Callsign Confusion

[tacpot]

Recently whilst receiving a FIS from XXX, a regional airport, I realised my abbreviated callsign was identical to a training flight on the ground at XXX, but the controller had not realised this. The conflict was obvious to myself, and I tried to alert the controller to the situation by replying to messages directed to myself using my full callsign. Unfortunately the controller didn't take the hint, and as I was about the leave the frequency shortly I didn't worry too much.

My question is "Is there an approved phrase that I as a Pilot can use to alert the controller to the situation?"

[Bright-Ling]

Sure is....!

Something like:

"I will be using full callsign as I believe there is a similar callsign on frequency" HINT HINT!

(That is a diplomatic way!)

We are all human and make misatkes - I don't believe that anyone should be afriad to point out each others mistakes - esp in the interests of flight safety. Obviously a diplomatic call would be preferred!!!!

B-L

[chiglet]

Tac,. .Happens ALL the time <img src="frown.gif" border="0"> . .eg, at MAN/EGCC we have xxx123, xxx223 and xyx123.. .As as been said, hint..or use "full" c/s. .we aim to please, it keeps the cleaners happy

[bagpuss lives]

Eastern Airways or whatever they are called these days (R/T "Eastflight") have to be the main culprits for this. Can make a Pennine session very "interesting" <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

A polite "We'll use full callsign from now" should easily do the trick.

I'm not too big to accept we're sometimes wrong.

Not me persoanlly though obviously <img src="tongue.gif" border="0">

[tacpot]

I didn't regard the ATCO as having done anything 'wrong', they probably would have realised had I stayed on the frequency longer and had the other a/c taken off. As it was, safety was not compromised, as the context of the messages made it easy to identify the intended a/c (as they were taxing/holding etc.) and I was replying with my full callsign.

But there was the potential for me to appear to be pulling the ATCO up for being slow to realise that they needed to do something, and as the whole thing was a non-event, my interest was in just nudging the guy in a friendly manner. In my opinion having a 'standard' phrase to call on at such times tends to sanitise the exchange and prevent any hard feelings.

Thanks for the feedback. Should the same situation arise again, I'd probably take Bright-Ling's approach, as that covers the situation that I may have not heard the other callsign correctly and beleive there to be a conflict when there is not! (I can make mistakes too <img src="smile.gif" border="0"> )