7 Things Pilots Say that not Everybody Wants to Hear - Debating pilot slang

[@erictaylor5462]

One of my favorites happened while flying with my dad. We were holding on the runway waiting for a plane on very short final when I asked my dad if the planes wheels were down. Without resounding to me my dad keyed the radio and said "Aircraft on final. Go around! Gears gears gears." He said the final "gears" as the plane crossed in front of us about not too many feet or so above the ground. Fortunately the pilot was already responding to the "go around" call and had already added power. He came withing about 10 or 15 feet of the ground but was able to climb out and PROPERLY configure his plane for landing. Clearly the pilot was good enough to understand when you hear "go around" you just do it. Don't bother asking why. The guy came over the radio and thanked my dad. Dad just said, "Thank my 12 year old son." It was the best ever "Thanks kid." I ever heard.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

THAT'S A GREAT STORY!!! I wish I kept a record of the best stories on my channel so I could do an episode about them all some day.

[@lowprofile2412]

Eric Taylor great story, thanks

[@bonchie1]

There's an airport I fly into often where the tower will actually announce "check gear down" in your landing clearance. Even if you are fixed gear lol. It's a joint public/ANG base so I figure it's something to do with the military traffic.

[@Ked_gaming]

Military ATC doesn't really check with you on final because fighter pilot do "break" aproaches, instead they ask for 3 green ;)

[@hempelcx]

Yes, military towers offer a "check gear down" warning for every approach as standard procedure.

[@rcLawnDartPilot]

As one of my instructors said, PTT stands for "Push to talk", not "Push to think".

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

HA! That's a good one.

[@davidneustaeter8332]

That should be added to the training manual. Good one 👍

[@meganb.2249]

Someone in my driving instruction class thought the E on the gas guage stood for "Extra."

[@xX_Skraith_Xx]

The worst is ATC asking a pilot how far out they are and the pilot immediately keying the mic and letting a "G'uuuuuuh" rip until they figure out their distance

[@jakecresn3749]

Nah, "e" stands for "enough." On the shifter "P" is "pass" and "R" is "race."

[@Logarithm906]

7 Things Pilots Say that Nobody Wants to Hear... For non-pilots "Where's the airport?" "Was that our engine?" "That's not a normal noise" "I'm sure we had more fuel than this" "Do you remember where we're going?" "I wonder what this button does" "I shouldn't have pressed that button"

[@craigmorgan8493]

Firebird Now THAT was funny! ....and more accurate!

[@niceguy2171]

You missed "Ut Oh"

[@MrBrno]

"Just ignore the alarms and we'll be fine"

[@orbitalrm]

Firebird “hey you see that bird? Let’s try to suck it with our jet engine!”

[@DinoDays703]

"Is that the runway?"

[@nickpedersen3032]

"Cherokee 8115P, say intentions" "Intentions"

[@aeroengguy448]

"Cherokee 8115P, say cancelling instruments"

[@donovanhuffine2983]

I actually said that at my first ever towered landing... embarrassing.

[@tomlawson4713]

My father once tuned into a new frequency only to hear a pilot asked to squawk, and the pilot replied (completely seriously, might I add) with an impression of a crow.

[@HJBounell]

I've done that. I'm a smartass!

[@rcbif101]

"With you..." - ATC - "Well I'm glad he's not against us, we're sitting ducks down here!"

[@LavenderSystem69]

That actually sounds like something Kennedy Steve would've said before he retired

[@Hashpassion]

It's 1am and im not a pilot why I'm watching this

[@josephgurgui8686]

Because it's cool and you're cool and as long as safety issues aren't involved, screw the rules. That's why :P

[@discreditor]

To help you sleep my man, excellent choice of video if i may be so bold to say so.

[@deeanna8448]

Not a pilot either, and I'm watching! It's only 9:15 though!

[@Jonathan-pz6ws]

official Putin Interesting😂

[@terriecotham1567]

to learn

[@JJGuardian]

There is a radio culture which, rightly or wrongly, impacts things. I started my flight training at a fully controlled airfield that was also a very busy training field for professional & private students. I got very good at taking a moment to prepare what to say before saying it and getting ahead of my little plane. I was very proud of my radio work. I did my last 30 hours of training at a completely uncontrolled airport. I got razzed by instructors for doing regular position call outs to local traffic in the student practice area to update where I was and what menouvers I was practicing, just in case. One instructor in another plane in the practice area went so far as to begin requesting position checks one after another, again and again to make fun. I answered them all as is legally required but that was BS. There were a number of uncontrolled procedure call outs I would have been shot for ignoring but this airport told you not to bother doing since it was, their own frequency. The other one I loved was sloppy activity in the circuit. Call out turning on base, half way along downwind and then taking the xcountry downwind. The one that stands out was coming over the Center field to join the downwind. I notice another Cessna that was crossing along downwind but was above. It was an instructor and he called out his altitude as the circuit alt and claiming to be in the circuit. I called back asking if he was the Cessna at (circuit+75 feet). He was shocked and admitted he wasn’t where he said he was. 2 years later he and a student died in a midair collision on their way to the practice area. He was a sweet fellow. So yeah, maybe some bad habits were forced on potentially good pilots because of local airfield culture.

[@ccandmore]

Interesting point. Per haps there may be some truth in that

[@MJLeger-yj1ww]

There are pretty standard rules for radio communication. No room for "local airfield lingo" EVER!

[@aviatortrucker6285]

10-4!

[@moistnugget3717]

I am 15 hours into flight training and I am lucky enough to not have been exposed to any of these bad habits. Thanks for the video! Without watching this I would have had not idea what that slang meant.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

I do my best, friend :) I was about to walk away from my computer, but returned simply to say that your username makes me laugh every time! XD

[@MillionFoul]

What are you doing /k/omrade? Do not exit containment for your own safety!

[@randyporter3491]

Moist Nugget Sounds like you have already acquired the most important skill and that's listening, watching (yes, videos like this), asking questions and soaking up the mountain of "free" information out there. Sure, you have to filter it, but just like these tips from an ATC, there alot of good information you can pick up. Good luck with your training, be safe!

[@scorpio66invt]

when you go solo for the first time say to your instructor ,"Watch this Alpha Max Flyby I saw on TV last nite!" then close the door and watch him lose his mind!!!!

