Hi guys, I've noticed over many years of instructing that many people are totally nervous about flying to a towered airport because they are unsure of what to say or how to say it to I made a video to help people out who need to brush up on their tower skills. It's 30 minutes long, so make sure you have time to watch it before you start! I hope you enjoy it. Control tower operations video.
Just viewed your video. Excellent , very well done. Everyone who does not fly into towered airports frequently should take the time to view it. I really liked the explainations of airport signage, since it tends to be confusing. I now understand it better. Many thanks for creating and posting it.
Randy
Thank you for that!
Great to hear!Originally Posted by vaflier
Just viewed it. Very nice refresher. I like that you chose an airport with complicated layout (Dupage has several runways and taxiways) and in fairly complicated airspace. This background "noise" highlights your simple message that "you're just having a conversation with the tower." I've sent the URL to friends who I think will benefit from it, too. Thanks!
Yep! It's JUST a conversation. Most people think it's much more than that but it really isn't.
Good subject.
When replacing the spark plug wires on my VW powered experimental I had to go see a local man whom makes wires for the racing community. I told him I needed these wires for my airplane. He spoke right up and said he went out and purchased a nice low wing 4 seat airplane and started taking flight training and did indeed get his PPL.
He then said you want too buy a nice low wing on the cheap. He said he is done with ATC and flying. I told him to move his airplane to a non towered airport and train train train then move on to a towered airport. He said nope he was done.
I could tell you what happened to him twice, but lets just say him and the tower or ATC are not friends. This is a man with real deep pockets and he walked away from aviation without a second thought. This all happened within the last couple years.
Tony
New pilots should not make such a mountain out of just a hill when flying into a control zone or tower. It's not that big a deal. First, 25 miles away, tune in an listen to the ATIS. Get the name, ie Bravo, set the barometer into your altimeter, and get the winds and visualize them in relation to runways. Then tune in tower and Listen before you talk, so as to get an idea of what route most people are given. These radio frequencies are right there on your sectional, both next to the airport name and in the index. You do have a sectional, don't you, or if not you are likely and ipad genius and don't need any advice anyway. So get down to pattern alt and reasonable speed and call tower either about 15 miles out or over a known approach point, so know where you are.
If it is class B( TCA) airspace, there may be an approach control frequency to call before tower,and they may give you a transponder code.
So, " Metro tower, Bonanza 3100 Fox 15 west with Bravo." They will come back with something like "3100 Fox report Sloans Lake" or "report a 2 mile left base for rwy 29." Say "3100 Fox" and fly as told, then they will clear you to land usually. No big deal. MAKE A NORMAL LANDING WITH GEAR DOWN AND LOCKED. And when leaving the runway call ground which is usually 121.9. 121,8, or 121.7.
One small point re the video at the start of this topic, the CFI must fly jets a lot because he keeps talking about "tail numbers". I am sure he means N numbers as most U S light piston airplanes don't have the N number on the tail, they have it on the side. I never heard the phrase Tail number until a few years ago.
Tower controllers are like dogs, there are some Golden Retrievers and there are a few that are like a Chiwawas and barking at everyone near them.
When you were a teenager, you might meet a girl's Parents who were friendly and you might meet some who regarded you like an opponent. Either way , you didn't give up on girls, did you?
Last edited by Bill Greenwood; 12-27-2013 at 10:05 PM.
Bill this has to do with COMMUNICATION or lack of between this man and ATC. This is his home field he is having problems with. I am sure by now the plane is sold and he is gone. He was moving out of state to AZ I believe. But flying was over for him.
Here is what he told me.
The Tower at our field is a training tower. I have had enough dealing with students whom tell you one thing then mean another. I have only solo'ed my airplane 3 times and each time I have been called to the tower for landing on the wrong runway. I write down what ATC tells me then read it back, then after I land I get called into the tower, I am done.
I told him to move his airplane to a small county airfield close by outside class C airspace and get some practice in. Its a non towered field and he could work on his radio skills and communication outside the class C airspace.
He said the plane is for sale he was done flying for ever. I got my wires and left.
Tony
Bill, good advice overall but the above statement tagged you as being a crusty ol' pilot out of touch with present reality.
It is very common nowadays to have a full set of sectionals, IFR charts, terminal area charts, facility directory, and a full set of approach plates on a single iPad. Just because a pilot decides to equip himself with every available chart instead of a single piece of paper doesn't mean they are a "ipad genius and don't need any advice anyway". Or maybe you meant that as a compliment!
The important point is to know how to use a sectional regardless of whether it is made of trees or pixels.
Last edited by Sam Buchanan; 12-27-2013 at 03:02 PM.
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