Ready for departure
Hi all,
At the radio field I fly from, it's accepted practice to call "ready for departure " at the holding point. The a/g operator can then read back known traffic and winds. Next call is usually "lining up". A stopway is available for departing traffic, only accessible by entering the active and backtracking.
Today, due to full fuel and a (cough) large passenger, I decided to backtrack, announced I was "ready for departure" at the holding point as usual and then called "backtracking 02". I was then admonished by the a/g operator who said "if you wanted to backtrack you weren't ready for departure". I had always understood that ready for departure is the correct call to give before entering the active runway - I then announced I was backtracking for the benefit of downwind traffic. Wouldnt have thought it was necessary to announce this prior to entering the active at a field where the decision to enter the runway was entirely at my discretion, and the radio operator cannot give instructions anyway? Happy to be corrected on this of course! Would appreciate people's peoples' views!