Speechless Code

[LXGB]

A question from an Air Traffic Controller:

Just out of interest, how many of you guys are aware of the speechless code procedure as detailed in CAP413 chapter 8 (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP413.PDF)? Is it even part of the training syllabus for a PPL/CPL?

The reason I ask is this. Today whilst controlling I received a carrier wave only transmission. After a couple of "say again, carrier wave only" calls I instructed the aircraft to adopt the callsign "Speechless One" and use the speechless aircraft procedure. I then went into the standard list of yes/no questions. The first couple of questions are along the lines of "Do you require recovery to XXXX?" and "Do you have an emergency?". Both these questions were answered YES (one click). I also asked if he had a mobile phone on board, the answer was NO (two clicks).

Shortly after this, the pilot sorted out his switches and made voice contact. He said his passenger had inadvertently messed up his comms and confirmed that he did not have an emergency and was happy to continue en-route. He had believed in error that one click means NO and two clicks means YES.

No harm done, all good practice. Stand down the fire engines, medics, SAR, carry on working the other 8 aircraft on the frequency; then fill out the paperwork on my next break :)

An hour later the pilot of the aircraft phoned my unit to say that he thought it would be better if I'd had told him at the outset that one click means yes, two clicks means no, three clicks means say again, etc, etc.

There was me thinking he'd phoned to say thanks!:ok: :mad:

Is this level of ignorance the norm for most non professional pilots; or was this just a not particularly well briefed aviator? ;)

Any input appreciated.


LXGB

[eharding]

Is this level of ignorance the norm for most non professional pilots; or was this just a not particularly well briefed aviator?

Click.

Click Click.

[Fuji Abound]

My gut reaction would be:

1. Yes, it should be known,

2. but it takes a second to remind the pilot the correct procedure at a time when he might already be "stressed" - why wouldnt you remind him of the correct procedure to avoid any possible doubt?

3. He should have 'phoned to thank you.

[LH2]

Yes, it's part of the training. However, I must admit I'd forgot about the three clicks... I would have thought they meant "maybe" :\

[rusty sparrow]

FWIW, I got my licence over 20 years ago following the Australian syllabus - I was taught that a double click on the transmit button meant acknowledgement.

[FREDSIMTH]

Look - If we don't use it we lose it we all know that. Now in GA good pilots may well keep in check with PFL, EFAT.... But not being a full time professional do you really think we are likely to remember such things esp if stress levels are a little high.

[Slopey]

It's certainly part of the PPL syllabus - or at least, it's in the standard texts, and my instructor did go through it - dunno if it cropped up in the exam or not however.

(I've just realised I'm not quite as up on those as I thought - back to the CAP! ;) )

[Foxy Loxy]

I've handled speechless a/c a few times, and I will add further detail in the morning.

When it's happened to me, I've said "Are you familiar with the speechless code: Click ONCE for yes, TWICE for no, THREE for say again"... and go on from there.
Four clicks is something I've only experienced from the military which announces "I AM SPEECHLESS". There is a further checklist to carry on using the aforementioned format.

To announce a further emergency, the morse code for "X" is sometimes used in the civvy world, but is always taught in the mil. There are not a great many radio operators ( from AG up) who recognise this. I myself was once "caught out" by it.

Hope this is of some help.

Foxy

[BackPacker]

There was this other thing in the PPL syllabus which I have almost forgotten together with this speechless code thing. If you lose radio contact and are lost, you need to fly a triangle to the right if you can still receive, and to the left if you cannot receive. Supposedly ATC will notice this and will vector another aircraft to intercept you. Yeah right. I'd rather take my chances with 7600 and an uncontrolled field than wasting my valuable fuel in flying triangles for half an hour, hopefully followed by an impromptu, unbriefed and unrehearsed formation flight taking me to an unknown destination.

Truth is, I dearly hope that in extraordinary situations like this, ATC will gently remind me of the correct procedure. One click = yes, two clicks = no, or the other way around. (And if not, I'll just click away until ATC gets fed up with me and reminds me rather non-gently of the correct procedure.)

