The past 2 years have shown a rise in the number of home-made air-ground phraseologies that
are slowly becoming the casually accepted norm. This is especially so around my own stamping
ground of SE Asia.
For example...
Standard - "Dullsville Control ABC123 FL350. Request FL370."
Casual - "Dullsville ABC123 checking in at FL350, and looking for 370."
What with this "checking in" ****? And "looking for"? I'm sometimes tempted to quip "If you look
straight up you'll find its 2,000 feet above you pal!"
Another -
Standard ATC - "ABC123 say final level?"
Standard reply - "ABC123 FL 290"
Casual reply - ABC123 is requesting 290 today."
So when did this "today" crap start? Is he hinting to ATC he won't want the same level tomorrow?
We're all guilty of non-standard phrases on both sides of the mike, but its usually one-off and not
a habit. Its when it gradually becomes accepted that confusion slowly sets in - esp on freqs with
high traffic density. It boils my urine something fierce when some non-standard jerkoff screws up
my climb/descent because ATC is still trying to figure out what exactly he said!
Anyone else?