First try, and beginner questions

[Keith Smith]

If you're 100% confident that your plane isn't going to end up on the runway at L52 when you warp over there, then you don't need to disconnect. For example, if you pull up Oceano on the global airport list and selected "GA parking" then you'll probably be ok.

You only need to disconnect if you suspect you might end up on the runway during the course of your relocation.

[Stubsound]

Gotcha. Thank you, Keith.

[Stubsound]

Hi again.

More questions, so please bear with me.

1) I hear pilots saying "... with the numbers" from time to time. Is that the same as saying "... with the weather", or "... with [ATIS code]"?

2) Are there any rules as to how one should shorten the callsign? I fly Cessna Stationair 973SE these days, and I use the entire callsign at first contact with ground and tower. But, once initial contact is made, some pilots would say Cessna 3SE, Stationair 3SE, or just 3SE. Are they all correct?

Thank you.

[Pieces]

Hi,

Good questions. You are correct about "with the numbers". IRL flying that simply means you have the winds, altimeter, etc. It does not mean that you have any other information associated with the ATIS broadcast. On PE, "with the numbers" is sufficient to mean you have the current ATIS, because the ATIS code is not standardized across sims.

2) You are pretty much correct there too. Always use full callsign on initial contact. If the controller then responds with a shortened call sign you can then also use the shortened call sign consisting of the last three characters.

I highly recommend searching through the forums and watching the PE workshops. These questions and far more have been discussed indepth on the forums, and the workshops will teach you more then you ever knew you needed to know.

http://www.pilotedge.net/workshops

[Cyrus]

I highly recommend searching through the forums and watching the PE workshops. These questions and far more have been discussed indepth on the forums, and the workshops will teach you more then you ever knew you needed to know.

http://www.pilotedge.net/workshops

I violently agree with Reece about the recorded PE Workshops. They would be worth watching even if they cost $9.99 each plus your favorite cat. However, they are free! So the only resources you'll need are a cup of hot chocolate and a little uninterrupted time to absorb them. Be sure to watch on a large screen (not a mobile device) and watch them in as high a resolution as you can, because most of them have small details being referenced on the charts.

Keith must get sick of telling people new to PE/Sims/GA to watch them... so we're happy to evangelize them on his behalf! I learned more watching those workshops than I had in years of mooching in and out of books, magazines and the Internet. Just watch them. Seriously. You won't regret it.

Also, the materials associated with each of the PE training ratings progress and challenge you at a good pace.

So let's recap...

[PE workshops] + [PE training ratings] + [time on PE] = THE WAY TO GO

[Stubsound]

Thank you very much. The workshops seem like an excellent resource, and I'll get right on it.

Happy landings!

[HRutila]

2) You are pretty much correct there too. Always use full callsign on initial contact. If the controller then responds with a shortened call sign you can then also use the shortened call sign consisting of the last three characters.

The prefix can also be important from the standpoint of reducing radio use. If a pilot calls and says "San Luis Tower, Skyhawk 62085 10 miles north, inbound to land with Charlie/numbers/weather," I now know your type without even having to ask for it. If a pilot calls in as Cessna or as November, I'd want to know the model to get a general sense of what I'm about to be dealing with. I once had a pilot call in as "Cessna" and it turned out he was in a Cessna Citation -- quite different than the single piston prop aircraft I had been imagining .

Controllers are trained to use a prefix (November, make, or model) and the last three characters as the abbreviated call sign, but a pilot's readback with the last three characters (without a prefix) is acceptable throughout the U.S., although technically incorrect.

[Stubsound]

That makes a lot of sense, Harold. Thanks a lot for chiming in here.

[Stubsound]

Hi again.

I'm watching the workshops, and the amount of information is jaw-dropping. Very helpful, but a lot to take in.

One thing I haven't come across yet, is - what do I say to the controller(s) when I'm forced to set my own weather in X-Plane? A lot of times, recently, it hasn't been VFR conditions.

Thanks.

[Vincent Meier]

Hi again.

I'm watching the workshops, and the amount of information is jaw-dropping. Very helpful, but a lot to take in.

One thing I haven't come across yet, is - what do I say to the controller(s) when I'm forced to set my own weather in X-Plane? A lot of times, recently, it hasn't been VFR conditions.

Thanks.

If they ask , just tell them you are VMC or that you are using weather other than real weather. They will have no problem with this.