Have to admit the first thing the pilot should have done in the phonecall is thank you. But I somehow assumed he already did that over the radio , and it took all his guts to phone you up afterwards, and as an inexperienced and probably very stressed amateur decided to give you, a very experienced professional, a bit of very sound advice. So give him a bit of slack... :ok:

[TheKentishFledgling]

I've heard my "home unit" talking to carrier wave only aircraft on two occasions. One was to me when I was a solo PPL stude on my first solo sortie outside the circuit, and the second was a few weeks ago with a similar situation to the original post above - finger problems had messed up their comms boxes :O

On both occasions the unit explained the speechless code they wanted used (as per cap 413..) - this took all of five seconds and confirms for both the radio failed a/c AND any other traffic what is going on.

tKF

[chevvron]

I wasn't aware the speechless code was taught in PPL training, so I tend to say (when handling civilian traffic) 'use callsign speechless X (unless I know who it is of course!)answer my questions one click for yes etc... do you understand?' If I'm pretty certain it's a military aircraft, telling how many clicks to use is superfluous 'cos it's a standard and well practiced part of the military flying/training syllabus. If you encounter a further problem after establishing two way contact, the procedure is to click '_.._'; the controller should then use the 'HEFOE' code to question you as to what this is, where HEFOE stands for:
Hydraulics
Electrics
Fuel
Oxygen
Engine
By using this sequence the controller finds out what your problem might be!

TDM practices the speechless code with us occasionally, so if you get to fly with him, get him to demonstrate!!

[revik]

During 10 years in professional flying I have met very few who are even aware of the speechless code and this is especially prevalent amongst the 'new generation' of (UK) co-pilots. Most of the cognoscenti that I have come across are ex military, a world in which a 'practise speechless' was de rigeur to keep ATC and the runway caravan controller current.

I get the feeling that a very useful and potentially life-saving procedure is in danger of falling into obsolescence.

[mothflyer]

Having been in general aviation for a relatively small amount of time compared to most of you guys (12 years), I've noticed most of us have used the 'click' on more than one occation to acknowledge a transmission of information in certain situations. Me included. Although unofficially used it is in most pilots subconcious. I agree the controller should maybe review his safty procedures to eleviate undue stress on an already overloaded pilot but unless more is said about the correct use of the 'speachless' code by our instructors I doubt any of us will realy remember CAP412 for very long.

How many of you even have an up to date copy of CAP 412 any way!? :rolleyes:

[spekesoftly]

Four clicks is something I've only experienced from the military which announces "I AM SPEECHLESS". Just to amplify, four short Tx (the letter H in morse code) is also used to request HOMING (to an airfield) when used with the Speechless Code.

If you lose radio contact and are lost, you need to fly a triangle to the right if you can still receive, and to the left if you cannot receive. Supposedly ATC will notice this and will vector another aircraft to intercept you. Yeah right. I'd rather take my chances with 7600 ..........Fine if your aircraft has a transponder. The "flying triangles procedure" dates back to the days when many military aircraft did not, and many military ATCUs were only equipped with primary radar. Bit of a last resort, but it has worked successfully in the past.

How many of you even have an up to date copy of CAP 412 any way!?Not me, but I'm reasonably familiar with CAP 413 ;)

[BackPacker]

I get the feeling that a very useful and potentially life-saving procedure is in danger of falling into obsolescence.

I'm not too worried about that. Speechless code is a very useful tool in the ATC arsenal of tools and I do hope that ATCOs will continue to be taught how to use it, and get the opportunity to practice it every now and then.

But the speechless code procedure is not something that a pilot can initiate - after all, it's the pilot who loses his voice transmit capability but most of the time he won't even know that until being told so. So initiating it has to be done by an ATCO. Even if the pilot has never heard of the speechless code, explaining it will take all of, what, five seconds? And it's so simple it's practically foolproof after that. At least, from a pilots perspective.

So if all pilots lose all of their knowledge of this thing overnight, I don't think it's a great loss. As long as the ATCOs remember this code and take those five seconds to explain it.

I bet there's more tools in the ATCO arsenal that your average PPL hasn't heard about (or forgotten about) as part of the PPL syllabus, but which are very useful in emergency situations. (As an example, yes, us PPLs have heard of VDF and are supposedly able to request a QDM, but I had never heard of auto-triangulation of every call made on 121.5 by D&D, cross-referenced with primary and SSR radar, until I came to PPRuNe.)

[DFC]

LXGB,

Were you operating in your capacity as a "Military Emergency Controller" when dealing with this pilot?

If not then the pilot was perfectly correct to provide some feedback because you without further explanation tried to use a procedure which if you read CAP413 is part of the procedures for dealing with D+D.

Perhaps you don't remember the old procedures for speechless QGH including the old favourite speechless compass and gyro u/s one. Back then the procedure requried us to remind the speechless aircraft to use 1 for yes and 2 for no and the old "Fly straight and level on primary instruments all turns will be timed by me starting and stopping on the executive word now"

I get the impression that you would not bother with such a statement. After all the pilot should know that should they not?

One wonders who had the comms problem!

