RTFobia

[Worrals]

Anyone out there got any tips for a 100+ hour PPL who's afraid of the radio? Think it started in the States, where I was literally screamed at by the denizens of the tower at some remote field, for not being quite where I said I was.
AS far as I'm concerned, ATC is manned entirely by flesh-eating cyborgs who hold anything smaller than a 767 in total contempt (a view backed up by a number of Pprune threads). They have hidden cameras in my C152, know my life history, where I live, and that I am a cretin. The fact that I have yet to stuff up an RT procedure, and apparently come across as Captain Cool and Competent, matters not a jot. If I can avoid talking on the radio, I will. I'm well aware that this is far from ideal from a safety point of view. It is also chicken.
I've visited the tower at the local small airport and they couldn't have been nicer or more helpful. I've also stencilled "They're down there because we're up here" across the dash. Nothing helps; I still break out in a vibrating sweat every time I have to key the mike.
Other pilots, ATCOs, Radio operators, instructors..: Hints please.

[Ursa Major]

It made all the difference in the world when I was doing my PPL to get hold of an airband radio and listen to the "professional" on Gatwick Approach. Many of the things they were saying were not in CAP413! All they did was sound more confident.

The problem generally is when you go further down the scale and your local "Radio" is trying to get you to follow the ambiguous circuit instructions given in Pooleys. I am always inpressed at the truly subtle way that Thames Radar get me to recognise I have confused West with East on my last position report.

[DB6]

As a 1500 hour instructor I must confess that I avoid using the radio if possible as well. OK, most of the time at work it's not possible but if I'm going on a long cross-country jaunt and don't need an ATC service then I generally plan to avoid controlled airspace and just keep quiet. A bit of common sense, like don't fly near other airfields or through somebody's instrument approach and you don't need to say much, and who's to say what frequency other aircraft you may see are on anyway?
All that said, it's a good idea to be able to speak to ATC when you have to, and unless you're at Heathrow or somewhere where you really do need to be hot on the R/T, remember that if you can't recall the standard phraseology then use plain English instead - they'll know what you mean.

[I have control]

You are definitely not alone, I think most non-professional pilots (and some professional ones too) will empathise with your feelings.

Remember that ATC make mistakes too!

[Worrals]

Thanks for the comments folks. In fact, I'm not too worried about getting the RT "wrong" -- too many pro pilots and ATCOs have reassured me that it doesn't really matter how you say it, as long as the meaning is clear. I think the worry is more that I'll miss some vital instruction or bit of info and end up on the receiving end of yet another US-style tirade.. have my licence whipped away.. or worst of all, cause disruption or even an accident.
But it's good to know I'm not the only one with apprehensions!

[PPRuNe Dispatcher]

So far I've found that ATCOs make sure I've received and read back any vital instructions or info - e.g. "Golf Delta Foxtrot, I say again traffic crossing ahead of you right to left height unknown". "Golf Delta Foxtrot has traffic in sight thanks".

Or more recently : "Golf Delta Foxtrot, you are aware that the minimum altitude above xxxx is two thousand four hundred". "Affirm, maintaining two thousand six hundred on the QNH, Golf Delta Foxtrot". This was on the first day we could fly after the WTC...

I'm glad that someone else is also keeping an eye out for other traffic although I do realise it's primarily my responsibilty. (So many thanks to the ATCOs at Farnborough, Brize and Boscombe)

---Mik

[BEagle]

1. Listen out
2. State who you are, where you are and what you want to happen next.
3. LISTEN OUT for your callsign.
4. If they say "Clear", you must reply with "Clear".
5. VHF RT is there for your safety and your requirements. It is not there to keep Air Traffickers employed!!
6. Be polite and professional.

[Spoonbill]

Worrals, the important thing is for you to get your confidence, atcos are only human (well, most of us are :D ), and we all had to learn at sometime. The suggestion about listening to ATC on an airband is excellent, and it may sound a bit barmy, but why not tape it and listen to it (when no one can see you!), and try and come up with the response that you would give to the atco.
I'm far from perfect, but any Atco who loses their patience with someone who is in your position should be ashamed of themselves, and is failing in the basic principals of providing an atc service. If I'm busy and confronted with someone who's lacking confidence, I'll often not speak to them until I get the opportunity to give them my undivided attention and ensure that they understand what is required etc.
Visiting an atc unit is a good idea, I'm more than happy for any pilot to sit with me for a few hours if it helps them understand what is going on and gives them the confidence to get along with the R/T.
Remember, you can always ask the atco to repeat their message, I'd rather you asked 5 times to understand something than blunder on blindly. ;)

[Whirlybird]

Confidence comes with practice. At 100+ hours I was still scared of the radio; now at 300+ hours I'm not. I'm not entirely sure when or why or how the change took place, but be assured it will get easier. As for misunderstanding, missing things out, and so on, don't worry. As a helicopter pilot (most of the time) I virtually always miss out something when repeating things back and/or ask for it to be repeated, simply because it's impossible in a helicopter to write things down (you'd need three hands) and I can't remember it all. But if you relax and say it reasonably confidently you rarely get yelled at, and if you do - well, so be it. Just carry on and in a year or so you'll wonder what all the fuss was about.

