Towered Field Ops

Thursday, May 21, 2020 at 12:09 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Pilots must understand and clarify non-standard ATC instructions (e.g., "report a two-mile base," "overfly the field") to prevent confusion and ensure safe operations.
Strict adherence to runway safety procedures is paramount, including accurate read-back of "hold short" instructions and ensuring the entire aircraft is past all hold-short lines before contacting Ground.
Pilots should be aware of common unofficial ATC phrases and understand when and how to appropriately waive wake turbulence, while always being vigilant against expectation bias to maintain safety.

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It’s Saturday morning at 0730. Weather is VFR and a million, and most of the flight schools and weekend warriors are calling up Ground with the ATIS, ready to go. Add student pilots, crosswinds, a runway closure and more. What are the chances of pilots missing something critical or letting expectation bias hit? That risk is not just for the pilots, it is also shared by controllers as well.

Non-Standard Instructions

Any pilot operating in a towered environment should know the basics on where things are. “Enter left downwind” or “Turn crosswind” or perhaps “Report a four-mile final, Runway 18.” Believe it or not, a lot of pilots reply sounding confused when told to go to a certain point.