- Joined
- Oct 30, 2003
- Messages
- 18,446
- Location
- Santa Maria, California
- Aircraft
- Givens Predator
- Total Flight Time
- 2600+ in rotorcraft
I have been intending to write something instructive about radio calls because for some of my clients radio work is the hard part. I have made several aborted attempts.
I find that the subject quickly expands to where it feels unmanageable to me in a short story.
The basics of most radio calls are: Who am I talking to? Who am I? Where am I? What am I intending to do?
An acknowledgement or a clearance is simply a repeat of what I heard and understood.
I also run into divergent cultures at various airports so to avoid all that complexity I thought I would share the radio calls on a recent flight from Santa Maria, CA (KSMX) with an operating control tower to Santa Ynez, CA (KIZA) a non towered airport and the return flight.
Santa Maria Public airport is not very busy and the tower prefers I get everything out on initial contact.
Some busier towers prefer a call sign and request and getting the rest of the information when they are ready. This is particularly true if a controller is working several frequencies.
At a non towered radio work is about communication so it is very much situational.
If I feel there is a conflict I will report more than if the skies are empty.
Because it is about communication I ask questions when I don’t understand something.
There is good guidance in the Aeronautical Information Manual including a pilot/controller glossary.
This is about radio calls and the very basics of aviation; you can see from the pictures it was a lovely flight.
For those not working on their pilot’s certificate or are already proficient on the radio this may be tedious and uninteresting. My hope is to help those who feel unsure on the radio and solicit questions about the why of things. If I included all the whys it would have been much longer so please ask if you have questions and I am open to suggestions if you feel you have a better way. To avoid confusion I did not include the phonetic spelling for the phonetic pronunciation.
It is rare for SMX or IZA to have more than five aircraft in the pattern and this was a weekday afternoon so neither was busy despite great weather for flying.
I did not file a flight plan or ask for flight following.
After doing a careful preflight inspection, checking the weather with flight service and planed my route.
I followed the startup check list in front of my hangar and the engine settled into a steady idle.
Because of the kind of radar SMX has I turn the transponder on but don’t go to mode C (altitude reporting) until I am ready for departure.
I check the ATIS (automated terminal information system AKA current weather at 121.15) at Santa Maria. The current ATIS was Mike.
I made some notes and filled out my radio call sheet on my kneeboard and changed to the ground frequency (121.9).
I taxied up to the non movement area boundary makings being careful to not cross the line with any part of the aircraft before getting a clearance from ground.
I keyed the mike and announced: “Santa Maria Ground, Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf at Taxiway Mike with information Mike, request taxi to Runway Three Zero.”
The ground controller responded with: “Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, taxi to runway Three Zero via Alpha, Alpha Eight.”
I acknowledged the clearance with: “Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, taxi to runway Three Zero via Alpha, Alpha Eight.”
It is about a mile from Mike to Alpha Eight so after looking in all directions for conflicting traffic I taxied to Alpha Eight making note of what the winds socks were doing.
SMX has six wind socks and they are often blowing in different directions showing different wind speeds. In this case they were all flaccid because winds were calm.
When I reached Alpha Eight (the run up area at SMX for runway Three Zero) I went through my pre takeoff check list including a magneto check, changed the transponder to mode C which also turns on the ADS-B out and after I taxied up to the hold short line I change to the tower frequency (118.3) keyed the mike and announced: “Santa Maria Tower, Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, holding short of runway three zero at Alpha Eight, ready for departure, request a right down wind departure to the South East.”
The Tower controller responded: “Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, runway Three Zero clear for takeoff, straight out for now.”
I acknowledge the clearance with: “Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, Runway Three Zero clear for takeoff, straight out for now.”
After takeoff before I reached the end of the runway Tower controller said: “Gyroplane Two Mike Golf, right down wind departure to the South East approved.”
I responded with: “Gyroplane Two Mike Golf, right down wind departure to the South East approved.”
About six miles from SMX over the green hills I heard from the tower controller: “Gyroplane Two Mike Golf, frequency change approved.”
I acknowledge the call with: “Gyroplane Two Mike Golf frequency change approved.”