[@AreeyaKKC]

7500... Seven five taken alive. 7600... Seven six need a fix. 7700...seven seven goin to heaven.

[@brunosoares3155]

I knew: Seven five man with a knife Seven six need a fix Seven seven I'm falling from heaven

[@moistnugget3717]

I wanted to share a little embarrassing thing I said on the radio. I play the game battlefield 1 a lot and they use the old british words for letters when talking about the objectives in the game. For instance, A is apple, b is butter, and d is duff. Well when I was told to taxi to runway 8 at alpha via delta alpha I read back "taxi to runway 8 at apple via delta apple." There was a pause and then ground just said back "apple...?" Then I offered my correction and slapped my forehead lol.

[@graemejwsmith]

I thought "B" was "Boy" and 'D" was "Dog" during WWII....

[@marceloa.1597]

Battlefield 1 is set in wwi

[@unusualbydefault]

Armadyl Featherbreeze so you mean the nato phonetic alphabet ;) it took some time to figure out a proper phonetic alphabet for ALL nations, more research than one would guess

[@ryanjhenry2493]

BAHAHAHA! funny ;p

[@BManStan1991]

We've captured objective Butter!

[@ChaplainDaveSparks]

Good points. My guess is that starting a radio transmission with "uhh" or "ahhh" was someone's idea of how to avoid "short keying". Short keying is keying the mic, trying to start speaking right away, and having your first word or syllable get cut off because you either timed it wrong, or the radio didn't react as fast as your mouth.

[@MJLeger-yj1ww]

That is a common error! Engage brain, then button, then mouth!

[@AmyAnnLand]

I think people in general use those filler words (um, and, like, etc) in everyday conversations so there will be pilots who speak that way. It is hard to break the habit after you've been using them for so long. It took me a long time to stop and I didn't even realize I used filler words until a professor pointed it out to be back in college. People just sound more eloquent and articulate when those words aren't used.

[@YamahaC7SRG]

Yep, that's it. Older radios, especially voice-activated intercoms, cut off the first syllable so we started transmissions with 'uh' or 'and.' Newer radios are much better but old habits are hard to break.

[@knussear]

@@YamahaC7SRG I fly an open cockpit bird with a VOX to keep the wind noise down, and depending on the setting sometimes a verbal noise is needed to key the mike, button or no button.

[@NETBotic]

You've got uhhhh another youtube user, annnnnnd, great video, uhhhhhh anyone else watching please advise. Best part 4:27.059834. Clear of the comments section, over.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

You make me laugh :)

[@TonyP9279]

As Airforceproud95 would say: "You are clear to Alt-F4."

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Love it! XD

[@cheryltaylor-quinn9486]

Jon Netbotic; as my head explodes

[@kingfisher7360]

I've been laughing at this for way too long. Good one

[@captainjohnh9405]

Please, for heaven sake, do NOT tow a King Air with the air stairs down! A bump along the way and those low hanging stairs will get hit, and doors on King Airs are hand fitted. It will be two months before that plane is back in service.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Lol I figured somebody would notice that and confirm what I was suspecting.

[@harryhenrygebel3506]

I'm not even a pilot and when I saw that I though, "hmm, that looks a little off."

[@titaniumlegs]

Haha, I saw that too. But then, I'm just a 180-hour private pilot flying 172s. The King Airs I've jumped out of don't have air stairs - just plexi sliding doors.

[@Bartonovich52]

Meh... maybe. Most like not, though. That 100 has to be close to the scrapyard anyways.

[@captainjohnh9405]

Really? I have flown C-90s much older that were still turning a profit.

[@jhutch1470]

I was field training a new police officer and found the most unusual "tick" he had. He would transmit something over the radio, and sound fine doing it. But when he let off the PTT button he would click his tongue off of the roof of his mouth while opening his mouth really wide. Every time. He got a little better with it, but still does it to this day.

[@leeryan1969]

I agree with uploader. As a fixed-wing and helicopter pilot, correct radio terminology should be mandatory and universal among pilots

[@gevmage]

And of course, the people who chat about their lives on the CTAF are the worst. The guy who taught me to fly did this a bit. He would call out to people whose voices he recognised. He only did it for 30 seconds at a time, so it wasn't too bad. One time I was flying from Knoxville to Chattanooga (probably mostly to get cross-country time; I think it was when I needed to be building cross-country hours, so I was VFR with not a lot to do). And air time is the most precious thing around, so I generally do my own reporting and otherwise stay off the air. I was monitoring 122.8, and two guys apparently in different airplanes that knew each other starting having a long conversation about their weekend. They talked for a couple of minutes on air, and then went silent. I thought "phew, that's over". And then they got back on frequency and spent another couple of minutes talking about what they were going to do the following weekend. Then that finally tapered off, so I still stayed off. But then they started talking about where they were going for Christmas. I waited for a gap, keyed the mic and said "To the two guys who are talking about Christmas; the rest of us don't care". There was deafening silence.

[@aeromagnumtv1581]

Awesome!

[@MrBrno]

Man, that sounds distracting, therefore dangerous.

[@Tmanaz480]

LOL ..This is not Ham radio!

[@LavenderSystem69]

This story is literally the epitome of CB Channel 19 these days. All jabberjaw or deafening silence, no usable info. Gets to the point where I wait for a gap and key up to say "gentlemen, if you're gonna shoot the shit like this, you got 37 other viable channels to do it on. Leave 19 for actual communication, over."

[@organphil]

Once, a year or so ago, the tower at SAC had an on-frequency discussion with a pilot who had just returned from visiting New York City. He was commenting about the large numbers of cops on the streets and how comforting that seemed to him. It went on for more than a minute, and I was wanting to say goodby and jump to NorCal for flight following. When the friendly conversation finally concluded I got on the frequency and told the tower I'd like to change my plans and get direct to New York City . . . In a Cherokee 140.

[@aztcgreg]

Clear of the runway is one of the four recommended calls when inbound to a non towered field AIM

[@Zankaroo]

I want to buy a Piper Cub and paint it purple just to mess with you.

