Years ago, I was headed home from a business trip. My chariot was a bright yellow Cessna 152. Black highlights on the wingtips and nose set off the iridescent yellow in a pleasing way. I loved flying that airplane.
As I neared home, I positioned myself to enter the traffic pattern on a 45° angle to the downwind for Runway 23. I’d been monitoring the CTAF for more than 10 miles, so I knew I would not be alone in the traffic pattern.
When I made my radio call, I was brief but specific: “Winter Haven traffic, Cessna 12345, 45 to the downwind, Runway 23, number 3, traffic in sight, Winter Haven.”
I repeated the name of the airport because there are five airports within earshot using the same frequency. More than one of them has a Runway 23. Adding a specific location adds one second to the call-out, but clarifies the announcement in an important way.
The first airplane in the pattern was just beginning to turn base, while the second was established on the downwind at midfield. By the time I reached that location, the second airplane would be near its base turn as well.
I expected to hear the airplane turning base make a radio call. Instead, I heard something remarkably like this: “This is ahhhhh…Piper Warrior 12345, ahhhh… we’re holding short of 23. (Long pause). We’re going to Vero Beach today. Gonna grab lunch at C.J. Cannon’s and maybe get a tour of the Piper factory if that’s a possibility. (Another longer pause). Ahhhhh, we’ll be off as soon as the runway is clear.”
The offending pilot held the button down for the entire time.
By the time the fellow at the hold short line was done talking, I was on short final. Two aircraft had landed without the ability to make a call. A third, mine, was about to do the same.
The one person on the field in a running airplane who had no call to make had chosen to interject into the busy pattern communications a long and entirely immaterial itinerary for the day that had absolutely nothing to do with what was actually happening in the air or on the ground.
This isn’t just rude. It’s a safety issue driven by either ego or ignorance. Maybe both.
For all the incredible technological advancements in aviation over the past century, our radio communications still use only one open channel. Whenever we push the button and speak, we control the frequency entirely. Nobody else can make a coherent call. Not to inform others of their intentions. Not to declare an emergency. Not to request assistance. Nope, everybody on that frequency has to sit and wait patiently while one pilot makes their call.
Wouldn’t it be good if that call was necessary, brief, specific, and conveyed information of actual value to other pilots and aircraft? That would seem obvious. Yet, a day spent monitoring most general aviation airport communications would suggest otherwise.
CFIs are notorious for blabbering away with friends on the channel when they should be modeling more professional behavior to their students. While unacceptable behavior, it is at least partially understandable. CFIs spend a lot of time cooped up in an airplane on training flights with limited ability to communicate with their fellow pilots about personal matters. So, they jump on the CTAF to ask about plans for the evening, or whether they can grab a ride home after work, or how some other instructor’s student did on a check ride.
All these queries are reasonable. They’re just being done on the wrong frequency.
The FAA has been kind enough to designate 122.750 MHz as the frequency for air-to-air communications. If you’re ferrying an airplane from one destination to another and being shadowed by an airplane that will give you a ride home, 122.750 is the frequency to stay in touch along the way.
It’s also a useful tool when multiple flight school airplanes head out to the practice area simultaneously. By using the air-to-air communications frequency, each pilot can maintain an awareness of which part of the practice area others are in and which altitude they’ve chosen to fly.
It’s not just convenient. It’s also a safety thing. It works, too.
And while I’m blowing off steam about unnecessary radio communications clogging up the frequency, can we please, please dispense with the absolutely idiotic “last call” announcement?
I have no idea where this started. Probably from the well-intentioned suggestion of a lone CFI who was trying to be polite. But this call has no purpose. Nobody needs to know your last call is your last call. Adding that language to a radio call provides no useful information to anyone but the person making the call.
You know it’s your last call. Let’s just leave it at that. Nobody else needs to know or cares. You’re departing the area. Job done.
This call only happens in the non-towered environment, which is a pretty good indication it has no place in any communications. In the towered environment there’s no need to make that announcement.
One of three things will happen as you depart the airspace. None require a pilot to announce they’re done talking.
The tower may end a call with “frequency change approved.” This means you’re free to switch off the tower frequency and continue on your way. No additional call is required. Alternatively, a pilot may conclude a call of their own with “request frequency change.” If the tower controller agrees, off you go. You’re done. Or you could simply depart the airspace without saying anything or receiving an additional call from the tower controller.
Once you’re out of their airspace, you’re on your own. Class E airspace is a wonderful thing. You can ask for ATC services or not. It’s entirely up to you. But if you do choose to push the button to convey information, please be sure the information you’re about to share is of value to others.
The fact that I may be going to lunch with my friends and might grab a souvenir or two is hardly information other pilots need to know. And as for “last call,” we’ll all figure out that was your last call when we don’t hear from you anymore.