Ten miles to South East I tuned to the Automated Weather Observation System at IZA (118.075) and It is a week signal with hills in the way so I climbed up to 2,200 feet MSL before I received the signal. Winds were reported 220 degrees at eight knots favoring runway 26 with about a five knot cross wind component from the left. IZA was still about 16 miles away.
After I received the weather and made a note about the wind I tuned to the Santa Ynez common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) (122.8) when I was still about 15 miles out and listened.
At ten miles I keyed the mike and announced: “Santa Ynez Traffic, Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, Ten miles to the North West over Highway 101 at one thousand, seven hundred feet, inbound for left traffic runway Two Six to land, Santa Inez.”
I followed the 101 past Buellton and my next call was: “Santa Ynez Traffic, Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, Five miles to the west over the quarry at one thousand, seven hundred feet, inbound for left traffic, runway two six to land, slow moving at 65kts, Santa Ynez.”
A Bonanza called; “Santa Ynez Traffic, Bonanza N____ ten miles to the north west descending through four thousand feet inbound to land, Santa Ynez”.
I soon called: “Santa Ynez Traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf inbound on the forty five over the river bridge, left traffic for runway two six negative contact on the inbound Bonanza, Santa Ynez.”
Mid Field Downwind I called; “Santa Ynez Traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf left downwind mid field to land, still negative contact on the inbound Bonanza, Santa Ynez.”
Before turning base I called; “Santa Ynez Traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf turning left base for runway two six to land, Santa Ynez.”
The inbound Bonanza called; “Santa Ynez traffic Bonanza N_____ flying overhead for left traffic for runway two six to land, Santa Ynez.”
I searched the sky where the Bonanza pilot had reported and still could not find the Bonanza.
Before turning final I called: “Santa Ynez traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf turning final for runway two six to land, Santa Ynez.”
Once clear of runway two six I announced: “Santa Ynez traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, clear of runway two Six, at Charlie, taxi to fuel, Santa Ynez.”
I was stopped at fuel before the Bonanza made his call to final.
To be continued; the return to SMX
I find that the subject quickly expands to where it feels unmanageable to me in a short story.
The basics of most radio calls are: Who am I talking to? Who am I? Where am I? What am I intending to do?
An acknowledgement or a clearance is simply a repeat of what I heard and understood.
I also run into divergent cultures at various airports so to avoid all that complexity I thought I would share the radio calls on a recent flight from Santa Maria, CA (KSMX) with an operating control tower to Santa Ynez, CA (KIZA) a non towered airport and the return flight.
Santa Maria Public airport is not very busy and the tower prefers I get everything out on initial contact.
Some busier towers prefer a call sign and request and getting the rest of the information when they are ready. This is particularly true if a controller is working several frequencies.
At a non towered radio work is about communication so it is very much situational.
If I feel there is a conflict I will report more than if the skies are empty.
Because it is about communication I ask questions when I don’t understand something.
There is good guidance in the Aeronautical Information Manual including a pilot/controller glossary.
This is about radio calls and the very basics of aviation; you can see from the pictures it was a lovely flight.
For those not working on their pilot’s certificate or are already proficient on the radio this may be tedious and uninteresting. My hope is to help those who feel unsure on the radio and solicit questions about the why of things. If I included all the whys it would have been much longer so please ask if you have questions and I am open to suggestions if you feel you have a better way. To avoid confusion I did not include the phonetic spelling for the phonetic pronunciation.
It is rare for SMX or IZA to have more than five aircraft in the pattern and this was a weekday afternoon so neither was busy despite great weather for flying.
I did not file a flight plan or ask for flight following.
After doing a careful preflight inspection, checking the weather with flight service and planed my route.
I followed the startup check list in front of my hangar and the engine settled into a steady idle.
Because of the kind of radar SMX has I turn the transponder on but don’t go to mode C (altitude reporting) until I am ready for departure.
I check the ATIS (automated terminal information system AKA current weather at 121.15) at Santa Maria. The current ATIS was Mike.
I made some notes and filled out my radio call sheet on my kneeboard and changed to the ground frequency (121.9).
I taxied up to the non movement area boundary makings being careful to not cross the line with any part of the aircraft before getting a clearance from ground.
