Coffin Dodger
For the last time, Speedbird Concorde 2 IFR London Heathrow with Mike requesting a Canarsie climb.... expect FL290 10 minutes after, Squawk 1136 and Mike is the ####
The term
####, which you were unsure about, is
ATIS, an acronym for
Automatic
Terminal
Information
Service.
The ATIS is a continuous recorded broadcast, on a separate VHF frequency, of relevant airfield conditions and information, such as wind velocity, runway in use, airfield pressure setting, air temperature, taxiway closures, delays etc.
The first such recording of the day will be designated information
Alpha and every time during the day the recording is updated (say roughly every twenty minutes) the letter (NATO alphabet) increases by one.
This system spares the ATC controller from answering the same questions from every aircraft endlessly through the day, whilst also allowing him to check that each aircraft checking in with him has received the latest version of the ATIS.
Had Mike Bannister (for ‘twas he) reported that he had
Lima, the controller would have realised he had an out of date ATIS report and would have asked him to copy information
Mike.
Had Mike Bannister reported that he had
November, the controller would have realised that he probably hadn’t copied the ATIS at all and was bluffing!
Best Regards
Bellerophon