[@midgetrace]

You could buy a Mercedes and put a wing on it and some cool stuff with stripes too only cuts down the resale value

[@tabchanzero8229]

The purple piper plays his tune, The choir softly sing; Three lullabies in an ancient tongue, For the court of the crimson king.

[@meganb.2249]

@@midgetrace Hey, if you liked it then you should've put a wing on it.

[@akaSlasher]

I never saw a purple Cub I never hope to see one But I will tell you frankly bub I'd rather spy one than fly one

[@philipmcniel4908]

Hey, the one in FSX had two alternate liveries, a cream-and-burgundy one and a cool-looking red-and-white one.

[@pilotandy_com]

Shuttle Discovery on a 15 mile final. Unless that applies to you, announce when you're closer.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Discovery, 15 mile final, descending through 20,000.

[@Basgx470]

Thank you!! . I'm so glad that you mentioned, "active runway". Of course there is only a preferred runway at an untowered airport. A call such as, "clear of runway xx" is what should be used.

[@rickmeyer1872]

Agree with all of these. Regarding #7; I announce my aircraft type at uncontrolled fields as I’m in a large jet and therefore fly larger patterns. My hope is that it helps other traffic to know where to look for me and that I need a little more time to fit into the flow.

[@glennswiatek3738]

When initially calling a non towered airport, it is a good idea to also specify your altitude. Thereafter, if needed.

[@computer5272]

I cannot stand that white 172 I always hear on CTAF! It's like he's following me! And he does different voices just to make it seem like he's in more than one place in the pattern at a time!

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

You're the best, dude! XD

[@computer5272]

I stick with aircraft type and then the last three characters of my N-number, IE "Navajo 85K" or "Helicopter 58V", aircraft type is obvious, 3 characters is the perfect balance between quick announcement, identity, and likeliness of same call-sign on same freq at the same time.

[@masonm1124]

Ian Kelly b

[@GaryMCurran]

If it's a Yellow Taildragger, it's a Cub. It's the law, only Piper Cubs are allowed to be Yellow, with a touch of black. So, if you hear Yellow Taildragger, it's a Piper Cub, and they are flying slower than you are . . . at cruise!

[@computer5272]

If you hear a piper cub you had better check to make sure you're not dreaming! A Cub that has a radio and is announcing on CTAF?! UNHEARD OF!

[@DavidSmith-mk7qo]

My biggest beef is pilots who talk very fast. Controllers are even guilty of it. Speak properly and in a timely fashion. If it is a training flight the student probably won't understand you anyway.

[@ItsAllAboutGuitar]

I agree, and don't ramble. Make your bullet points and end it.

[@tabchanzero8229]

Cledlan.

[@aeromagnumtv1581]

Helps to let ATC know you are a student pilot ahead of time too.

[@xX_Skraith_Xx]

"Airporttraffic,Cessna150,leftdownwindof18this'llbeatouchngo" Like calm down, Sully, you'll get your shot at the airlines.

[@benlongden1896]

In my early days training, my instructor was also training on the Chieftain. When I asked him for a typical radio call for joining the circuit, he just gabbled it at lightning speed. I asked him to say it again, but at a speed I could understand. He was simply trying to say the whole thing in less than three seconds... He did it again.. in four seconds.. and I said i would have a go. So I did it how he did it.. in three seconds... and he could not understand a word I said... then he looked at me.. and said "message received". The dude now drives 747s ... I just drive a 172.

[@bradwilmot5066]

"If you're a Piper Cub, I'm going to assume you're yellow." I need a new keyboard... Dr. Pepper spewed out my nose onto it doesn't bode well for it. LOL!

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

:)

[@MJLeger-yj1ww]

Excellent advice. If I heard a pilot say "fish finder" or ANY of that slang, I would think he is very inadequate! A pilot flying an aircraft is engaged in a very serious business and you are NOT the only one in the sky. But, there are cocky, show-off pilots also in the sky, unfortunately. Some controllers can be pretty tolerant of nonsense, but many are not. And often other pilots in the sky will think you are a smart-a** also!

[@paco291]

Roger Murdock: Flight 2-0-9'er, you are cleared for take-off. Captain Oveur: Roger! Roger Murdock: Huh? Tower voice: L.A. departure frequency, 123 point 9'er. Captain Oveur: Roger! Roger Murdock: Huh? Victor Basta: Request vector, over. Captain Oveur: What? Tower voice: Flight 2-0-9'er cleared for vector 324. Roger Murdock: We have clearance, Clarence. Captain Oveur: Roger, Roger. What's our vector, Victor? Tower voice: Tower's radio clearance, over! Captain Oveur: That's Clarence Oveur. Over.

[@organphil]

Exacitically

[@mrpielover615]

the ending comment of "If you are a piper cub, Im going to assume you are yellow" made me laugh so hard, I dont know why ! :P

[@Sara-L]

Couple things I don't want to hear a pilot say on a radio. 1. Any kind of expletive. 2. 'Uh-oh.' 3. 'ZZzzzz.' 4. Any sort of panicked gibberish. 5. 'Bingo Fuel.' 6. Any sort of smalltalk. 7. More than 1 voice on a single transmission. 8. Any Top Gun quote.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

But, but... what about "kick the tires and light the fires?"

[@devonopdendries7722]

Oh gosh... "Any conflicting traffic please advise." Is one of my #1 pet peeves.

[@CaptainMav]

Oh god yeah it’s pandemic in Canada on the enroute frequencies. “Cessna 180 ABC is ermmmmmm 2 miles from [tiny hamlet you can barely see on the map] going Springbank Airport (busiest flight training airport in Canada) any conflicting traffic please advise ABC” great dipshit where actually are you what’s your altitude, are you level, what routing are you taking???? 😡😡

[@bdanza]

How about "taking the runway"..... No, don't take the runway, I need it

[@acrosby2117]

I was trained to use military terms like No Joy, Judy, RTB, Bingo fuel, etc. thinking they were common and understood by everyone. In my younger pilot days, I thought it would be a good idea to rent a Cessna at the North Las Vegas airport and visit the Hoover Dam and area. It was then that I realized that my air communications had to be much more clear and concise. The slang and local terms for the Las Vegas area certainly surprised me. I was told "Proceed Red Rock", "Fly to the Spaghetti bowl", "Stay out of Charlie airspace", "Line up with Flamingo Drive" "Avoid Nellis" and "Proceed to the Golf Course". Eventually I had to say "Unfamiliar with the area". This experience gave me some respect for using standard terminology so that everyone understands where you are and where you are going. Pilots at my airport use local slang like "over the stacks" "over the dam" or "over the river" and it definitely doesn't help visiting pilots know where you are.

