phraseology bit by bit on a message board. Might be easier if you write up the whole set of exchanges you have in mind and someone here can correct it for you.

I commend you for your diligence in making your book as accurate as possible. It is a bit of a pet peeve of mine when novels are glaringly wrong on things (protagonist cocking his Glock, ridiculous aviation stuff, etc...) that a quick proofing by someone with a modicum of experience could easily fix.
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Thank you. After doing extensive research into a book's subject matter, I still realize that I cannot possibly get everything right. I try to find/hire people who do have expertise in the fields in which I am ignorant and ask them to read the areas I have written for which I need technical clarification. I use "Artistic License" only in extreme cases because a story must be believable and accuracy provides that assertion of truth.

An earlier comment, "Write what you know and know what you write", is quite correct. As a writer, even when I choose a subject with high level of technical familiarity, there will still be parts of the plot that drives the characters out of the author's comfort zone. This is not a bad thing because the writer gets to know these new areas, provided they take the time and effort to represent these areas correctly. A writer can take on the challenge of writing about something that they do not know, but they better know all about it before the book is finished.

When I roughed out the plot of "Deadly Delivery" and even before I started writing, my main character was an air force pilot. I wrote to the air force and asked a lot of questions about protocol, duties associated with rank, expectations during off-duty times, etc. I received a phone call and had an extensive conversation with a knowledgeable individuate who allowed me to realize that my plot wouldn't work the way I originally envisaged. I reworked the plot considerably to correct my serious misunderstanding of life in the armed forces. An easier thing to do before the book has been written!
 
Ravioli said:
@petersfreeman -- You used Fedex 149R in your example.

No way in hell a Fedex plane is NOT flying IFR, or *GASP* without a flight plan on file.

The pilot will be in constant contact and need not worry about who to call.

Also, I think Fedex flights are unlikely to have an Alpha character in their call sign. Scheduled airlines never do.

[Someone will correct be about the Fedex flight call signs]
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Looking at the Memphis airport "FedEx SuperHub" on FlightRadar, the FedEx aircraft are all FXnnn or FXnnnn where n is a number. Larger aircraft are mostly Boeing 757, 767 and Airbus 300. Oh wait...bunch of MD-11F. And a DC10 (MD-10F)that's 44 yrs old (FX 808). Gotta love FlightRadar.
 
Here's a map of the AT air route traffic control centers airspace boundries.

https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/55cg49/air_route_traffic_control_centers_map/

You really need a collaborator, preferably a pilot with airline experience, who can write your radio dialog as well as your pilot-to-pilot dialog and procedures. You'd give him the big picture of what needs to happen and he'd come up with realistic details to fit your situation.
 
"Deadly Delivery" sounds like it should star Dirk Diggler from Boogie Nights.

[apologies for the off color joke]
 
RudyP said:
You seem to have the basics (kind of impressive actually for a non-pilot) but it will still take a while to teach you the correct phraseology bit by bit on a message board. Might be easier if you write up the whole set of exchanges you have in mind and someone here can correct it for you.

I commend you for your diligence in making your book as accurate as possible. It is a bit of a pet peeve of mine when novels are glaringly wrong on things (protagonist cocking his Glock, ridiculous aviation stuff, etc...) that a quick proofing by someone with a modicum of experience could easily fix.
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Thank you. When I roughed out the plot at the start of this project, one of my characters was an air force pilot. I wrote to the air force to ask them about duties, ranks, protocols and other advice. I received a phone call from a representative who gave me a lot of valuable information. At the end of an extended conversation, I realized that my plot would not work with the character I had envisaged as the main protagonist. I changed the role of the character and reworked the plot to be more consistent with reality. I usually find/hire people who have experience in the areas in which I am ignorant and ask them to read those sections that are in their area of expertise to make sure my stories are believable. I am very reluctant to use "Artistic License" as I want to honour the contract that I forge with every reader in providing them with a story that has a high probably of being close to reality. I know I won't catch everything, but I do want to make the effort to get it as right as I can.

An earlier comment made was "Write what you know and know what you write". Even if I write a story in an area in which I am highly knowledgeable, the plot may still drive my characters into experiences unknown to me. I research those areas thoroughly so that before the book goes to print, I am writing what I know. Writing about topics that are not in ones experience are very challenging and require much research.
 
Larry in TN said:
Here's a map of the AT air route traffic control centers airspace boundries.

https://www.reddit.com/r/aviation/comments/55cg49/air_route_traffic_control_centers_map/

You really need a collaborator, preferably a pilot with airline experience, who can write your radio dialog as well as your pilot-to-pilot dialog and procedures. You'd give him the big picture of what needs to happen and he'd come up with realistic details to fit your situation.
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I agree. As soon as the dialogue is complete, I'll find a pilot to validate the correctness of the dialogue. Right now, I'm want to understand the environment well enough so I don't end up writing pages that I will have to throw out and rewrite.
 
Please don't use the term the news media loves - "the tarmac". Tarmac is a paving material, not a location on an airport. And it doesn't have the load bearing capability to be used where large aircraft are located. Modern airports serving large aircraft typically use concrete (and lots of it).

I'm glad to see you working to get the minutia correct. So often writers don't do this. Should be an interesting book.
 
Ghery said:
Please don't use the term the news media loves - "the tarmac". Tarmac is a paving material, not a location on an airport. And it doesn't have the load bearing capability to be used where large aircraft are located. Modern airports serving large aircraft typically use concrete (and lots of it).

I'm glad to see you working to get the minutia correct. So often writers don't do this. Should be an interesting book.
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Thanks for the tip. I did a search through the manuscript and found one instance where I had used the term tarmac. I changed it.
 
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