Enough Already: Quit Playing Around on Guard

Former air traffic controller explains the risks of using the guard frequency unnecessarily.

Jason Judy

Thursday, January 01, 2026 at 10:00 AM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Ryan Ewing

Air traffic controllers [Credit: Shutterstock]

Key Takeaways:

Pilots are increasingly misusing the emergency (guard) frequency (121.5 MHz) for non-critical chatter, such as making animal noises or discussing unusual events, often out of boredom.
This juvenile behavior significantly compromises aviation safety by blocking genuine distress calls, hindering vital air traffic control coordination, and causing controllers and other pilots to stop monitoring the critical frequency.
The author, a former air traffic controller, emphasizes the grave dangers of this trend, advocating for pilots to use the 123.45 MHz air-to-air frequency for non-emergency communication and for stricter enforcement against offenders.

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I retired from a 26-year career as an air traffic controller (ATC) in September 2023. I didn’t even take a day off before starting my new career as a Part 91 corporate pilot. I was so excited to get out of the dark control room and go enjoy the views. I was definitely going to miss the intensity of doing ATC every day, but I was ready for the change.

Since then, I have had countless people ask if I had always wanted to be a pilot and finally fulfilled my dream.