Flight Forum

I recently received my first issue of AOPA Flight Training. In reference to the article on talking to ATC ("Tower Talk," November 2002), as a new private pilot I would like to share the following story:

My airplane's tail number is 325, and I fly out of Napa, California. We have a part-time control tower, so I started talking to ATC from the very first. I also have a couple of friends who are air traffic controllers in other states, and that really helped. When I first hit the mic button, I just imagined I was talking to them. I always start with "Good morning," or afternoon or evening, and I add a "please" or "thanks" at the end. I talk in a friendly voice with a conversational style. If they are busy, I say the Ps and Qs faster. Most of my instructors haven't minded, and many have complimented me on my radio work, but I have heard the "no excess chatter and be more professional, period - end of discussion" from one or two pilots, including my husband.

So one day early in my training my husband and I went flying about an hour before the airport was expected to get totally crazy. There was a local Nascar race and as soon as it ended, 150 planes would want to leave now! Traffic had just started to pick up, and knowing my husband was sitting beside me, I contacted ground very professionally said the absolute minimum. I was given my taxi clearance and followed it; I contacted tower after my runup - and suddenly the ground controller came onto the tower frequency:

ATC: "Three-Two-Five, are you mad at us or something?"

Me: "Three-Two-Five, no, I'm not mad."

ATC: "Three-Two-Five, are you sure? You don't sound like you normally do. You sure you aren't mad?"

Me: "Uh, you guys looked like you were getting pretty busy and I was trying to be a bit more professional - Three-Two-Five."

ATC: "OK, as long as you're not mad at us - cleared for takeoff Runway 18R."

My husband sat next to me dumbfounded.

I later met the controllers with whom I had had this exchange and they indeed had thought I was mad at them or something. As far as they were concerned, my upbeat style was "just fine!" Too many people forget that there are actually people on the other end of that radio. Controllers have a tough job, and they generally get blamed for everything - whether their fault or not.

Kim NishS
Via the Internet

Survival - So What?

First, let me say thank you for the magazine subscription. I find myself discussing points from the magazine with my CFII and will subscribe when the free ride ends. Most articles are well-written and valuable.

"Survival Scenarios" (November 2002 AOPA Flight Training), however, is a bit below the standards I have seen from you. It is an entertaining read, but it fails the basic "So what?" test: How likely is it that I will encounter a "survival" scenario? I have visions of a vast rearward movement of CGs due to student pilots loading their baggage compartments with MREs and flare guns that they will (statistically speaking) never use. So could the article actually increase the net risk to the general aviation fleet?

To answer the "So what?" you have to tell me: How often do off-airport landings or crashes occur, and how many result in survival scenarios? I suspect it is a small fraction of what is already a statistically small number. Hence, preparation is probably a waste of time and money.

George Anderson
Via the Internet

Author Mark Danielson responds: There is no such thing as too much knowledge or preflight preparation. While the risks of engine failure are remote, I have experienced seven in 37 years, two of which resulted in off-field landings. A friend recently told me about a buddy who died in a light airplane crash. They determined he lived at least eight hours after the crash; he might have survived had he been better prepared. Survival gear should match the flight - a cross-country over mountains requires more preparation than once around the pattern. But a survival kit need not be large or heavy ( www.aopa.org/members/files/pilot/1996/survive9604.html ). The article was written to address a subject that few care to discuss. Every pilot should be prepared for worst-case scenarios, and those would include post-crash survival. -Ed.