Newbee Questions (and appologies to the controller)

[ChristophPreinfalk]

Hello!

First of all, I'd like to apologize to the controller whose requests were ignored by me (Cessna 383AB) on Saturday 1/5/13 and Sunday 1/6/13!!!!

On my very first flight with PE ATC (introductory flight from Oceano to San Luis I realized only after checking in with San Luis tower that I had to lower the Engine and Prop volume to 25% in order to understand the controller. Therefore my readbacks were totally incorrect, and I got so nervous that I also got lost, and I think the controller asked me to state my intentions, but at that point I was like a deer in headlights. I did manage to get clearance for landing and fly the approach properly, but I think in real world I would have ended up in jail or something like that. Once I was clear of the runway I just logged off, heart pounding, hands sweaty! What an exhilarating ride.

On my second flight with PE ATC on 1/6/13, I attempted pattern work. I think overall I didn't too badly, but I made several mistakes: I introduced myself as Cessna 383AB instead of Skyhawk 383AB. Once the controller addressed me as Skyhawk 3AB I ignored him, because I didn't realize he was talking to me. Next time I'll use Skyhawk instead of Cessna and everything will be clear!

Here are my questions:

1) Squawk mode charlie: Yesterday the controller asked me to "squawk mode charlie". I was shell shocked and ignored that request (sorry!). So am I just supposed to turn the transponder on and put it out of Standby, or am I supposed to enter a number as well? I couldn't find definitive answers when I googled for "squawk mode charlie", I just found that you have to put the transponder out of Standby so it sends the altitude, heading, etc. to ATC, but I'm not sure about the 4 digit number.

2) When I'm done with my pattern work and I land and clear the runway and I'm done flying, should I "request taxi to GA parking" or something like that? What's the proper protocol on PE to end a patter flight as far as ATC communication?

3) ATC ground vs. ATC tower: for pattern work, I talk to ground to request taxi clearance and pattern work clearance. I read that once you pull up to the runway, you're supposed to contact tower. Yesterday, the controller didn't ask me to switch to the tower frequency (or maybe I missed that due to my Cessna/Skyhawk mix up??), so I stayed on the ground frequency. I was communicating with the controller during the one pattern that I did without changing the frequency. This was on yesterday's first focus airport (I think it was KSDM).

4) It seems that pilots always say their identification (e.g. Skyhawk 3AB) in the beginning of an announcement and never at the end, whereas the transcript of V1 has the pilot say their identification at the end of each announcement. It seems to me that it would be more logical for the pilot to say it at the beginning, which seems to be in line with what's being done on the PE videos on Youtube. What's the "official" stance on that?

If any or all of these questions are answered elsewhere, please let me know! I was scanning the forum before posting my questions, but couldn't find the info.

I think once I know the answers to those questions I can do some serious pattern work towards my V1!!

Thanks,

Christoph

[Keith Smith]

Christoph,

"Squawk Mode Charlie" is a reference to the transponder MODE, not the CODE. You should squawk a code of 1200 unless otherwise assigned a discrete beacon code. You should squawk NORMAL (or Mode C) when you start to taxi. Previous wisdom was to Squawk Mode C once holding short of the runway, but with more advanced radar systems and larger airports (which require aircraft to squawk Mode C prior to leaving the ramp), the guidance has been revised to simply leave it on any time you're moving (see Aeronautical Information Manual for more info).

Regarding your callsign....you can use the manufacturer (Cessna) or the model (Skyhawk) interchangeably, as can ATC. Your ears should be highly tuned for the last 3 characters of your callsign (3AB). If there was another aircraft on the frequency ending with 3AB, then the controller would NOT shorten your callsign to Cessna 3AB or Skyhawk 3AB, he/she would use the full callsign, and would actually go as far as making an announcement that there are two aircraft on frequency with similar callsigns.

Put the callsign at the beginning or end of your transmission, it doesn't really matter. It's a question of what flows better for you. I tend to use my callsign at the start of a request that I have initiated (so they know who is calling them), whereas I use the callsign at the END of the transmission when I'm responding to an ATC instruction, because in those cases, it's just a verification as opposed to critical information. Think of it as signing a document (at the end), versus introducing yourself to someone.