[@theguy0000]

Okay that's all perfectly good and interesting, but "avoid Charlie airspace" I REALLY hope you understand

[@lfsheldon]

I have not been PIC in years, but the law used to be "use your full call sign until the controller initiates an abbreviation, then use IT."

[@dmalcolm24]

That is still true

[@miaohmya92]

Let's not forget pilots who have a full-on reunion and exchange of life stories on the CTAF. "Billyyyy that you buddy?" "Yup I though that was you Jeb how's the rash 'ol buddy? and the fish and the kids? and the golf swing?" "Hahaha! Well Bill since we aren't busy now is a great time to go into exhausting detail about each of those things!" Meanwhile other people are thinking...well you know what.

[@TAL1440]

I disagree about the 15 mile final call. Turbojets and other aircraft (which do also operate into many uncontrolled fields) may be operating in excess of 200kts on a 15 mile final. Nothing like coming in after a 4 hour flight to be cut off by a Cessna doing 65kts while you're screaming down slowing to your final speed which is still almost 100 kts faster than the Cessna. It helps to alert someone who may be better off delaying their base turn to allow a much faster airplane from having to maneuver around abnormally or go around because of your slowness.

[@jibeneyto91]

Agreed. It's definitely not redundant. Even if you're 15 miles out on a 172, at least you give some notice so the people around the airport know somebody is coming in. Somebody on the ground might for instance decide not to do their power checks on the runway and things like that.

[@SixStringflyboy]

I was taught as a general rule for a single piston, only call 10 miles out at an untowered field, unless you observe that there is potentially conflicting traffic in the area. I think it's just down to common sense, and depends on the situation. If you don't hear a lot of activity on the CTAF for the field, not much need to call more than 10 miles out. Plus, in this area at least, planes utilizing flight following don't get cleared to change to CTAF until about 10 miles out, so they wouldn't hear your call anyway.

[@gevmage]

He didn't say not to call 15 miles out, he said not to call 15 mile FINAL.

[@Silver9k]

I totally agree and was going to make this comment. 15 miles out is like a Cessna calling at 5 miles out. And 200kts...how about 250, 15 miles into uncontrolled is a good time to start configuring depending on altitude above field. Over the next 10 miles we'll slow to about 180-170 until 5 out and then finish slowing to final approach speed around the 130-150 range depending on weight. This is typical in most airliners CRJ/ERJ/73/A32x/71 15 miles at 200kts average speed takes 4.5 minutes, 5 miles at 68kts takes 4 minutes 24 sec. I'm sorry but when you are flying a jet you really don't want to go around because some Cessna thinks they can beat you in. Doing 1 std rate 360 takes 2 minutes and at 12gph it costs half a gallon. A A320 go around is a minimum of 400lbs of fuel or roughly 60 gallons. Airlines don't rule the sky, but you probably wouldn't do it if you were getting the bill.

[@Silver9k]

Again...for turbojet aircraft that is basically the same thing as a small lightweight aircraft 5 miles on final. Turbojets do line up a long ways out sometimes when coming from that direction, and with only 15 miles to go...we'll be there pretty quick.

[@vasilis23456]

Paints piper cub different color to take the piss out of this video

[@mccloysong]

"Load the brain before firing the mouth". I flew out of Van Nuys and Burbank CA. High traffic on one frequency means trim ALL the lard. If ATC's workload is heavy, they won't take your flight following or IFR request if you sound like a yahoo. Sound like them and they'll take you on.

[@s4aviator804]

Announcing a 15 mile final in a light airplane, I agree, is overkill. But when I'm going into an untowered field in the jet, where we're on a 15 mile final with a ground speed of 175 knots, I'll announce it.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Makes total sense :)

[@SkylaneGuy]

What are you too cool to fly the pattern like the rest of us? Enter upwind and keep it tight! If you want to ignore the rules and land straight-in every time, you'll have to buy yourself a Bonanza.

[@buffysaviation]

Okay, there was a time in FSX where I would literally take off an any flight, short or long, and immediately hop onto a “final approach” from any distance, I once was on a 2175.8 mile final

[@organphil]

@@SkylaneGuy It is uncontrolled. If there is no traffic and straight-in is consistent with the direction from whence you've come, its going to be straight in. Or you can meet me at the fuel pump with your credit card. Flying requires eyes and thought, not lock-step regulation.

[@danielbond9755]

@@organphilThe problem where I fly is that it gets used when the pattern is full of aircraft and the jet is just going to ignore the pattern and make everyone else get out of the way. They will call themselves on final from 15 or 20 miles out as if that gives them priority. And I might not be burning as much gas, but I am on a much tighter budget than someone who can afford a jet.

[@Suprafanatic94]

I have a demo flight tomorrow at noon. I have already been told that I will be in a Diamond Star DA40 with a G1000. Can't wait to get the ball rolling on my PPL!

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Good luck!! Let us know how it goes! :)

[@connorrogers4402]

I fly out of a busy towered airport so the thing that always makes me cringe is when the number one guy holding short is issued "line up and wait" and the guy behind him pulls up to the hold short line and calls "holding short." For one, tower is just going to tell you to keep holding short, there's an airplane sitting on the runway right in front of you. What's worse though is now you've got this guy calling up and blocking the tower who's trying to clear this guy for takeoff while there's another guy inside a 1.5 mile final. That and people calling up that they're holding short immediately after tower issues an instruction to someone in the pattern without waiting for the guy to respond, blocking the response. Causes a whole bunch of headache for everyone involved and it's unsafe.