[Toppers]

Sympathise fully with your predicament, I found myself in the same boat at one time. A sure way to rid yourself of the "radio fear" is to do as follows.

Sit down one night and draw a few lines between airfields on your chart. Then (in a private place!) talk through the RT out loud as if you are flying the trip. And then fly the trip backwards, and then assume you have to divert, and then assume the traffic is busy at your destination, and then carry out a go-around etc. etc. etc.

It wont be long before you find you have your own set patter which will work in real life too. (No two pilots give their info in the same order and you will have your own order that comes easiest to you).

One last tip, the speed with which you deliver your messages over the waves is not a reflection of your RT abilities. Some of the best pilots speak in slow/medium speeds but the info is all there and you will get the respect of the controlling authorities you are speaking with a lot quicker.

Don't be afraid of it and if you gst in a flap just speak plain english, at least it will avoid confusions!!!

[Warped Factor]

Worrals,

We're only human, the American bloke was probably just having a bad day and you were the unfortunate soul he took it out on. Not very professional though, it must be said.

Just try imagining the atco on the ground isn't wearing any clothes, or something similar. You shouldn't have any worries about talking to them then :D

Try to use standard phraseology when required. If there's nothing standard for what you want to say, just say it in plain, simple English.

And if you find yourself in the London area sometime, drop me a note and you can come and visit us at London Centre and we'll buy you a coffee and show you how friendly and well balanced all (well most) of us are.

WF.

[FlyingForFun]

Imagine the ATCO isn't wearing any clothes???

I haven't heard that before. But with some of the ATCOs I know, that would certainly make me less reluctant to speak to them!

Hmm. Pity the person I'm thinking of isn't within easy flying distance. Oh well :(

FFF
-------------

[topunicyclist]

I've found visits to ATC (Blackpool in my case) very useful. The ATCOs have always been friendly and willing to answer my many questions. Asking them questions and vice versa makes things a lot easier for all concerend (and less daunting for pilots!).

[Mr Benn]

Just to add to all the good suggestions above.
2 top tips.
Write things down. Have a clipboard with you, or even one of those kneeboards, and a pen attached to it. Be ready before you call on the RT. Practice your own shorthand so you can write it quickly. Think about what you are expecting to hear back - that is a large part of it - when I started flying commercially I had some problem with their reply as I didn't know what they were going to tell me. Now I do its sooo much easier.
and/or:-
Fly with someone else
See if you can find someone to fly with, who doesn't mind you tagging along and ask them if they would mind if you just do the radio. I am sure a lot of pilots would love your offer of help, they can practice their two crew skills as well if they like. They can fly the plane and you can just do the RT. That way there is less pressure and there are 2 of you listening out as well. If you are not sure of anything you have someone to ask.
Of course, you can't log the hours but it doesn't matter if it helps you overcome this problem.

[Kermit 180]

All good suggestions. The main points I used to help myself years ago:

1. Relax.
2. Remember the controllers are human (yes its true! :D ).
3. Write down clearance & ATIS details (abbreviate if you like).
4. Plan and think about what youre going to say before pressing the button.
5. Say it to yourself first (you can benefit from anticipating what youre likely to be told before you even leave and can rehearse on the ground).
6. Speak clearly, audibly and slowly.
7. Ask for the message again if you dont hear or understand it. If the human controller has a problem with that, then theyre not doing their job.
8. Enjoy! Its part of the fun. :)

Kermie :D

[Worrals]

Roger everyone (so to speak) Helpful stuff.
WF: Thanks for the offer. Sounds good. Where are you based? (i.e Is "London" a general or a technical location?) And do you promise to take your clothes off?

Come to that, I do know of one ATCO at Bristol whose voice I would love to undress. How much orbiting on the edge of your zone does a girl have to do before you guys get the message? :rolleyes:

Mr Benn: Flying with someone else and taking over the RT has been a big help. Thanks.

Standby...

:)

[str12]

Topper's suggestion is good. I got my PPL a few days before I left the UK in May and had a bit of a mental block when it came to RT.

My RT Instructor/Examiner was an ATCO and he taught me that they expect information in a particular order. Not mandatory but it helps things go smoothly

C - Call sign and Type, From...To
P - Position
T - Time
L - Level/Alt and QNH
E - Estimated time for next position

I write the CPTLE on my clipboard every time and only have to fill in the blanks.