Don't get hung up on exactly what to say at each step of the way, it's not a scripted environment, there are many ways to skin a cat. You asked if you should request taxi to GA parking once clear of the runway. Yes, that would be a good idea, unless the controller beats you to it. At small airports, the ATC instructions might be very simple (particularly where there's only one taxiway connecting to a ramp). At larger airports, we need to know where you want to go so we can issue appropriate taxi instructions.

The one thing you want to really avoid is simply locking up and not responding. That's when everything pretty much grinds to a halt, ATC can become frustrated (we don't know if you're terrified, if you've stepped away, if your mic doesn't work, if you're pushing the wrong button, etc). So, above all else, make sure you're communicating with ATC if they're trying to reach you, even if it's a simple, "I'm overwhelmed, could use some help with..." and tell them what's wrong (briefly).

Welcome to the network, have FUN. The 'first flight' and the V1 are dirt simple when you take them apart, piece by piece.

[ChristophPreinfalk]

Thank you! Your response was tremendously helpful and answered all my questions.

[Keith Smith]

Well, that just makes all the typing that much more worthwhile

[Keith Smith]

I missed one item, #3. The controller made a mistake (was probably swamped, it was a zoo the past couple of days) by not correcting you and having you come over to the tower freq.

Ground controls the taxiways and tower controls the runways (in addition to taxiways between parallel runways at most airports...but that's a small detail). Therefore, when you approach the runway, you will ALWAYS ask tower for takeoff. There will never be a single instance where you will be talking to ground for takeoff clearance. In many cases, those are worked by two different people. Here on PE, it's often the same person (for now at least), and the controller simply didn't notice that you hadn't swapped freqs.

You had the rule right the first time, swap from ground to tower when you arrive at the runway. The controller isn't going to prompt you to do it.

[ChristophPreinfalk]

Ah, thank you! I guess I should go with the Tower frequency on the Airnav.com airport information and just assume that it's correct, right? I think sometimes there's more than one Tower frequency (and also sometimes more than one Ground frequency) on larger airports. I'd think that on PE it doesn't matter which of the ground frequencies I choose and which of the tower frequencies I choose, right?

[Cyrus]

Christoph, you're awesome! Your questions conveyed exactly how I felt just a few *days* ago! But it's amazing how much more your confidence will grow after just a few flights. Keep reading/learning/practicing and, as Keith said, just don't freeze up. It's the worst feeling in the world for noobs like us to ask ATC to "Say again, please", but if you can overcome that fear, then just keep pushing. And, when you have time, watch the workshop videos, Keith's YouTube videos, the PE training program, etc, etc. There are so many resources to learn from. But nothing beats planning your route, getting in the plane, and flying that route with ATC interaction along the way. And if you want minimal interaction to start with, you can always fly non-towered to non-towered flights and simply request "Flight Following" from a nearby TRACON/ARTCC.

Here's my half a cent on Tower frequencies: I use SkyVector.com or Foreflight on the iPad (it's all the same A/FD anyway!), and every airport that I've come across so far has just one Tower frequency, and these are the same across all flight sims (and in the real world) and - most importantly - it's the same frequency that PE ATC will be "expecting" you on.

Have fun!

[Keith Smith]

Off the top of my head, SNA, LAX, & LAS have multiple tower and multiple ground freqs. There may be more, too. The Airport Facility Diagram (accessible on skyvector and airnav) will tell you which is which. While it's true that 99% of the time on PE, we'll have one controller covering both of those towers, or both of those grounds, you should still attempt to contact the 'right' frequency for your part of the airport.

Cyrus, thanks for encouraging Christoph! I remember your first flight on the network. You did a great job and communicated the entire time. There were a couple of small issues, but we dealt with them and it was no problem.

[Cyrus]

Like I said, some towers have multiple controllers. lol

[ChristophPreinfalk]

Cyrus,

Yes, thank you for your encouragement! After figuring out how to fly Ramzess' 777 using Muenzel's FMS or the x737 with Cortez's FMS, I find it to be a humbling experience to learn how exciting something as seemingly simple as flying a C172 in a rectangle around the airport can be once you add a real person ATC!! I used to not even touch the C172 because I found it so not at all interesting to fly, but now (with PE) it's my favorite plane! And, since I'm learning to fly PROPERLY, I enjoy getting to know the C172 in and out.

One day I will find out what's after I-9, and one day I will fly the 777 from KSAN to KLAS the proper with in PE ......

I'm getting ahead of myself. Need to start with V-1.