[@gummel82]

"Request practice QDM" "Confirm you're lost?" "....affirm"

[@okieflyerredneckpilot6580]

As a pilot who uses non-towered fields 99% of the time, here's what area traffic needs to know and why: Who you are addressing. Example - Mansfield Traffic There are often multiple fields on the same frequency. Aircraft type. Not Cessna, not Piper, not Experimental, but Skylane, Lance, Lancair. This helps us judge how fast you are coming or going. There is a huge variation in aircraft speeds, and saying your specific type or model helps us sequence better. Your tail number. Abbreviated is fine. We need to be able to distinguish between aircraft of the same type. Multiple 150s or Cherokees are common. Your current position. Your intentions. Think about what you're going to say before keying up, and be specific. The initial call up at 10 or 15 miles out doesen't need to be super detailed, but provide those details in subsequent calls. Finish up the call with the name of airfield. It's easy for area traffic to miss it the first time because so many people don't speak clearly and deliberately. Paint color is almost always useless. Don't bother unless your situation makes it useful in some way. My #1 pet peeve is pilots trying to use their super cool airline pilot voice. News flash: airline pilots are the hardest of the bunch to understand on the radio. Slow down, speak clearly, and with sufficient volume at non-towered fields. The pilots there are usually weekend warriors that don't fly everyday on IFR flight plans, talking to controllers. Plain English is the way.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Wow, my thoughts in a nutshell exactly. Or maybe not in a nutshell, that was one thorough comment :)

[@JustPlaneSilly]

You sir will never be a cirrus driver ) what's up Andrew? Have you booked Kentucky yet?

[@okieflyerredneckpilot6580]

@@JustPlaneSilly Haha! I think I goes without saying, bro. I have not booked Kentucky. If we are 100% settled on date and location, I shall do it forthwith.

[@picard714]

Interesting video, Nicholas. Just starting my PPL journey. My CFI had me on comms my second lesson. Kept telling myself, "remember proper phraseology, remember proper phraseology, remember proper phraseology....." I know I'm likely to make mistakes, but when I nailed my request to the ground controller for taxi, my CFI gave me that thumbs up! Felt like walking on air. Thanks, Nick.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Sounds like you'll be a pilot in no time! :D

[@picard714]

Thank you, my man!

[@psaviationphotography9273]

Hey, I fly that exact steerman on the cover of the Faraim. I was in the plane when that photo was taken!!

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

No way!!! Really??

[@stevek8829]

Sure thing, only it's not spelled steerman [sic].

[@stevek8829]

@@FriendlySkiesFilm the "jack" couldn't even spell "Stearman."

[@Juhujalp]

"That piper cub that is in the flare can you confirm you are yellow?"

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Lol

[@Matmamtmamtmamtmamtm]

'with you' really grinds my gears. Like "Ahem, no shit".

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Haha same here.

[@Redbird85C]

When handed off I just say "Providence approach Cardinal N1185C ". A bunch of times I get asked my altitude, so might as well save time and replace "with you" with something useful!

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

That's exactly what you're supposed to do, actually! :)

[@moeinmemphis]

Actually, you should avoid the word "for." You should say "X thousand climbing (or descending) Y thousand."

[@gevmage]

You're always supposed to give your altitude in a hand-off. This allows to controller to 1) verify that the altitude your transponder is sending is the same as your altimeter and 2) make sure that your intentions with respect to altitude are the same as they have down for you. Yeah, in recent years, I've learned to leave off "with you" and "level". So just "Atlanta Center, Skyhawk 12345 seven thousand" which is pretty concise. The other day, though, I was handed between centers when I was halfway down a "at your discression" descent from 11k to 7k, and I hadn't realized I was about to transition, so my callback was a bit long because I hadn't thought it through. Oops.

[@angeltransportpjects]

SO TRUE! I totally condone and enjoyed watching this video having done much of my ab-initio flight training in the Class E airspace of SC. Unicom is definitely a magnet for unorthodox transmissions especially when shared between uncontrolled airfields. SO much care was taken as a student pilot and so much was heard / learned - more importantly! Trust me ... It may look quiet over The Boonies but it can and does get hairy! Always: Aviate. Navigate. Communicate. Wherever you happen to be.

[@texaszzr]

Great video reminder, two that you missed that irritate me 1. Cessna 12345 "taking the runway for departure" 2. When praticing engine failures "Cessna 12345 lost the engine returning to the runway"

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Ughh #1. I know exactly what you mean.

[@niceguy2171]

#1 is my SuperCringe one! If you're taking the runway, what are the rest of us going to use? And the rest are bad as well.

[@sce2aux464]

"Tower, requesting flyby to check gear down, Cessna 152..."

[@markprange238]

1. What's the recommended wording in the AIM?

[@EJ25WRX]

I absolutely love this video! All my radio pet peeves in one video. Those videos of you flying the islands with the pilot calling "you've got a blah blah blah" had me yelling at my computer!

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Oh no! Shhh... Don't tell him :P

[@notgaybear5544]

1. I'm going to try and do a barrel roll, and if that goes good I'll just go nose down and call it a night. 2. I play video games before so I know what I am doing 3. I want the coordinates to that orca...you know the one with the babies, i wanna go see that guy 4. Do you think if I land this successfully Alaska will give me a job as a pilot? 5. Ive got a lot of people that care about be. RIP #SkyKing

[@Austinflank]

Instant like. Your videos are great, and are very easy to relate to as a newer pilot. I discovered your channel about 5 hours in, now I have a PPL going for intrument. Fantastic material.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Yeah!! :D You've passed me out!

[@erika9287]

If you're a Piper Cub, I'm going to assume you're yellow. I don't know why that line made me laugh so hard

[@colelamb9508]

My instructor has taught me to say while requesting taxi when the day starts “we have our numbers”. We use it to say that we know the weather and everything in the aircraft is setup.

[@MichelChristensen]

Not a pilot here, but would that be sufficient for an ATIS airport, not to include the alphanumeric version of metreport?

[@thetoiletinspector6878]

Allahu Akbar would probably be No.1 on my list. Thats right. I went there.

[@thetoiletinspector6878]

Seriously though, I have never heard any of the expressions that this video says pilots/controllers shouldn't use. And I am very experienced.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Then you are a very lucky individual.

[@thetoiletinspector6878]

Friendly Skies Film Why am I lucky?

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

You haven't experienced those things! They're prolific in our area!

[@thetoiletinspector6878]

Friendly Skies Film Oh, I am not a pilot.

