Bloggsie
Thanks, there are a whole host of reasons why the accurate level ‘left’ in the departure report (tower terminal area) or on descent (although those will generally be asked for if needed) can save you and me unnecessary work/talking and thus headaches i.e.
- VFR inbound expected (seen on TSAD or perhaps is a local who we know will return around a certain time or has already called at a VFR reporting point) around the time you are ‘wheels off’…… you report out of 2600 in the departure report and the VFR is at 2500, then I can clear him/her in without bothering you with traffic info that just ain’t gunna matter to you nor have to ask you for another level report unnecessarily whilst you are concentrating on cleaning up and hitting the straps.
- IFR inbound on a DME arrival at 18DME with a clearance limit of say 7DME, you are ready to roll……now I may make a ‘pluck’ and estimate where you might be by the time they need to have the limit removed, in which case I will ask for a specific level report, most of the time in this circumstance the level left by a Jet in the departure report will be high enough to enable a cancelling of the clearance limit without further interrupting you, me or the conflicting traffic.
- In an arriving sequence (irrespective of approach type) the more accurate the level reports the greater the descent offered to the following aircraft this can be critical if there are more than two in a sequence with an intermediate cloudbase.
As RI explained and the brief examples above…….the list goes on…….
That said, it is apparently not so critical for the light starved ‘Battery Roosters and Hens’ in the BN and ML coops…..
Capt Claret
What if said No Name 737 was going up at > 3000 fpm? Perhaps s/he wanted to avoid the bunt as the automatics captured 8000 because if they left the call till passing 7000 there'd only be 20 seconds for onwards clearance to be issued (and of course some dill would be reading back his war and peace R/T) and by about 5 secs after reporting it'd be in capture mode.
No argument with that…….the point I was making was simply that at 1900ft climbing to 8000ft, calling ‘approaching’ is farkall use to us for clearing useable levels for others and it serves no useful purpose to you for expediting climb assignment particularly if we will have to go back and ask the ‘level left’ (two transmissions, wasted time, potential delays for others).
All I ask is that you all just add an accurate ‘level left’ when making the departure report. Make an early departure call by all means!
Regarding climb assignments and the issue of ‘capture at low levels’…… I personally (and most others who work in regional towers) will always attempt to get a higher level from the sector either when you are lining up or just airborne to avoid that very thing………even if the centre for whatever reason cannot issue higher through the TWR, ‘traffic permitting’ I will flick you to them early for climb issuance to avoid same.
Where able, I facilitate options to avoid vertical stops because I am aware off and understand the problem from your seat………..isn’t this conversation about mutual enlightenment and thus assistance?!?!
plaz
Bloggs. I would be happy with that. Any ATC with half a brain (ie about 1/3 of them) would if they want a specific level ask for 'report Left XXX'
Sure, if you like the sound of your own voice and have the time to make multiple transmissions when one would suffice!........comon’ dude…… oh I know, ATC is one big happy family……….as long as you reside in one of the big coop’s....
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