In unguarded moments, many pilots will confess to what has come to be called “mic fright”—fear of talking on their aircraft’s radio. There may be many reasons for this aversion, but there is no way to avoid voice communication by radio if one plans to be an accomplished pilot. While those working to improve their radio use too often are focused on saying the wrong thing and being embarrassed, many other pilots fail to consider their role in the second part of ATC communication: listening. Actively listening to ATC when using their services is an often-neglected part of perfecting your flying skills. Look at it this way: To accurately receive a message, we need to listen for, hear and understand its contents. Actively listening is an important part of aviation, just as it is in our personal lives as well. So, what does it mean to actively listen?
In short, active listening is a conscious effort to hear and understand the complete message being conveyed, rather than just passively hearing the words of the speaker. This task sounds easy; many of us think we are listening, but it often turns out we merely hear what people are saying and don’t comprehend it.
