Making blind calls to "Traffic"
 

The radio convention looks like this:

[Location] Smallville Traffic
[Aircraft Type / Callsign] Cessna 924AB
[Position / Intentions] Final runway 22 - for touch and go
[Location] Smallville

Do we add location to the end of the transmission in case the beginning gets clipped?

Yes it is a good practice

Yes in case the first part is stepped on, and also because the same ctaf frequency can be used at multiple fields that are within radio range of each other. There are a few places in socal like this...

There's places with multiple airports on the same frequency all over the place, not just in California.

I think there'a another reason, not quite so obvious, and that is it defines the message as being over. You start with location, end with location. If you're listening, you won't (shouldn't) transmit until you've heard the ending location. Not sure how valuable that really is, but maybe.

Aeronautical Information Manual (AIM) 4-1-9:

Adding this is very important. I once flew a circuit, and onto finals, at an airport in Texas with CTAF; just after I made each call, the same call was made by another aircraft! When he called finals just after I did, and we could still not see each other, I went around. He was still nowhere to be found, and it was discovered that he was in the circuit at another airport miles away that happened to have the same runway; he had not been calling out the airport name :}

Remember to look for traffic with your eyes, and not ears.

Far too many try to let the radio do their traffic scan for them.

One of my biggest annoyances on the radio is the pilot that, upon arriving at the end of the runway, announced "Mercer area traffic, Skyhawk Eight Five Niner Xray Foxtrot holding short of runway one six, any inbound traffic please advise."

I completely agree with Guppy, VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules, not vocal flight rules.

That said, to respond to the original question, yes, as a matter of practice, when I transmit, I make the name of the airport the last think I say. It is the most important part of my transmission, and I want it to be memorable for other pilots in that area.

The airfield name is also important so that someone else can reply with:

Whoops :eek: At least it wasn't Calgary Tower.

It certainly is the practice in USA:

Shame the CAA don't give the same advice in UK for Safetycom..........

Cusco

Well, to be frank I never heard it recommended, not even in a specific R/T training (paid!) But it seems a good idea, comes just in time to go with my good intentions for 2011.

The "proper" (whatever that is) use of the radio in the aircraft seems be taught much differently now, than the "old days". When I learned to use the radio (mid 70's), we were taught to convey what needed to be said, including the pertinent information, without un-necessary, or prolonged transmissions, or non-essential information. Certianly no chatter, other than frequencies assigned for that purpose.

More recently ('cause I now hear it all the time), someone is teaching that the aircraft radio can be used like the internet, to convey large amounts of often poorly thought out, and only vaguly relevent information.

While taking helicopter training a few years back, it was taught to me that at apparently geograhpically random places in uncontrolled airspace, one should suddenly broadcast into the airwaves, one's type, altitude, direction, and destination. The appropriate timing of these transmissions seemed to be as predictable to me as my cat suddenly needing to be in another room.

Upon my checking with Flight Service as to their thoughts on this practice, I was promptly told, by a well practiced specialist, (as I related here) VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules, not Vocal Flight Rules. Their very real basis for this position on the subject is that the transmissions are being made on the prevailing FLight Service frequency for the area, and simply tying up their much more appropriate use of their frequency.

Thus, I revert to the "old" way of doing things on the radio. I watch out a lot, and transmit a little, at appropriate times relative to geography, airspace, and traffic patterns.

But, if I need to transmit, telling people where I am, is of the greatest importance to me. I want to attract local attention by telling people where I am first, and inform the person who was late to hear my transmission, by telling people where I am last as well...

We have higher standards and are expected to hear the name of the aerodrome the first time. :)

Yes we do have standards, not necesarily better though. Say airfield name before & after is good practice, in fact I'd say essential. & what is wrong with "over"? The mil still use it, like what I was tort.

"Borton Traffic, G-ABCD, FINAL Runway 09" seems pretty clear to me.

It's clear if everyone hears the entire transmission the first time, the same frequency isn't in use by several airports at the same time, and everyone is flying the same size traffic pattern with the same type of aircraft.

If someone is going to use their callsign, why not include the aircraft type? I can't read your registration number from a mile or two away, but I can tell what type of aircraft you are. If three airplanes end up competing for the same spot of airspace, one a Cessna Skyhawk, one Piper Warrior, and one a Learjet, G-ABCD won't tell me much. If instead, I hear "Borton traffic, Skyhawk G-ABCD, three mile final, runway 09, Borton," I have a much better idea of what type aircraft is calling, where it is (three mile final as opposed to short final or ten mile final), and what to look for.

Some get a little too carried away, especially with accurate GPS indications, and one hears call-outs every half-mile from thirty miles away (Warrior 86X 11.3 miles west, etc). It's useful to know, however, if one is on quarter mile final, rather than a fifteen mile straight-in.

There's certainly such thing as too much verbiage, and that's not good either. The pilot who call in, "Yadalahooie area traffic, Cessna skyhawk November Niner Six Foxtrot Bandana Ringworm is about sixteen miles west of Hansons Pond near the old grain silo, heading more or less east. We're about eight thousand feet, planning on landing on runway six, and we're figuring on flying over the field for a left downwind to six. My sign is Leo, I'm wearing a green plaid shirt with black shorts, my turn-ons include cats that don't shed, lawn mowers, and flat beer. I like long walks in the rain, refried beans, and the color blue. Any traffic in the area, please advice, Yadalahooie." Perhaps a little much.

Egads Guppy, you spoke my mind!

I'm watching Canadian Bacon, on satellite, right now so I may just be channeling Canadian. We'll see after the show is over...

Because the local standard phraseology is designed differently and CAP413 sets out the phrases to be used in the UK.

You should know, as a professional pilot, that the purpose of having standard phrases is to achieve standardisation and increased comprehension. Tenerife in 1977 taught us the importance of that.

Anyway, as you said in an earlier post, you should be looking for the traffic with your eyes, not your ears.

As a 'non aligned' person, I find that the radio phraseology in the UK and USA is different, but works well in each domain, so long as people respect the mandated phrases.

The appropriate use of aircraft type is very sensible and CAP413 already states this:

However, as ever, brevity is of the essence, hence "Cessna G-ABCD" is useful, but "Rheims Cessna F152 Aerobat G-ABCD" may be deemed a little too much info on every call :)