I drove across the Nullabor Desert from Sydney to Perth 4 weeks ago and each time I was approx. 15nm from the next roadhouse or town I did a dummy radio call and worked them.

By the 5th day I was getting permission to land my F-16 Subaru at Jandakot, where there's a newly restored P51 Mustang, and, for AUS $500 you get 10 minutes in it!!!!

Practise makes perfect.

[Whirlybird]

I'd forgotten when I last posted, but one of the most useful things I did was start training to be an A/G radio operator, at Sleap. I only did six hours, then realised I didn't have time, but it was all during summer weekends, when Sleap is very crowded. I had to handle all the incoming and outgoing aircraft, plus often half a dozen or so in the ciruit, and was left to get on with it unless I really couldn't cope. Having to do it all fast and fluently, without knowing what would be thrown at me next, by pilots with all standards of RT (many worse than mine was) got me over my fear. Find an airport with A/G radio, and ask if you can help - Sleap will be delighted, but there must be others too. It really does work wonders.

[Warped Factor]

Worrals,

I'm based at LATCC (London Area and Terminal Control Centre) so it's London both generally and technically.

I'm in the Terminal Control part of the building.

E-mail me if you want to visit sometime, probably best if I keep my shirt on though ;)

WF.

[mad-andy]

I know the feeling.
When I was training it was at a military field.The ATC guys used to pop in the club for a chat now and then.
I was talking to one of them one day about the `Brain Lock Out`, just after hitting the button.He told me,`Remember just to tell us, who you are,where you are and what you want.If there is anything else we will ask you".This helped me get over the phobia of the button and has been quoted to other students and pilots in the same boat.
Hope its a little help,but we have all come across a controller with the hump,we are all human after all,even controllers,its a matter of `Tact` on their part as in the case of Thames Radar very helpful.

[SKYYACHT]

AND THERE I WAS THINKING I WAS ALONE! I still dread the radio far more than I should. It does get easier though.

Tailwinds

[DOC.400]

My instructor suggested I get an airband radio to listen to. Got me hooked plus I could listen to what NOT to do! However, did find it very useful.

I used to do all the radio work in my head before a flight -that seemed to help as well.

Also, don't be afraid to say, "Say again."

Even after ten years of flying, I didn't understand a peculiar instruction recently whilst backtracking and by the time I'd said 'Say again', a go around was instigated. The instruction, as I learnt, was 'Clear Echo.' If I'd heard 'Clear next right immediate', I may have understood. By the time I found 'Echo' on the chart it was far too late!! Oh well.....

[Fox-1]

Another top-tip:

If you can record your RT, either through the a/c intercom or through an airband radio. Listen to it later and work out what you wanted to say. You'll be surprised to find your RT is better than you thought and it will allow you to iron out those little snags we all get from time to time.

Most professional pilots are good at RT because a) they do it regularly and b) they have a good idea what is coming next.

If all else fails squawk 7600 :eek: (only joking)

[ 04 October 2001: Message edited by: Fox-1 ]

[Whirlybird]

Fox-1, you're absolutely right in saying that knowing what is likely to be said is tremendously helpful. I found that out very recently.

I'm just back from doing the CPL(H) flying course down at Gloucester (not quite finished, but that's another story). The last nav ex I did involved finding two points in the Cotswolds identified only by grid references, going through both Lyneham and Brize MATZes (what's the plural of MATZ?), in a strongish wind and lowish cloudbase. So it was high workload and not a lot of time to think about what to say on the radio, especially in a R22 where you can't write anything down and you're juggling a half mil chart and two OS maps anyway. Well, it got worse than that. Lyneham and Brize were preparing for World War 3 I think, at any rate they didn't want a little R22 on a nav ex bumbling through their zones, and both routed me around, in a fashion which was highly complicated if you didn't know the area, for example: "remain south of some-town-or-other and east of junction 16". Help, where are they? I kept it together (I even found both destinations!), but I really struggled, and often had to ask the obviously overworked controllers to "Say again".

Well, afterwards (when I'd recovered!) my instructor pointed out that even though I didn't know what to expect, I knew what they were doing; they were routing me around the zone. So if they started off sending me east, next heading was likely to be approximately north-east, then north. So despite having to cope with the unexpected, some of it was predictable, which would ease the workload.

I'd thought I could cope with the radio, and I could, normally. But I learned something very useful about it that day.

Nevertheless, I hope I never have to do that again!

[ICU]

As all the others say ..."stick with it" it does become easier. I once was in a similar position, then one day it just became as natural as talking on the phone (well almost!).

Now when I speak I listen to myself, and after I have spoken I think "blimey - not bad, I sound like a pilot".

