Letting passengers listen in
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Join Date: Jul 2002
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Letting passengers listen in
This is a question for UAL flight crew and/or corporate pilots or others who have the option to piping in ATC communications into the cabin entertainment system. As far as I know, UAL is the only regular US airline that routinely makes ATC communications available.
I am an experienced private pilot (comm/inst/SEL, 2000+ hrs) and also a UA frequent flyer with loads of time listening to ATC as a passenger. In my experience on UA, for about 70% of flights ATC is on channel 9 without asking. Of the others, many captains will put it on if asked, but some just never do it--they either mumble "it's not available today" or "it's not working", but that's usually (always?) BS.
I'm interested to hear the pros and cons. I can imagine many (most?) of the arguments pro and con, some of which I have experienced with passngers in my C182. but I'm interested in hearing from you. Those who do it routinely, why do you do it when some of your colleagues do not? And those who don't like it or simply refuse, what is your reasoning?
Thanks! HHH (UA 1K/million)
I am an experienced private pilot (comm/inst/SEL, 2000+ hrs) and also a UA frequent flyer with loads of time listening to ATC as a passenger. In my experience on UA, for about 70% of flights ATC is on channel 9 without asking. Of the others, many captains will put it on if asked, but some just never do it--they either mumble "it's not available today" or "it's not working", but that's usually (always?) BS.
I'm interested to hear the pros and cons. I can imagine many (most?) of the arguments pro and con, some of which I have experienced with passngers in my C182. but I'm interested in hearing from you. Those who do it routinely, why do you do it when some of your colleagues do not? And those who don't like it or simply refuse, what is your reasoning?
Thanks! HHH (UA 1K/million)
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It's fun, but I'm not sure it's a good thing for those who don't understand what's happening. That said, my wife and I flew out of Heathrow some years ago on a flight with R/T available on one of the audio channels. There was an engine oil warning light at the holding point and the discussion between the crew and their engineers was quite scary and the cabin went very quiet for a long time!!
As markjoy suggested, this would be better on aircrew forum...
As markjoy suggested, this would be better on aircrew forum...
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Wherever it belongs...
I fly on UAL quite a lot, and find that listening in to Ch.9 makes the journey a lot more enjoyable. It's interesting trying to understand the technical language starting from a position of ignorance, and when you do, you get more information about what's going on, than is announced on the PA. Since I'm someone who dislikes not being in control of my own destiny, I find this helpful in reducing the resulting frustration of long flights.
I'm sure that if any serious incident occurred, the pilot would usually just cut it off anyway, so the passengers would be none the wiser.
I realise that a lot of ATC professionals don't like the idea of "outsiders" listening in, but it's certainly given me a lot of respect for the job that ATC does.
And why is it that no UAL pilot can actually pronounce "BovingDon", it's always "BovingTon"
I fly on UAL quite a lot, and find that listening in to Ch.9 makes the journey a lot more enjoyable. It's interesting trying to understand the technical language starting from a position of ignorance, and when you do, you get more information about what's going on, than is announced on the PA. Since I'm someone who dislikes not being in control of my own destiny, I find this helpful in reducing the resulting frustration of long flights.
I'm sure that if any serious incident occurred, the pilot would usually just cut it off anyway, so the passengers would be none the wiser.
I realise that a lot of ATC professionals don't like the idea of "outsiders" listening in, but it's certainly given me a lot of respect for the job that ATC does.
And why is it that no UAL pilot can actually pronounce "BovingDon", it's always "BovingTon"
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Good, 'cause when I go down there in August I'll be bringin' me scanner, and I'll be listenin' to ye! 
A lot of US airlines I remember used to let passengers listen in to ATC conversations (pretty much how I first got the "bug" years ago). A lot of US airlines stopped after the AA DC-10 crash, as many of the pax were listening to ATC and watching cockpit video (AA had a camera in the cockpits of DC-10s so pax could watch takeoff and landing from the cockpit).
A lot of US airlines I remember used to let passengers listen in to ATC conversations (pretty much how I first got the "bug" years ago). A lot of US airlines stopped after the AA DC-10 crash, as many of the pax were listening to ATC and watching cockpit video (AA had a camera in the cockpits of DC-10s so pax could watch takeoff and landing from the cockpit).
Yeah, go for it. You might find the airwaves a bit quiet after the US, though. Peak times around Wellies between 730 -930 am, around midday, and from bout 3pm, depending on wx.
Yeah, that O'hare accident must've been one of the more hideous things to see unfolding on the IFE screen. Remember it well. Poor old DC10, they were a lovely aircraft.
Yeah, that O'hare accident must've been one of the more hideous things to see unfolding on the IFE screen. Remember it well. Poor old DC10, they were a lovely aircraft.
