Professionalism/phraseology

[Rowdy]

I'm surprised as to how many people dont use anything even remotely close to correct phraeseology. It doesnt bug me at all, but it sure makes you realise where this industry has gone..

Like Niner. How often do you hear someone call with that? Or decimal. I know I know..

And I cant say much as I've thrown the occasional giggity into twenty six seven calls and said some silly things on company as well. But crisp, clear, correct radio calls always sound good in my opinion

[Flying Low]

C'mon people. We all know it's not a fish finder. It's a metal detector!

[fortis risk]

It does sound entirely unprofessional, unnecessary and amateur. Further most of the comments aren't funny and seem funny only to the idiot making them.

[Just another canuck]

It does sound entirely unprofessional, unnecessary and amateur. Further most of the comments aren't funny and seem funny only to the idiot making them.

You're right about that... although, if you're two crew, you can usually giggle with each other. Makes the cockpit a little less sterile.

I think as long as it's not congested, a little humour isn't a bad thing... but like fortis said, most of the time the only one who finds it humourous is the one making the call.... and possibly the guy/gal beside them.

[trey kule]

To me, when I hear the five-letter ident (Cessna 172 Charlie Aaarrrggghhh!) or some tyro talking slang or using inappropriate words or phraseology I immediately mark him down in my tiny notebook as an amateur.

Just think of a situation where the tribunal is reviewing the tapes and they get YOU saying 'Tally ho' or some other mindless thing, on the tape, in front of your peers and ultimately the unwashed hordes of media.

Professionalism is an attitude.

Couldnt agree with you more. Humor is one thing. Mindless one off's are another.
I have found there is a direction correlation between the quality of a pilot and their professionalism on the radio.

[chancellor]

Sometimes things timed correctly can be humourous however the biggest pet peeve I have is the term " I would like to request" come on just request it don't need to ask for permission. Also "lookin for lower" is pretty bad. I used to be able to rely on saying if the big airlines don't do than you can't do it but lately with lower entry requirements and pay attracting only lower time individuals I can't even compare.

[Sidebar]

While witty words may be entertaining at times, use of non-standard phraseology in not so far-flung areas of the world inevitably leads to problems. "Lookin' for lower" is not one of the perhaps 50 english phrases that a controller in Senegal or Russia understands. My preference is for a message that gets the job done the first time with no need for repetition and little likelihood of confusion.

[countryhick]

Heard this the other day;

"Atlanta Citation XXXXX lookin' for lower"

"Citation XXXXX, Atlanta centre, call off the search party, I've found it for you"

[roger.roger]

lookin' for lower

I'll bite what would you rather hear?

[602]

Man, yuo guys sound like a bunch of tight wads in the air. The type of captains that f/o's hate to fly with or the type of f/o's that captains can't stand. Good for you if you follow radio 'laws' to the T, and don't fall into any radio lingo. But if you figure you're getting the job done any better than someone who says somethign like looking for lower, then you're wrong. And it's a stupid argument to get into, because anyone who is a tight azz on the radio is instantly going to throw the book at anyone who says otherwise.
Personally I enjoy when people are more laid back on the radio. Not unprofessional in any way, just more relaxed. Theres lots of time where stupid lingo has no place, but if you'd rather say looking for lower like thousands of other pilots do, or not repeat your call sign after every transmission when the area is dead, than good for you.

[Pratt X 3]

lookin' for lower

I'll bite what would you rather hear?

"Request descent"
(but don't say "I would like to request descent" as that would really fry his bacon!! )

[Sleeve of Wizard]

Here's a completely unprofessional one:

On initial contact with centre:

Pilot: "Knock knock"
ATC" "Who's there?"
Pilot: "ABC123 FL210"

It kept us entertained.

[fortis risk]

So 602 I guess you'd say the capt and first officer of Colgan air flight 3407 were great to fly with. certainly not a

bunch of tight wads

. Made for a more eventful and shorter flight wouldn't you say.

[chancellor]

Actually I rather enjoy flying with everyone I work with and we all seem to get along very well. But if things do not get corrected before they become habit than they get out of hand. And yes it may be meant as light hearted but it sounds like you are very unsure and hesitant. The folks that use this method usually end up with three or four more transmissions than are required. Heard another one the other day " climbing through xxxx for higher" no s**t.

[Intentional Left Bank]

Man, yuo guys sound like a bunch of tight wads in the air. The type of captains that f/o's hate to fly with or the type of f/o's that captains can't stand. Good for you if you follow radio 'laws' to the T, and don't fall into any radio lingo. But if you figure you're getting the job done any better than someone who says somethign like looking for lower, then you're wrong. And it's a stupid argument to get into, because anyone who is a tight azz on the radio is instantly going to throw the book at anyone who says otherwise.
Personally I enjoy when people are more laid back on the radio. Not unprofessional in any way, just more relaxed. Theres lots of time where stupid lingo has no place, but if you'd rather say looking for lower like thousands of other pilots do, or not repeat your call sign after every transmission when the area is dead, than good for you.

