Squawk [code] "coming down!"
 

It appears some of my colleagues, including those who fly the same modern airliner as me, still have in their cockpits, transponders with great big levers that they have to pull down and then announce "coming down!" (poor buggers, must take some effort).

Seriously, what is the origin of the phrase "coming down"? Am I the only one who has never seen a transponder more archaic than this one?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...nsponder04.jpg

Most of the big machines have the transponder on the center pedestal. So they put the code down. What's the problem with that?

I always thought this sounded quite amateurish to be quite honest, along with the "flash" when asked to IDENT.

just like "[code] in the box"

By zerozero:

As of you guys and girls in the USofA sound "professional" on te radio..:ugh:

It can be countered by ATC telling you to "strangle your parrot" when changing to your en-route frequency.

Seriously, what is the origin of the phrase "coming down"?

To, seriously, answer the question with what IMHO has some merit of belief:

ATC asks you, in the air way above mother earth, to send them a signal telling them where and who you are. It is sent from on hi to down below. I've not heard any better explanation.

It's just poor RT. A sign of the times.

I prefer the correct terminology: "5422 - Comin' atch ya - Cleopatra!"

Flash is controller jargon, I believe. Along with "snap" for direct, etc.

Never to be confused with "choke you chicken"!

It was used in the air force many moons ago, probably before zerozero was One...

Folks,
"Coming down" was an affectation of British European Airways (BEA) starting back in the 1960s, and was, unfortunately, emulated by the impressionable, in the mistaken belief, in the UK, that the British "Corporations" were the height of professionalism.
On would have thought that the heaps of scrap aluminium they (BEA and BOAC) left around the landscape in those days, might have given pause for thought on that score.
Mercifully, it is only occasionally heard in this day and age.
Tootle pip!!

A bit like "Xx center, Acorn three too won comin' down too too oh passing three won oh smooth" (spoken rapidly as if speaker's hair is on fire)

Probably only sounds cool to the person speaking it. Why not simply say "squawk xxxx"?

Saying "coming down" might give the controller a heart attack!

Talking of annoying r/t isms, why do certain airline pilots prefix their call sign with "The"? Obviously, it makes them sound stupid to everyone else but do they think it give them extra kudos or priority?

Or ATC clearance "Climb to Angels 330 - buster to Angels 120":ok: Or heard at Guam in the 1950's as a formation of F86 Sabres commenced their initial approach "Six out with six swords clearance to buzz and break the hot strip. And on final "On final, boots on and laced"

what is the origin of the phrase "coming down".

Probably the US

As a non American flying domestic in the US, every day I chuckle at the rubbish spoken on the radio.

"comin down" is common for a transponder code.

"Like to go on request for FLxxx" when simply "request FLxxx" would be much quicker.

"best forward speed" cracks me up every time.

"climb to and maintain" is my fave, like we are going to climb to 7000' and then just keep on climbing????

Checked CAP413, can't find any reference to it!

Regards,

GBD

Drives me mad hearing this crap nowadays. must be getting old.....

They could all talk a little slower on the radio in the US if they just got to the point instead of all the froth and bubble crap thats not needed.

It's always amazed me how US pilots talk on the radio, even airliners in foreign non-English speaking countries. Top in my book are an AA 737 pilot who told an ATCO in a South American country they were "low on gas". Jesus...

And there was this guy who read back the altimeter setting 30.00 as "all balls on the altimeter".

Seriously, where do they get this stuff from?

Never once heard that in the US.

But, "We'd like to put a request in for FL340, if available," drives me nuts. This isn't Mother, May I?

I like to call that "2 foot 6"!

Apart from the usual garbage RT here in the US, this annoys me:

Center, ABC123...

ABC123, Center, go ahead

ABC123 would like to put FL380 on request

:ugh::ugh::ugh:

Who teaches this nonsense? Is it that some people get paid for superfluous transmissions?

Some people like to customise their language and just like customising cars it seldom works aesthetically except in the eye of the perpetrator and makes everyone else laugh or cringe.

Adding superfluous words to big up simple phrases is rife in all walks of life, vide "onward journey", an utter nonsense phrase if ever there was one as you can't perform a journey backwards. Cabin crew often use the appallingly inappropriate "final destination" - which is the grave of course, where you are going is simply your destination. Some train lines use the excruciating expression "station stop" instead of "station" and "terminate" their trains at the end of the line which is surely a shocking waste of a perfectly good train. Most modern (over)use of "absolutely" is completely unnecessary, as is the appalling "like".

Just human nature I guess.

Shame some pilots aren't like a bit more, like, Professional about it though...

Absolutely.

My personal pet hate is anyone going "direct the Park" in the London TMA.

That and people identing without request...

Reading back squawk ident is mandatory isn't it? How do ATC know if the correct person is squawking otherwise.

Jwscud, you bugger, you edited!

Not only in the cockpit:

On descent a few decades ago, F/A says - "The captain has eliminated the no smoking light"

and

"Welcome to Boston Logan airport, or wherever your final destination may take you" (think about it...)

Often heard "We would ask you to fasten your seat belts.: "Would"? :rolleyes:

JFK. "XYZ call ILS established."
XYZ. "we're on the glide and starting to slide."

That's a gem RAT 5

Stuff from the cabin that gets up my nose:

"At this time...." tray tables away etc.

and

"put THAT tray table away" and "THAT seatbelt sign" etc.

And in the terminal:

"Last and final boarding call". WTF????

Mind you we're not doing so great in my Spanish speaking country. For some reason ATC needs to constantly tell every pilot they are "correct" when they readback every single instruction.

- ATC: ABC123 turn left this heading
- ABC123: Turn left this heading
- ATC: Correct

Jeez..

And then there's the ground controllers instructing aircraft to taxi via "diagonal" X and "parallel" Y... For some reason we like to make things a bit more difficult than they are...

Can't beat the 'practice pan' in the UK for sheer inanity.


Transmitting over guard and using this frequency for a pretend emergency, compromising it for those that really have one is allowed is beyond me.

Can't beat the 'practice pan' in the UK for sheer inanity.

Before this takes off again into an extended rant this topic has been done to death on '121.5 morons' topic.


JFK ATC, "XYZ cleared for takeoff RW XX."

XYZ. "OK, here we go, see ya."

I kid you not; as was the slidy GP comment.

RAT 5 sorry - had a brain fart and didn't think about what I was writing!

Maybe "coming down" is left over from the days before radio and transponders? When they wrote their designation on a piece of paper (for the younger once: paper is an ancient analog version of an ipad with no touch screen), put it in a small gunnysack and bucked off over a reporting station? ;-)

talk about cringing...i get flashes when in the cabin the rather stupid announcement is made,inevitable from nigel : on behalf of myself and the crew... duhhhhhhh

Yes, sadly, the vast majority of extraneous, verbose RT does seem to be heard in the USA, or from US crews elsewhere in the world. Some of the jargon used seems to have a military origin, often unsuited to the civil RT environment.

In those parts of the world where English is not in common use, both the verbosity and jargon sometimes result in cringeworthy RT exchanges that could easily be avoided if brevity and standard ICAO phrasing were adhered to. Ho hum.