[@joecarpenter4522]

FSF: well done sir. When I was building XC time towards my instrument rating, I started hearing pilots (of all frame sizes) say "here's the flash" "checking in" "with you at..." and I thought it was the cool thing to do. Then...I read Martha Lunkin's article about poor radio procedures and I changed my ways back to standard phraseology. I make it a point to use correct phraseology and I hope that more pilots will start seeing the light.

[@HiiJax]

Why am I watching this, I know nothing about flying a plane...

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

You do now! ;P

[@fgap1]

it's not about flying an airplane. It's about talking to a microphone. flying an airplane is much simpler.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Lol never have truer words been spoken.

[@smokingun397]

The pleasures of You Tube :-)

[@PilotMan71]

Good Stuff. Regarding the excessive distance, this one is a bit more situation dependent. I fly a CRJ for work and we fly into non-towered airports frequently. Our slowest approach speed is 130-145 knots. Often times we approach much faster at about 250 slowing to 200 knots until about 10-15 miles out. So we can cover that 5 miles between 15 to 10 miles in 2 minutes which is barely enough time for a plane to see us. We do our best but we are limited by the physics of the airplane. So as soon as we get the hand off from center/tracon to CTAF/unicom, we call inbound to get everyone else's head on a swivel and to start planning for a significantly faster aircraft than most. Thanks for the great videos. I really enjoy them.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Glad you enjoy! Very good point you make there! Sometimes my vision is clouded by my experiences. Last time I heard this, it was from a Citabria ;P

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Possible Martha's Vineyard Meetup for anyone local this Sunday at 5pm EST. Stay posted.

[@NeuKrofta]

took my first flying lesson at Mansfield! do they still do airshows? I won a free flying lesson when I was like 12 years old

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

No airshows recently that I know of, sadly :(

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Huston TX!? The fuel's a little beyond my pay grade :P

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

That is very fair! XD

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Why did you specifically reply to my comment about a meet up? XD

[@celeste3761]

i fell in love with your channel

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

:D

[@Flying_Snakes]

Out here in AZ, we and ATC say "See ya" to eachother often vs. "Good day". I also "thank 'em for their service" a lot. Yeah, it is unnecessary chatter, but only takes a second, and my local field recognizes my callsign. So, they show their gratitude by often letting me do multiple "options" while busy and denying same to others. Thanks for the vids bro. OK, I'll confess to another...I have a bad habit of responding to "type aircraft" requests with "We're a Skylane slash Alpha" as if both I and the aircraft are two souls functioning as one Cessna 182. I know I can leave out the "We're a" but it just comes out no matter how hard I try. I never say box or flash or call 20 miles out though cuz I'm not a tool or flyin' turbines.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Hahaha This is exactly how I feel!

[@ItsAllAboutGuitar]

I like the "see ya" or "have a good day" and I always thank them. ATC is working hard to keep us safe.

[@alexdelarge8749]

SGTSnakeUSMC Good ole AZ... If you, or those fellow aviators about our FAA designated complex airspace happened cut off an Robinson R44 at the top of the stack over Casa Grande circa day 15 November ish in a fancy diamond star..... Well played. I was avoiding foreign students on the wrong CTAF, trying to form Voltron and hold a standard rate turn in a heli so I decided to hold a hover until the cloud from the cow heard yonder made me get back to tracking that silly VOR I was cone of confusion dippy sticking above. Fixed wing or rotorcraft my head was on a swivel my cord line was only waiting to see what angle I was going to be GETTING attacked from. If you've been there, you know.... Memories....

[@alexdelarge8749]

@@SusanKay- Sorry to hear that. Since 09 I've lost 3 flight instructors, a fellow helo pilot and 2 acquaintances and one I've only heard of. 2 CFIT, 1 Mechanical Failure, 1 pilot error (catastrophic structural failure, mast bumping) 1 Engine fire at alt, 1 IMC. That's just in helicopters. Being an FAA designated "Complex Airspace" Phx is a rodeo of sorts. Especially messy when the intergalactic crew pop in. Just a matter of when not if you crash in a heli. But I'm prepared, I've wrecked my Exceed Blue Ray 450 remote controlled weed wacker helicrasher numerous times from every angle possible and not. But honestly, safe flights and safe landings to you. And let us all whom are pilots, remember it's pilot error (I believe the NTSB says) 90% of the time. Ya'll be safe up there. And if you're ever in Phx my callsign is "Hot Lips"

[@maelo9x]

Currently training to become a new pilot and I must say very happy with these videos. Thank you so much

[@OttoMatieque]

after a successful landing your should call out 'happy endings'

[@jasonjohnston185]

As far as #7 goes, I would agree with you on your preferred method. Personally I find one of the most important parts of the call is beginning and ending the call with the airfield name. I've been in a lot of areas where you might not hear the beginning of someone's transmission but when they repeat the "Worcester traffic" at the end it reaffirms that it's in your area or not. Especially when you're flying in an area where there are a lot of non-towered airports or there's another CTAF within receiving distance on the same freq. I'm not by any means saying that the other parts of the radio call are not important, it's just safer when someone repeats the airport so you don't have to worry in case you or someone else missed it at the beginning, got stepped on, ect. I've been in areas where 2 pilots at different airports were looking for each other in the pattern because they misheard each other.

[@isellcatlitter]

negative Ghostrider the pattern is full

[@debovsky5323]

To Friendly Skies Film; thanks for sharing this with us. It is so true. I like it so much that I have share the link to your video on our Facebook page !!

[@mickred04]

Just so I'm clear, I can say: "Mustang this is Voodoo 3, request permission for flyby"?

[@craigmorgan8493]

mickred04 Only if u've downed 3 or 4 Migs beforehand! :)

[@wildgurgs3614]

Negative, Voodoo 3. The pattern is full. *grabs coffee*

[@Stoney3K]

Just give me a sec so I can get my ear protection on, if you really feel the need for speed.

[@chris.D1]

At 2:31, I like that you use the tail number from the Cessna from the TV show Wings, N121PP. lol

[@quinnjim]

"I have them on the fish finder" or "I have them on TCAS" drives me crazy. That is a MEANINGLESS statement to a controller. They can't use that for separation, so it's just stupid to say it. Either you see the traffic or you don't. Also….IFR pilots saying that they are at an instrument fix inbound to land does NOTHING for the VFR pilot in the pattern. They don't know where you are if they aren't instrument rated.

