Inflight announcements
 

Hello Guardians of the skies...have you encountered inflight announcements whilst in Approach Radar Environment? I just encountered one recently and the guy blocked my frequency for almost a minute. What I would like to know is whether there are procedures for pilots not to make such announcements within the TMA. Of course it was a genuine error on the part of the crew but it can and will affect safety. So how do you avoid it. Much thanks for replies.

I don't think any pilot would do it on purpose.

You can pick it up if you can hear the PA bong and you pick up you haven't heard it when you push the tit.

Also as well personally I don't have the PA selected in the panel so if I hear the PA I know its going out on one of the radio freqs and I can then stop the PNF from transmitting.

Occasionally this can happen on any frequency. Obviously it's not too difficult to do. I've heard many over the years.
Usually the pilot involved realizes his mistake early in the PA and stops transmitting, a chorus of catcalls often follows.

There is no need for a procedure for pilots not to make these announcements, nobody does it on purpose, and the last thing we need is more pointless rules.

If you need to contact the ATC unit urgently while one of these happens, that's what the backup/secondary frequency is for. Most ATC units have them.

It shouldn't affect safety. Otherwise also an RT failure, a blocked frequency etc etc would also affect safety, but they shouldn't, if safe instructions are issued.
If you point 2 aircraft at each other planning on turning them later and then the PA announcement goes off, it's not the pilot's fault ;)

Have occasionally heard "cabin crew 10 minutes to landing" just after giving a vector off the hold. More common to hear the pre-flight talk about flight times, weather, and blaming ATC for their slot after giving them their clearance :)

But it does and it doesn't matter what frequency it happens on either. I've had several over the years and have on occasion had to make several calls to other sectors to recoordinate at different levels due to not being able to get in and issue a final instruction to meet a standing agreement. We all rely on our colleagues to put planes where we expect them, miss one and the pattern is very full very quickly and those windows can become instantly useful.....

There isn't any way of avoiding it other than making the method of talking to the cabin vastly different and harder than talking to ATC, but I doubt a cockpit would welcome that either.

As for a backup frequency, you could always talk to the D & D cell on 121.5 in the UK, but they wouldn't be able to do much either. Best sit and look at TCAS for the duration........

Since pilot controller datalink is mandatory from february 2013 at least for core european states there should be a way around that particular problem. Is there any experience about that with maastricht? Or any other european agency that uses CPDLC? New aircraft from the beginning of this year on have to be equipped with CPDLC (in europe that is).

I've experienced once a very thorough captain welcoming his passengers in 4 or 5 languages in detail with the full flight route, thank god it was "only" an apron frequency and we knew at which point to switch to ground. Could have been quite bad on lets say a director frequency.

The only time I was quick enough to think of a comeback was one time the pilots announced to the passengers that "due to ATC-incompetence we have to do a turn in the holding pattern". (Reason for holding was go-arounds on a crossing RWY)

My reply was: "XXX123, Due to pilot incompetence, do two turns in the holding"

I know it's wrong, but it felt so good :8

On the other hand, there have been instances where ATC calls have been announced on PA
"cleared to push and start...." oops:}

99.9% of slots I've ever had have been due to ATC capacity, normally enroute. I don't think I just tell it as it is. Not paid enough to think 🤪