I keyed the mike and announced: “Santa Maria Ground, Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf at Taxiway Mike with information Mike, request taxi to Runway Three Zero.”
The ground controller responded with: “Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, taxi to runway Three Zero via Alpha, Alpha Eight.”
I acknowledged the clearance with: “Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, taxi to runway Three Zero via Alpha, Alpha Eight.”
It is about a mile from Mike to Alpha Eight so after looking in all directions for conflicting traffic I taxied to Alpha Eight making note of what the winds socks were doing.
SMX has six wind socks and they are often blowing in different directions showing different wind speeds. In this case they were all flaccid because winds were calm.
When I reached Alpha Eight (the run up area at SMX for runway Three Zero) I went through my pre takeoff check list including a magneto check, changed the transponder to mode C which also turns on the ADS-B out and after I taxied up to the hold short line I change to the tower frequency (118.3) keyed the mike and announced: “Santa Maria Tower, Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, holding short of runway three zero at Alpha Eight, ready for departure, request a right down wind departure to the South East.”
The Tower controller responded: “Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, runway Three Zero clear for takeoff, straight out for now.”
I acknowledge the clearance with: “Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, Runway Three Zero clear for takeoff, straight out for now.”
After takeoff before I reached the end of the runway Tower controller said: “Gyroplane Two Mike Golf, right down wind departure to the South East approved.”
I responded with: “Gyroplane Two Mike Golf, right down wind departure to the South East approved.”
About six miles from SMX over the green hills I heard from the tower controller: “Gyroplane Two Mike Golf, frequency change approved.”
I acknowledge the call with: “Gyroplane Two Mike Golf frequency change approved.”
Ten miles to South East I tuned to the Automated Weather Observation System at IZA (118.075) and It is a week signal with hills in the way so I climbed up to 2,200 feet MSL before I received the signal. Winds were reported 220 degrees at eight knots favoring runway 26 with about a five knot cross wind component from the left. IZA was still about 16 miles away.
After I received the weather and made a note about the wind I tuned to the Santa Ynez common traffic advisory frequency (CTAF) (122.8) when I was still about 15 miles out and listened.
At ten miles I keyed the mike and announced: “Santa Ynez Traffic, Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, Ten miles to the North West over Highway 101 at one thousand, seven hundred feet, inbound for left traffic runway Two Six to land, Santa Inez.”
I followed the 101 past Buellton and my next call was: “Santa Ynez Traffic, Experimental Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, Five miles to the west over the quarry at one thousand, seven hundred feet, inbound for left traffic, runway two six to land, slow moving at 65kts, Santa Ynez.”
A Bonanza called; “Santa Ynez Traffic, Bonanza N____ ten miles to the north west descending through four thousand feet inbound to land, Santa Ynez”.
I soon called: “Santa Ynez Traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf inbound on the forty five over the river bridge, left traffic for runway two six negative contact on the inbound Bonanza, Santa Ynez.”
Mid Field Downwind I called; “Santa Ynez Traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf left downwind mid field to land, still negative contact on the inbound Bonanza, Santa Ynez.”
Before turning base I called; “Santa Ynez Traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf turning left base for runway two six to land, Santa Ynez.”
The inbound Bonanza called; “Santa Ynez traffic Bonanza N_____ flying overhead for left traffic for runway two six to land, Santa Ynez.”
I searched the sky where the Bonanza pilot had reported and still could not find the Bonanza.
Before turning final I called: “Santa Ynez traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf turning final for runway two six to land, Santa Ynez.”
Once clear of runway two six I announced: “Santa Ynez traffic, Gyroplane One Four Two Mike Golf, clear of runway two Six, at Charlie, taxi to fuel, Santa Ynez.”
I was stopped at fuel before the Bonanza made his call to final.
To be continued; the return to SMX
Attachments
-
1 over Santa Maria.webp121.6 KB · Views: 7
-
2 comming up on Lake Marie.webp93.5 KB · Views: 7
-
3 heading into the foothills.webp92.9 KB · Views: 7
-
4 time to check the ASOS.webp61.5 KB · Views: 7
-
5 the green rolling hills.webp38.5 KB · Views: 7
-
6 ten miles to the north west of IZA.webp58 KB · Views: 7