[@EightiesTV]

"Okily Dokily, what not to say on the radio to be a good neighborino" by Captain Ned Flanders

[@7sotnem]

Comparing this video to my experience learning to fly in Australia, It seems like we’re super by the book. The only person I’ve heard saying non standard stuff had an American accent

[@caitthenerd7470]

Don't know what Australia's like, but in the UK, you have to have a Flight Radio Telephony Operator's License (FRTOL) which involves 2 exams. I can't really find anything about the US having similar, so that might have something to do with how lax they seem to be?

[@johnhoward7260]

@@caitthenerd7470 In the U.S., we are no longer required to have a radio operator's license unless we are flying international. I do not know when the requirement was lifted (sometime after 1979) but would not complain if it were reinstated.

[@ZicajosProductions]

I flew for the first time in a C172p yesterday!!! More interesting to fly than I expected.

[@SeanAFoXy]

*"There's something on the wing!"*

[@me-cq7wv]

Although I am not a pilot, I am a radio man and it's good sound advice in this video nobody want to hear eh, ah between every word. Plain English is the rule of thumb. Good video.

[@schlusselmensch]

My pet peeve is "Conflicting traffic please advise". BELIEVE ME, if I think I'm going to run into you, I'll definitely speak up, and the sooner you shut up so I can do that, the better!! Also, I cannot believe how many lazy buggers and buggerettes leave out their damned altitude on position calls. That makes me have to ask them their damned altitude, and it interrupts my sleep.

[@xX_Skraith_Xx]

I wake up in cold sweats hearing echos of "Airport traffic, Cessna 172 overflying the field, airport."

[@mattfgln]

Congratulations on the growth of your channel, saw in a post of steveo that you are one of the fastest growing aviation channels !

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Thanks, mate! It's a little scary too, but I'll still keep doing my best! :)

[@FISHH00KS]

"Airport" Traffic: ID, Location/Altitude, Intent, "Airport" The airport's standard operating procedures are published. Don't unnecessary use the airwaves. Mansfield traffic, Warrior 8027F is five miles to the west at 3,000 inbound for landing 32 Mansfield. ~ Mansfield traffic, Warrior 27F is entering downwind for 32 Mansfield. Mansfield traffic, Warrior 27F is turning base for 32 Mansfield. Mansfield traffic, Warrior 27F is on final for 32 Mansfield. Mansfield traffic, Warrior 27F is clear of 32 Mansfield. In other words, "tell me the time, don't build me a watch" You confuse people with a lot of information if it's not standardized. Notice how an ATIS briefing is formatted the same throughout the industry. None of this is my idea - complain to LTC (r) Doug Jamison XX,000 hours in "insert whatever aircraft you want here".....

[@ItsAllAboutGuitar]

Yes, when it's standardized, it's easier to understand. Beautifully said. No one cares about stupid slang.

[@jamiedavinci1328]

Hit the like button two minutes in, and wanted to like it again when I finished. Great video.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Yay :)

[@JonnyEaston]

wonderful thank you

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

You are very welcome :)

[@ObsidianParis]

5:42 Took me at least five seconds before I realised he was not saying « talking on a unicorn »

[@Aviationinmymind]

I find the American slang funny and also a bit worrying since it can be confusing. Standard fraseology should be used everywhere in my opinion. I agree on that one. The part where you mentioned approaching an airfield and asking data about the conditions and the runway in use, I do not agree. I have been taught to get airfield information ahead of time so I can prepare for the approach. This also means that visual check of the airfield is not required. Of course you can hear it from other aircraft's traffic announcements. All in all this video needed to be made!

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Curious what your last line is referring to. As for getting the conditions of the airport, of course you should do that on your way in! It's just how people are doing it that's not recommended by the FAA. Using AWOS/ASOS/UNICOM is a great idea. Asking pilots what they're doing two seconds after changing frequencies and not even listening to the traffic, is not a great idea.

[@Aviationinmymind]

Friendly Skies Film I'm afraid I'm not familiar with flying in America. We don't even have a UNICOM here. Of course it is good airmanship to wait for a second after tuning in on a new frequency.

[@DaedricFaZe]

He is saying he would rather used forecast winds aloft than a Pilot Report.

[@jimnew5813]

When I got my private 46 years ago, we didn't have AWOS or CTAF, communicating with an FBO was always called Unicom, and we asked for airport advisories. They would come back with the winds and any reported traffic.Now I just listen to the AWOS or if an airport doesn't have one fly over and look at the wind sock or listen to what other traffic is doing if any in pattern.

[@MotorMercMVU]

Dude, your channel is so good.

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Hearing that always makes my day :)

[@Pilotwisco]

Hope steveo1kinevo doesn't see this!

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

Oh no, you're right!! Not the box!! XD

[@jeffersonsantos4603]

Not only "Box" but "Here's your flash" as well XD

[@FriendlySkiesFilm]

0:54 Look at that. I added it just for you :)

[@fwgeiger]

And he always starts with "and....."

[@drsmsaracino]

2 of these he does regularly. One is "in the box" and two is "any traffic in the area please advise" I asked him about this and he never responded, no big surprise.

[@WolfcariusKoen]

Very good statement and many recognisable situations. For a non native English speaker, flying in Europe, this is even more true: a little bit slowing down the speed of speaking always helps to make oneself understandable.

[@MegaDavisB]

It's interesting and humorous at the same time: When I'm flying one of my company's 757s I can use any of these "unprofessional" colloquialisms at any time and the controllers (and perhaps other pilots) accept them without question or judgment. However, let me try using the same phrases in my Cessna 140, and brother, watch out! Here come the criticisms. I wonder why that is? I do think most controllers and other pilots unconsciously consider any pilot transmitting from any Cessna or Piper aircraft to be a low-time, inexperienced Private or Student pilot. What is it, bigger is better, or, might makes right...? Funny.

