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How to deal with bad pilots??

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How to deal with bad pilots??

Old 31st Jan 2010, 23:10
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How to deal with bad pilots??

What will u do if pilots speak lazily especially during rush hour ,and what will do if pilot say the dirty words to u ?
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 00:14
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what will do if pilot say the dirty words to u ?
Does it not depend on which dirty words and in what context they are said? On the RT it might be a no-no, but if the pilot has just come into your hotel bedroom it may be a fuller ATC service that is required?

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Old 1st Feb 2010, 00:24
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It isn't often a problem. When it's busy, most pilots seem to be able to tell by the sounds on the radio that this is no time for chit-chit (lazy talk) and keep everything to the point.
I've only heard the dirty words when a radio was left open by accident.

Basically, do nothing. If it keeps happening, perhaps a polite reminder...something like "I'm real busy, please observe radio discipline" should do the job.
If it keeps happening, take it up with your supervisor.
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 07:03
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Poor use of the radio is not necessarily an indicator of someone being a "bad pilot"! There are plenty of pilots with a limited grasp of English who probably have flying skills that would make 95% of the world's pilots jealous.

Having said that, a limited grasp of English can also combine with poor airmanship. So, keep it simple! One instruction per transmission, speak slowly and clearly, and be prepared to lose a little expedition for however long it takes to get that particular aircraft onto someone else's frequency. DON'T GET ANGRY!

I've only heard one bit of swearing on the radio in 14 years or so - a British pilot asked for push and start, and I had to tell him that his CTOT had just changed and was now over an hour away. "Oh sh*t", he said. It seem justified to me, so I ignored the language and put a ready message into the system for him.

We have to be aware that what seems annoying to us in ATC, can often be due to factors we don't appreciate. The 777, for example, has automated cockpit announcements for just about everything and they can make it difficult for the crew to hear us. As per the law of sod, this is most likely to happen when we're issuing a turn instruction that needs to happen RFN.

The things that annoy me the most are:

1. a pilot coming onto the frequency without listening out for a few seconds first, and thus stepping on a readback.

2. a pilot being told "standby" but going ahead with his life story anyway, and

3. [and this is really not that important but hey, they have the job they always wanted!] grumpy pilots.
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 08:48
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Thanks for the understanding reply Scooby, can I say in defence of point 1, there are certain freq changes that appear to require the antenna to retune somehow and that happens when the 'transmit' trigger is initially pressed after the change. I have waited a couple of seconds after a freq change and on pressing the transmit switch/trigger suddenly a voice is heard in the middle of a transmission. If you're quick enough not to speak and let go then its a minor interruption but if not....

There should be no acceptable reason for a pilot to be offensive when talking to ATC, I apologise on behalf of those who are or have been.
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 09:04
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In more than 35 years as a controller I think the number of "rude" pilots could be counted on the fingers of one hand., The number of "rude" controllers would be significantly more.

Worst pilots? A Sabena Caravelle captain who would block the frequency if he didn't get the clearance he wanted and a certain, not so bootiful, turkey who would block the freq for five minutes complaining that he was not allowed to fly through active danger areas where WW3 was being re-enacted
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 09:33
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When I an tired, the first thing to indicated this seems to be speech. Certain long callsigns with too many zero's or tongue tied letters together can give me issues - generally ending up as a mumble - which is frustrating as I take pride in complying with good form when it comes to RT. I have tried getting wired on caffine, slouching with the chair reclined, speaking fast and slow but unfortunately a good nights sleep isn't always possible as you all are too aware.
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 10:21
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The best way - 'ABC make one left orbit'.
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 10:41
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The things that annoy me the most are:

1. a pilot coming onto the frequency without listening out for a few seconds first, and thus stepping on a readback.

2. a pilot being told "standby" but going ahead with his life story anyway, and

3. [and this is really not that important but hey, they have the job they always wanted!] grumpy pilots.
Trust me, pilots don't appreciate this type of r/t use either.

The other point would be that if you're speaking about a transport aircraft, this type of behavior doesn't necessarily reflect on the pilot at the controls, only the radio operator.
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 13:18
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Give him a nice long routing to calm down
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 14:36
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A nice long routing would make me happy, I get paid by the hour.
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Old 1st Feb 2010, 18:39
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Nothing wrong with a nice long routing.
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Old 2nd Feb 2010, 13:39
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Thanks everybody, I have been worked as a controller for 3 years , I know it is not long enough compared with you ,but I have found that I begin to lose the patient and passion with this job , at first I was trying to speak well to the pilots no matter how rude they are even if they shouted at me! But now , I do not know why ,I am easy to become anger with pilots ,especially the kind of pilots that speak lazily even if I never delay them ,their voice is just like they are gonna die or have not waken up yet !!! Or some heavy jet pilots ,they think they are good enough because they are big jet pilots ,so if they request something and it is not approved or if you make a maneuver to them ,they always say a lot ,that really made me mad sometimes !!!!
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Old 2nd Feb 2010, 18:56
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Well the rudest thing a pilot told me yet was something like "I hope this works", while he was catching up on his preceding on the final. Never figured out an appropriate response, especially not while working.

What really stirs some anger in me is when I'm working on the director freq with 7 a/cs turning, reducing speed, intercepting locs, descending (blahblahblahblah all the time), and my fellow radars send me aircraft with a "contact director, callsign only", and the answer is something like "hello good afternoon radar, this is airline123, an A320 with info lima, descending fourthousand out of five, speed 220 on a radar heading of 160 and we are anytime ready for a visual approach"
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Old 2nd Feb 2010, 20:21
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One of my peers last week transferred an aircraft to next sector after a somewhat flexible sequence requiring multiple speed changes and vectors. Pilot's reply: "Thank Christ"

Amused most of us but the controller wasn't too happy. Changes weren't his doing, simply his to enact to try and meet changing landing times.
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Old 2nd Feb 2010, 20:47
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Some pilot asked if I was a Kiwi the other day...just about the rudest thing anyone has ever said
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Old 2nd Feb 2010, 21:26
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Originally Posted by divingduck
Some pilot asked if I was a Kiwi the other day...just about the rudest thing anyone has ever said
Crikey! That's pretty bad.
Lucky for him that (a) You're probably professional enough to not let it affect the service you give,
(b) He didn't call you an Australian.
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Old 3rd Feb 2010, 03:55
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Come on, duck. Those of us who know you know you hold secret aspirations to be one of us! After all, we are taking over the world (slowly) and we don't even need an airforce to do it.

Enjoy: YouTube - 100% Anti-New Zealand From Australia

Edited to add the video.

Last edited by ATCO1962; 3rd Feb 2010 at 04:05.
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Old 3rd Feb 2010, 04:37
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Only encountered 1 exceptionally rude pilot about to depart...he got..."XYZ, cancel clearance, vacate the runway"
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Old 3rd Feb 2010, 07:38
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Slackie,

Did you make him go and stand in the corner like a naughty boy?
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