Say there 602, just curious, how do you feel about guys who follow SOPs "to the T"?

[rsandor]

If you can inject some tasteful humor into your work without compromising safety or efficiency, hey, go for it.

Professionalism and humor CAN coexist.

[Therewewere]

Talking about Radio phraseology, it always amazes me when guys will report at FL xx OH.. O is a letter. If you listen to ATC they will almost invariably reply; check you level at FL xx ZER0.

The other thing that I find really irritating is when guys are off of somewhere and do a blind broadcast saying there destination as "Next". Some idiot must have heard some over seas flight giving center a position report for example "Speedbird 5 xx north xxx West at 1250, xx north xxx west at 1315, xx North xxx West Next." and thought that was cool so they are copying that.

Probably no one will change, but

Your Destination isn't you "next" Reporting point, it is your destination.

[xsbank]

Ident
Position
Time
Altitude
IFR
Next
ETA.... Did I miss something?

Sometimes, certain things said in response to a certain unique transmission can be funny. Every other smart-ass remark is lame, old and I pity the ATCers who have heard it all, over and over and over... they must roll their eyes and say rude things before they key their mikes...

[IMGONNASNAP!]

I think Pilots just have way to much time on their hands, and after listening to other people make radio calls all day, some people just get on your nerves, I agree with some of the points, but saying oh instead of zero, give me a break.

[Cannonballer]

Is it really that big of a deal how other ppl talk? You talk the way you want and if you want to sound like a hick or if you throw some funny phase into your comms who cares. My pet peeve is people beating a dead horse or nitpicking other people apart. As long as you do your job professionally let the others sound like fools... they only make you sound better ... so dont worry about it.

That being said there have been a few funny posts on here that i have heard and a few that i havnt ... everybody likes to hear something funny every now and then and if it breaks up the monotony of up and down every day GREAT!!

[iflyforpie]

I have plenty of pet-peeves on the radio.

"Any conflicting traffic please advise..." (Because I was going in 'stealth mode' before you said that).

"We are presently..." (As opposed to, 'thirty minutes ago').

"Thirty minutes ago..." (We don't need your life story of how you got to this area).

"We are at 4.5..." (4.5 what? Feet? Nautical miles? Lightyears?)

"On 10 mile final for..." (I don't care if you are a jet; I am still landing in front of you).


But I like humour on the radio if it is tasteful and not taking up valuable air time.

[Slats]

Heard another one the other day " climbing through xxxx for higher" no s**t.

Can't believe it's only the first time you've heard that. I've heard it all over the place. Not everyone has the luxury of punching the pre-determined IFR routing and altitude into the magic box and letting the autopilot make the level-off decisions. Seems to me it's not all that uncommon for VFR bush-type traffic to not have a specific planned cruising altitude. Sure, you'll have some idea from checking the FDs, but they aren't exactly the most accurate forecasts. Often one will climb until an altitude is reached that is favourable in terms of winds, turbulence, weather, fuel burn, terrain avoidance, etc. When I hear that phrase it says exactly that to me: this pilot is looking for a favourable cruising altitude. If I'm out cruising around, I can then offer them a suggested altitude based on what I'm experiencing. Around here where weather reporting is scarce to non-existant, all the pilots in this area rely heavily on PIREPS from each other.

If I hear someone say just "climbing through xxxx" it says to me, they have a planned altitude, but have omitted it. When I hear the phrase that you are obviously averse to, I know exactly what the situation is. What then would you suggest one say? Omit the altitude portion of the call? Omit the call altogether until the cruising altitude is determined?

[flap16]

Talking about Radio phraseology, it always amazes me when guys will report at FL xx OH.. O is a letter. If you listen to ATC they will almost invariably reply; check you level at FL xx ZER0.

The other thing that I find really irritating is when guys are off of somewhere and do a blind broadcast saying there destination as "Next". Some idiot must have heard some over seas flight giving center a position report for example "Speedbird 5 xx north xxx West at 1250, xx north xxx west at 1315, xx North xxx West Next." and thought that was cool so they are copying that.

Probably no one will change, but

Your Destination isn't you "next" Reporting point, it is your destination.

I say "Next" because when you do 10+ legs a day, you find yourself looking for the shortest and easiest words to get your message across. "C-GABC off CYAA, planning 4500, CYAB NEXT" Care to offer an alternative?
I don't say "Next" because I think its cool!

[Sidebar]

Lots of pilots spouting off about this. Any controllers care to offer their thoughts?

[Therewewere]

The proper way would be to say CYAB at (time) Destination. By broadcasting that it is "NEXT" it infers that it is just the next reporting point, not your destination.