[@heinrichtheron8983]

Communication at an uncontrolled airfield in South Africa: "Grand Central traffic, ZS-PZT is a Charlie 172 inbound from the north at 6500ft. Will be joining (depending on the wind direction) left downwind for runway 35. PZT"

[@matthewpinnock9158]

"No Joy" is actually an official military term and that's the we were taught to use

[@sludge8506]

I hate it when the pilot says “Watch this!”

[@gorillaau]

If you are a Piper Cub, I suggest changing the paint scheme. :-)

[@Spartan536]

I have used both the color scheme and the November designation for aircraft call-outs at untowered airports, not to evade landing fees, I could care less as I fly an Archer II and landing fees will be nil, but more so for aircraft description. Usually when I enter the airspace or when I am on downwind I will announce "XXXX traffic, XXXXXX is a Silver & White Piper Archer, entering XXXX downwind for runway XXXX, XXXX. The redundancy helps clear up any potential confusion, and then the callouts after are clarified, this helps with touch N go ops.

[@jarodb5897]

"With you" irritates the shit out of me. I fly for a living and can't believe how many professional pilots still say it.

[@hyperspeed1313]

Asking as a student pilot, since that's how I've always initiated/been trained to initiate contact with approach or center; what is the correct method/phraseology then?

[@jarodb5897]

Hyperspeed1313 I say, “good morning center, American 1234 at four thousand three hundred, climbing five thousand.” “With you” sounds really student pilot.

[@josephgurgui8686]

I'm no pilot, just an aviation enthusiast. HOWEVER: Jarod B if nothing else, like when "checking in" with tower or something or when starting everything up, if only this, I'd just say my callsign and wait for a response. If none comes after several seconds, then I'd say "Tower" followed by my callsign.

[@niceguy2171]

Or just "Center..American 1234 at 4,300 climbing to 5,000 on heading xxx"

[@jandejong2430]

Sometimes you only need to report on a new frequency, all information having been passed at the server side. Something like "with you" is exactly to the point.

[@SergeantExtreme]

Here's a few more: -Buttering the bread -Requesting mayday -Successfully landed on Taxiway Charlie

[@AmyAnnLand]

Also, "Mayday (x3) glider engine failure" "Report traffic of a hot air balloon traveling at Mach 4" Oh yes, the good ol' Harrison Ford landing too. "I'm a schmuck".

[@williampotter2098]

Been flying 45 years professionally at all levels. My pet peeve is pilots who say "ready for takeoff IN SEQUENCE." It meants nothing. If there is a particular sequence, tower will assign it and you don't need to tell tower. In the vast majority of cases I see however, tower has not assigned a sequence it is just some verbal vomit the pilot thinks sounds official. The sad thing is that I have seen the phrase move from bugsmasher pilots many years ago to full blown airline pilots now. They heard someone say it, thought it sounded very pilot like and started saying it, having no idea what it really means. Another one is "at this point in time". Really? Pretty sure when you say something, you mean "now". But golly, doncha just sound like a real pilot? Well sorry for the rant but this video touched some things that make me crazy. Wish pilots would try to fly better and not try to sound like Steve Canyon using foolish terms. Yes, even professional airline pilots. Kind of worries me.

[@tylerw1418]

William Potter Roger, Roger. Can I get my vectors victor. We need our clearance Clarance.

[@jandejong2430]

Not "ready for takeoff" please - "ready for departure".

[@williampotter2098]

@@jandejong2430 I don't know where you learned that. It's "ready for takeoff". A trained pilot never asks for a departure. A departure is an instrument procedure. A lot of bad pilots think they sound more professional saying "ready for departure" but that is not correct. A trained pilot says "ready for takeoff, runway XX" and adds an intersection if it is an intersection takeoff. Tower will never say "Cleared for departure". They will say, "cleared for takeoff, runway XX" But please, don't say "ready for departure. That means nothing.

[@dojoswitzer]

Using a preposition to end a sentence, like 'of', as in "It's easy to get in the habit of" at 3:35 in your video, is a verbal crutch and really hard to break because it's buried so deep in our psyche. "It is easy to get in the habit," conveys the message just as well.

[@Michael-ig8ne]

"Any traffic in the area please advise" is annoying. I have a student that says this.... and I almost yell at him every time he says it. The other pilots will let you know they're there if you'll just listen.

[@craigmorgan8493]

....or will they?

[@-Ascender]

I don’t like the call either, however the other traffic will not always let you know that they’re there. I have had numerous encounters at non-controlled fields with landing traffic who refuse to make a single radio call.

[@aeromagnumtv1581]

Not complacent pilots....

[@RandyMabusedJW]

I was taught to announce to uncontrolled airport in the same manner as at controlled. In essence, use full call sign during 1st transmission and then abreviate it on subsequent transmissions unless someone had same abreviated tail number in pattern.

[@quietfroggy70]

8. "You're on guard"

[@briancollins4569]

Lakedude 6 GUUUUUUAAAARRRRDDDDDD

[@Thelittletow]

I'm still a student right now but I have my solo endorsement. Flew to take my written to a non-towered airport. It's fine, my home is non-towered. Looked up everything I needed(traffic pattern, parking, etc.) and when I was close enough to make my traffic call, someone else called in to say they planed a RIGHT pattern on RWY9. I had a LEFT and that was the recommended turn for the airport. Called up the other aircraft and he said he was in the wrong. After landing and taking the test, I taxied to the beginning of RWY9 from the taxiway. An aircraft did a touch and go with a tail wind on RWY27!! (you could tell from the sock AND the ATIS) Once the plane was past the runway, I took off on 9 easy enough until I heard the plane that just took off call on the radio that they were on BASE RWY27. Freaked me the hell out for a second but I didn't take that much time taking off and they couldn't have raced me to my crosswind. Basicly for the safety of everyone, follow the rules please...

[@adimorfondnofromida]

So, maybe it's because I'm a controller, but "with the flash" is a completely acceptable slang to me. Of course we use proper phraseology to pilots but we coordinate inside the facility with "slang" and if a pilot uses it, we absolutely understand what you mean. I'd rather hear slang because to an extent, it tells me that you know what you're doing... of course that's not at all a sure tell, and could just be someone trying to sound cool but that's also pretty easy to discern on a radio. It's easy to figure out who knows what's up

[@110knotscfii]

"aaaand" yup, that's me. Messes me up if I omit it.