Five Tips From ATC

We bow to no one in our willingness to reject ATC clearances and forcefully but politely seek what we want and need from a controller. Since our chair usually is moving faster than their’s, we cop the attitude that our needs are more important than ATC’s. At the same time, we certainly understand controllers often have little flexibility in responding to our needs, whether due to their own requirements, conflicting traffic we know nothing about or high workload. But they also need things from us: basic airmanship, concise communication and the ability (willingness?) to follow instructions. To put it another way, both sides of the pilot/controller relationship have expectations. We know what ours are; What are their’s? To find out, we asked a controller-friend working in an ARTCC in the Midwest U.S. to share with us his top five pet peeves. Here’s what we learned.

Key Takeaways:

• Effective pilot-controller communication requires pilots to be concise, confident, and prepared before transmitting, understanding that both sides have mutual expectations.
• Accurate and complete readbacks are crucial for verification, and pilots should use full callsigns, including "November," to prevent confusion, especially near busy airspace.
• Pilots must maintain strong situational awareness, particularly around major airports, and can utilize VFR flight following, recognizing it as a workload-permitting service appreciated by controllers for safety.
• Listening to the frequency before transmitting helps gather valuable information (e.g., ride reports, re-routes) and avoids interrupting ongoing communications, contributing to smoother operations.

Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->

See a mistake? Contact us.