PilotEdge Forums

This comes up nearly every day on the network. While it's acceptable to swap from ground to tower when approaching the departure runway, the opposite is not true when you land. Here's more information from today's pilot tip from PilotWorkshops: http://www.pilotworkshop.com/tips/atc_c ... ground.htm

Keith Smith wrote:This comes up nearly every day on the network. While it's acceptable to swap from ground to tower when approaching the departure runway, the opposite is not true when you land. Here's more information from today's pilot tip from PilotWorkshops: http://www.pilotworkshop.com/tips/atc_c ... ground.htm

Thanks Keith!

I have been thinking of submitting that very question here in the forums for a while now. I have always wondered why it is okay to change from ground to tower without notification, but not the other way around.

While at it, when I switch from ground to tower, do I need to establish the radio communication using this procedure (?):

<tower><aircraft_callsign>
<aircraft_callsign><tower> "go ahead" (or similar)

It seems like it is okay to skip that establishment and directly issue the request, even though it's my first call on that frequency.

the only time you would call in with just your callsign is if you intend to follow up with a long or otherwise non standard request.

Other than that, just come out with it on the first call

Keith Smith wrote:the only time you would call in with just your callsign is if you intend to follow up with a long or otherwise non standard request.

Other than that, just come out with it on the first call

Ahh, got it!

Thanks!

Great question mats77,
This clarifies the occasional scolding I have received while merrily taxiing to the ramp after doing everything else right on the flight.....
Good airmanship doesn't end with a "nailed" approach and a "greased" landing.

Thanks

I'll be the first to say that the 'switching ground scenario' is an area where we encounter a case that just doesn't happen very often in the real world, which is where you're slowing down to taxi speed while on the runway, and you hear nothing at all from the tower. In the real world, the tower guy is paying pretty close attention to that one aircraft and gives followup instructions in 99% of the cases before the aircraft comes to a halt and has cleared the runway. So the real world case of hearing nothing from tower after you exit is one that really doesn't happen often, at least in my experience (although it certainly has happened).

On PE, it's a much more common occurrence simply because of our staffing model. Best case, you have one person working 40 towers and nothing else. Worst case, you have one person doing absolutely everything. In either case, you are prone to this situation occurring unless the controller has gone to great lengths to monitor your progress during the rollout.

So, for those that run into it here and wonder why it's happening more frequently than real life, that would be the reason. It's still good training, though, and still brings home the point regarding when you should or shouldn't switch, so it's not a terrible thing

Thanks Keith for filling in on some more details!

My general practice on PE is to taxi clear of the runway, then come to a full stop (still on tower frequency). If the radio is quiet, I give the controller about 15-20 seconds to figure out I need movement instructions then call "XXX tower, cessna 123AB clear of runway YY". In the real world you'd do things pretty much exactly this way, except as Keith noted, you're VERY likely to be handed over to ground before you even clear the runway: "cessna 3AB, left at Juliet, contact ground on 121.9" (or some variation of this phraseology, depending on the airport).

If the radio is is busy, I wait until there is a break, just like you would with any radio call.

-M.

That works... or I do this upon rollout "xyz tower, Duke 68C can make A {or whatever taxiway}" Keys our wonderful super controllers into the fact that I'm about to exit at taxiway A and would love a taxi clearance back to park.

I hear this all the time real world from pilots...

Other examples I hear:

"tower, cirrus 334cp's got A2"
"tower, flagship3929 can take A2"
(If I'm not on the ball and I don't care if they start taxiiing), "tower, skywest 5292 clear on A2, should we stay with you?"