Listening to ATC comms - United channel 9
As a frequent piece of SLF, as well as someone who knows a bit more than nothing (but much less than a licensed pilot) about flying, I enjoy listening in to Channel 9 of the SLF 'in flight' entertainment when flying the 'Friendly Skies'. For those unfamiliar with this, channel 9 on UA allows SLF like myself to listen in to the ATC communications, probably fixed on COM1 as you never hear the ATIS etc.
How do the UK licensing regulations affect that? As noted in the sticky in this forum? Can we legally publish information on the forum obtained through enjoying this 'in flight' channel if it took place in UK airspace?
In the good 'ol US of A I witnessed a very interesting moment through channel 9, with a pilot (fortunately not flying my jet but worryingly close behind given the relative timing of the handoffs) asking ATC for the baseball scores when checking in to a new center, with what to my ears was an increasing level of anxiety in their voice to be in the know. I recall cringing and in my SLF/one time student pilot opinion thought it might be better if this pilot had thrown a sicky and let someone else fly that night, and stayed home to watch the game.
On short final into the airport, and already cleared to land, the tower asked if the same pilot had the airport in sight. This seemed an unusual question to ask a commercial jet on final for a visual approach. I think this was a well phrased, polite, but leading question. The pilot (who seemed to be at about 1600 feet AGL I found when I got home - don't you just love the internet?) reported they had 'temporarilly lost sight of it' and ATC imediately but politely told the flight to "go around" and make a left turn/climb.
Seemed like some good radio-comms karma to me, but it was rather worrying that visual contact was lost with the runway at such an altitude (while we were on short final ourselves) and I don't know the cause of the jets crew losing the runway, or if we were ever in any danger. Thank goodness the tower did not lose sight of the aircraft, and seemingly decided it was not safe for it to continue its approach.
That's all.
Last edited by 4potflyer; 3rd Oct 2006 at 04:40.