Good luck, and don't let it gey you down. ;)

[apruneuk]

I have found that R/T fluency goes hand in hand with flying currency. The more you do, the less you have to think about it.
It is very easy to achieve brain overload when flying, particularly when converting to a new type, venturing into unfamiliar airspace, or dealing with unforeseen problems - and the first thing to go out of the window is usually the radio work!
I am by no means an oracle on this subject, but have a CPL/IR and regularly fly jets at relatively low-level around England and Wales and have adopted the following approach to R/T:
1. Know who you are going to talk to before you set out and have the frequencies written down in the order in which you expect to use them.

2. Always have the next expected frequency set on standby.

3. Use LARS as much as possible and ask for a radar information service - you will usually be passed from one agency to the next without having to re-introduce yourself every time you change frequencies.

4. Think about what the guy/gal on the ground needs to know in order to help you - Who are you? What are you? Where are you (and how high)? Where are you going? and What do you want from them?

Preparation really is the key, particularly when you are travelling fast, and will free up your brain capacity for the most important job of all - flying the aeroplane!

[Ringa-Bel?]

If the frequency is busy then try not to leave the transmitter open while you think, if you've missed some info the ATCO should ask for it.

[Infinity]

I'm still young,just started uni and I've only just got my PPL but i'm quite confident with RT.

When I was learning my instrcutor gave me a great tip which helped a lot especially with confidence. Whenever we'd go on cross countries etc... - just write on little post it notes the thnigs that you'd have to say to each airfield - when you'd say it etc... - therefore when you're up in the air you "read" the information to start with. After each transmission rip off the top post it note and there would be one beneath to read the next set of info.

As time goes by, you no longer need to read it just comes so naturally. I really enjoy the RT, speak confidently,calmly and it all seems to work. Don't know - us females are supposed to have better comms skills - maybe it's some instinct too????!!

It would help anyway if I can do RT cos I have a uni bursary to join RAF after uni at an Air Traffic Control Officer!

Keep practising anyway - whenever you're alone just plan through a route in your mind and think what you'd say to each airfield, whenever you have a spare bit of brain power to spare!

Good Luck ( :) )

[skydriller]

I too have a bit of a hang-up when it comes to RT...

But since moving to France at least I dont worry about making mistakes like I used to. At smaller airfields I obviously need to speak French, and local pilots sort of expect you to be bad at the lingo anyway, so getting it wrong doesnt bother me. When I speak to larger ATC units I can revert to English where they are usually getting it a little wrong, as its not their native language, and it takes the pressure off me no end!!

So the answer is to fly over to France!!

;) ;)

[Worrals]

Nice going, Whirly! Couldn't cope with them rotor things myself. One day the earth might stop repelling them..

Apruneuk: I've found that RT fluency and confidence go alongside flying currency only up to a point. That's the problem. You'd think that more hours = greater RT confidence. But it wasn't working like that, hence my rather desperate first post.

But.. a few recent experiences have taught me that, when I really NEED to make/get something clear, I can. And will. As in, "XXXXX radar, you gave me a 'QDM' of 050... That seems to be taking me in totally the wrong direction, unless I'm even loster than I thought. Request confirm: If I fly *in* that direction, I will be going *to* .. EGBF??" "G-BBBF, correction, you're quite right. We were giving you a QTE. Your QDM is..." :rolleyes:

But that little moment of unease is as nothing to the further help I've had from other nice ATCOs. And to all of those (and you know who you are!): Many Thanks. The rest of you: I wish you could remember that we all have to start somewhere. And the learning curve doesn't have a handy QDM...

[carbheatcold]

I too suffered from RT nerves and fear of getting it wrong but got through it by forcing myself to use it more and more. I still make occassional mistakes but just don't let it worry me. I used to ensure that I made use of the LARS service at Luton but now NATS has come the LARS has gone.
I have always found Cottesmore to be helpful and never be afraid to ask if you don't understand. You certainly will not be the first to ask for something to be repeated.
Stick with it, I am great believer that if you sound competent on the radio you can get places that others seemingly less confident won't and finally find a flying friend for whom you could do the radio will they fly, it does make it easier.

[lagonda]

I agree with the idea of getting an air band monitor and just listen. Sounds corny (and possibly illegal! :) ) but if you get a voice activated tape recorder, plug in and record an hours worth - play it in your car when driving. It gets you used to the pace and allows you to 'practice' to some extent.

Just an idea.

Another tip that I was given years ago is to slow your pace of speach and to lower the tone of your voice. With practice it becomes second nature and has a calming effect as well as making you sound more professional. If you sound it, you willl eventually feel it and become it.

[ 14 October 2001: Message edited by: Navig8r ]