------

Backpacker,

The old triangle system was more for flights that were above cloud......Someone with a big hairy thing on their lip would come up and waggle their wings and you would formate on them while they did a QGH or PAR or whatever was available to get safely down through the cloud.

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Foxy Loxy,

The morse code "H"(....) is used by a speechless aircraft to request a QGH (Homing and Controlled Descent) H being for Homing.

These days, 7600 and the European procedures for comms failures are suficient knowledge. i.e. For VFR flights - remain in VMC and land at the nearest suitable aerodrome. Cant get more simple than that.

Regards,

DFC

[BackPacker]

I've noticed most of us have used the 'click' on more than one occation to acknowledge a transmission of information in certain situations. Me included.

Actually, sometimes ATC uses two clicks to acknowledge my "switchoff (or frequency change) approved, and thanks for the service, PH-XXX". I don't think they mean "no" by that.

[Foxy Loxy]

Thank you, to be honest that had slipped my mind.

Yes,a QGH would involve a homing phase, but more often than not, the pilot responds "yes" to "are you requesting a visual recovery?". One of the more common reasons for going speechless is fumes in the cockpit, and if good VMC the quickest way to the deck is visually.

Foxy

[LXGB]

Many thanks for all of your replies!

Where I work, practising the speechless code is a routine, even daily occurrence. A lesson I have learned from this particular scenario is it seems to be a dead art in the civil world. I'll certainly take the time to say "One click for yes, two for no" if I think it's a non military aircraft I'm talking to in future.

To address some of the other points made;

-------------------

Backpacker

1. I agree flying triangles is probably a waste of time, much better to squawk 7600 if you have a transponder.

2. This wasn't "an inexperienced and probably very stressed amateur" it was a well known name on the British display circuit who came accross as very arrogant on the phone.

3. If ATC does use two clicks for roger, then that's just them being gash! :)

------------------

DFC

1. Yes I was.

2. I agree the pilot was right to provide feedback and it was welcomed.

3. You're wrong about No Compass No Giro procedures. The UK Mil phraseology is still "Adopt the no compass no giro procedure, making all turns rate one, starting and stopping on the executive word now." Speechless NCNG recoveries are a favourite practice emergency in my neck of the woods.

4. Click Click Click ;)

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Thanks again to everyone who has contributed.


Stay Safe,

LXGB

PS - In case anyone missed the link in my first post, you can download CAP413 here (http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/CAP413.PDF).

[18greens]

Thanks for the reminder about the speechless code. I've never heard it used in the civil world (much like I've never seen those green/red lights being used) but its nice to know its there.

As for your arrogant caller, I can't imagine who he might be but he was probably quite embarrased.

[chevvron]

NCNG is also a good one to remember; I personally have practiced it many times as a controller but not recently. Just saying 'turn right/left now' and 'stop turn now' while you count 4 sweeps of the radar (at 15 rpm) gives about 45 deg of turn.

[Talkdownman]

My base uses the speechless code during most of our TRUCE sessions. We have our own target aircraft and combine speechless with NCNG and simulated emergency to short-pattern emergency SRA. We work our ATCOs pretty hard. The hardest thing is not to reply so I pull the mic plug out. After the code is explained the first question should really be 'is this a practice?' !
Clearly chevvron likes to get the occasional . . . . for homing. Maybe his new LARS trainees would like some out of the blue? :E

[172driver]

Actually, sometimes ATC uses two clicks to acknowledge my "switchoff (or frequency change) approved, and thanks for the service, PH-XXX". I don't think they mean "no" by that.

Also my experience. In fact I've found the two clicks as acknowledgment pretty standard practice, certainly on the continent and in the US. Could it be that - once again - the UK is at a variance with the rest of the world ;) ?

Anyway, easy to remember - if speechless here, just click the other way :)

[rusty sparrow]

apart from being taught that (under the Oz syllabus) two clicks for affirmative, two clicks is intuitively more sensible - one click could be a mistake - two seems more of a definte action to me.

[Gertrude the Wombat]

Now you come to mention it ... yes I was taught this, maybe in 1989, and have never used it[#] and have forgotten it. So yes, a reminder would be helpful.

I have, however, remembered some stuff about squawking 7600 and flying past the tower waggling wings and looking for a green light. (I've usually got a switched-off phone with me; I'm not sure I would bother to turn it on and call anyone - perhaps if I had a passenger with me to look up the phone number in Pooleys I might.)

And, probably most useful of all, I most certainly remember that the aeroplane doesn't know that the radio isn't working, and will keep flying perfectly happily.

[#] I once got "station calling xxx, carrier wave only" when calling for taxy, and that was enough for me to diagnose and fix the problem (headset plugged into wrong sockets).