Let’s respect that button and the community channel we dominate when we press it.
Initial contact; “Who you are, where you are and your intentions!” That’s it!
Along with a few health issues, all the radio chatter caused me to sell my plane and quick flying.
Over the years, I’ve adapted a ‘let it go’ mentality. Well….I try to anyway.
The unnecessary ‘last call’ call? It doesn’t endanger anyone, it’s short and if it makes the PIC feel better, so be it. If someone else in the pattern is trying to spot him, and hears that he’s leaving thereby taking him out of the equation and lightening his traffic spotting load, then that’s good.
The ‘traffic, please advise’ call? Again, unnecessary and the AIM advises against it (AIM is not a regulatory document) but at least the PIC is thinking about traffic in his upcoming traffic pattern. I’ll take that anyday over the guy in the high performance aircraft, who thinks the pattern and radio calls are for other guys. I fly into nontowered and towered airports at least 4-6 days a week. Some things aren’t worth getting your knickers in a wad about.
True, but it’s unprofessional and irritating. And can interfere with other pilots who are trying to do it right.
The worst radio transmission for me is when a pilot says the distance to his destination airport by saying the distance for example ” ZU – ABC” routing Zebula 10 Nauticals to run” no departure point or heading or altitude🥵 Many times I had to really bite hard on my teeth had to think 3 times not to respond by asking “in what fun run or marathon are you running in sir? (South Africa) hence ZU/ZS.
You hit one of my pet peeves…”last call”! And your readers hit the other….”any traffic in the area….”
Arghhhhhh!!!@
I don’t have a problem with a pilot stating “last call”. It’s I nice way of letting everyone know they are clear of the area. I depart out of some tower controlled fields where the tower asks us to confirm when we leave their airspace. It’s basically the same thing. I certainly don’t have an issue with a pilot approaching the airport saying “any traffic please advice”. If the pilot is piloting a small jet they are approaching the pattern at a pretty fast pace. They might not have heard crosswind, downwind, etc. traffic calls 10 or more miles out. Asking traffic to confirm their location allows them to safely avoid and enter the pattern. What does get into my crawl are the flight school instructors that like to chit chat on the freq. This happens way too often.
…and the other useless call: “Traffic in the area, please advise.”…..
That is not only a useless call, it is specifically prohibited in the AIM.
The Aeronautical Information Manual section 4-1-9(g)(1) states:
Pilots stating traffic in the area, ‘please advise’ is not a recognized self-announce position and/or intention phrase and should not be used under any conditions.
I am amazed at the number of professional pilots flying business jets that still say ‘any traffic, please advise’.
You nailed it Jamie!
Had a student who heard “last call “ and replied “too early for last call!”
When I hear “any traffic in the pattern please advise “ I want to reply “advise “
That “advise” response would make me spit out my coffee laughing. Good one, Tim.
Feeling a bit feisty this morning, JB?
As a retired controller, I found that some of this unnecessary chatter occurred on ground control frequency at towered airports. When these chats became too numerous, I would use the following phraseology in my most authoritative voice: “Maintain radio discipline. Adhere to proper operating procedures, out.” The chatter ended immediately.
“out” is un necessary
“Roger, 10-4, Over and Out”
“Say Again”: “Again”: Say Again,Again”
“How’s Mom an Nem”!
The radio is not a phone!
Spot on, Jamie! I’ve spent over five decades aloft, and as time goes by, the pure abuse of the microphone button has expanded exponentially. My list of top offenders:
1. Pilots who speak fast and mumble, creating confusion and imparting absolutely zero useful information. No, I’m not a grumpy old man, but this is a common trait of young student pilots and their instructors. Jump pilots are especially notorious for this.
2. Pilots who transmit before listening on frequency to gain a picture of what’s going on in the traffic pattern. For example, there are three planes in the pattern for runway 26, all making radio calls, and someone calls in 5 miles north for a downwind entry to runway 8.
3. Pilots who report “Taking the active.” Really? Where are you taking it? The correct call is, “Departing Runway XX.”
4. “Any traffic in the area please advise.” Don’t be that pilot. AIM 4-1-9 even says, “Pilots stating, ‘Traffic in the area, please advise’ is not a recognized Self-Announce Position and/or Intention phrase and should not be used under any condition.”
5. Pilots on air-to-air, 122.75, trashing the frequency with mindless chatter. I’m often in formation, sometimes on a cross country flight, and forced to listen to Joe and Sally chat back and forth about what they’re going to have for lunch, or how pretty the scenery is. Going to Oshkosh this July we were treated to a gaggle of knuckleheads narrating their entire flight…”I’m right over the big lake….boy there’s a lot of boats down there…” Pure amateurs.