Monitor ground

[tommywcom]

This is something I have been wondering about for a while now.

After landing, when ATC says "monitor ground", does it mean call ground and get clearance to taxi, or just purely "monitor" in case ATC calls the pilot?

I ask because I have experienced it both ways. One time I landed in the evening and clearly the airport was not busy. While still on tower freq, the controller said good night to me and added monitor ground while I was still on the active runway but taxiing off. I said good night too. Then I switched to ground and said XYZ taxi to Apron II. It was the same controller as it was a small airport and it was a little awkward because we had already said goodbye, and the controller just said taxi to apron II. It was redundant, and I felt like I should have just listened to ground and not transmit instead.

BUT ...

Another time a while back, similar settings and actually at the same airport, I chose to just monitor. And then I got chewed out by the same controller for not transmitting and getting clearance to taxi.

So which is the textbook legal approach?

Thanks in advance.

[PostmasterGeneral]

Monitor ground means just that. Listen but don't talk.

You're more listening for other aircraft anyways who may be broadcasting on the ground frequency. If tower wants to get a hold of you, he will have all the frequencies bridged so it won't matter.

[tower controller]

If I want you to "contact" ground I'll tell you to contact and give you the frequency and won't give you any instructions other than where I want you to exit the runway...

I'll use "monitor" in one of two ways...

I'll give you something like exit left echo taxi to the apron monitor ground... just so if I have to get you back for something I can.

or

if the ground controller is busy or in the middle of a long clearance readback, etc I will give you just exit instructions and monitor ground and they'll call you as soon as they have the opportunity.

In most units the ground controller is communicating with his traffic on ground and all the external landlines like with the ACC and FIC, etc so just because ground isn't transmitting on the frequency doesn't mean they aren't busy.

Drop by the tower sometime and see what they are doing up there, and try and go when it's a little busy, there isn't much point in visiting a unit if there is no traffic because you don't see the interaction...

Tc

c

[tommywcom]

Thanks for the clarification!

[A346Dude]

Regardless of whether you are told to contact or monitor ground, you cannot taxi in without clearance for each taxiway along the route. For that reason you wouldn't normally be told to monitor ground without having been given taxi instructions, unless it's really busy and the intent is to reduce frequency congestion. If you're told to monitor ground without receiving taxi instructions, and it's not a busy airport/time of day, I would clarify with tower before switching that you are cleared to taxi in.

[tommywcom]

Regardless of whether you are told to contact or monitor ground, you cannot taxi in without clearance for each taxiway along the route. For that reason you wouldn't normally be told to monitor ground without having been given taxi instructions, unless it's really busy and the intent is to reduce frequency congestion. If you're told to monitor ground without receiving taxi instructions, and it's not a busy airport/time of day, I would clarify with tower before switching that you are cleared to taxi in.

That might explain why I got chewed out a while back for not transmitting on ground. I'll try confirming on tower next time and see how it goes. Thanks.

[cossack]

On the rare occasion you would hear this at YYZ, tower would issue the taxy clearance. e.g. "c/s taxy Juliet to Kilo monitor ground 121.65"
Often heard after being instructed to monitor tower is "Hello tower c/s is monitoring you"

[tommywcom]

On the rare occasion you would hear this at YYZ, tower would issue the taxy clearance. e.g. "c/s taxy Juliet to Kilo monitor ground 121.65"
Often heard after being instructed to monitor tower is "Hello tower c/s is monitoring you"

I've never heard "XYZ is monitoring you" from tower to ground, but then I was describing small airports often with a single controller covering both. I'll try to pay attention to any taxi instructions when I get the monitor ground next time =)

[Rookie50]

Every time I've had that, it's been preceded by taxi instructions to the ramp. Very common, YXU, YKF, sometimes YTZ. Likely to reduce radio congestion, I figure, when it's a short / simple taxi.

[tommywcom]

Every time I've had that, it's been preceded by taxi instructions to the ramp. Very common, YXU, YKF, sometimes YTZ. Likely to reduce radio congestion, I figure, when it's a short / simple taxi.

I suspect I just never connected the dots. On my last flight, the controller said "exit Echo monitor ground". Come to think of it, Echo led directly to the apron where I was going, so that's really all the taxi instruction. I am just used to explicitly asking for a destination on ground frequency like transient parking so it didn't click. Now it all makes sense.

The other time when I got chewed out, there was likely more than 1 taxiway involved so the situation probably wasn't exactly the same.

[crazyaviator]

Another misconception is when there is an FSS on field and no tower, ALL traffic is to ADVISE FSS, NOT await FSS to direct traffic, for VFR-VFR traffic, FSS is to advise only, with some exceptions ( like IFR- IFR, IFR-VFR )