Sunday, May 19, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
Hot Off the Press
With the kind help of the iBooks support team (seems there's a bug in iTunesProducer 2.9), the 4th edition of my book the Concise Guide to IFR is now available on the iTunes store. This edition contains some editorial changes as well as information on the FAA's recent changes to:
- Use of GPS in alternate airport instrument approach planning
- Information on Radius-to-Fix legs in approach procedures
- Changes to circling approach obstacle protected airspace
Get 'em while their hot!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Pretty Talk
Congress got off it's rusty-dusty and passed legislation allowing the FAA to shift funds to apparently end most air traffic controller furloughs, which allows said members of congress to fly home on the weekend with fewer delays. It remains to be seen how the funding shift will affect the proposed closure of control towers at smaller airports, but rumor has it they have been spared until November. The original plan to close control towers led many groups (including the FAA) to publish tips, pointers, reminders, admonishments, and general advice for aircraft operations at airports without operating control towers.
Every certificated pilot (and solo student pilots) should be familiar with non-towered airport radio communications, so these aforementioned reminders are either a way to fill empty column inches in a newsletter, blog, or tweet (Hey! Look at me!) or it's an acknowledgement of how quickly piloting skills may erode once the plastic certificate has been received. Or it's a stinging indictment of how inadequate recurrent training can be for US pilots. You can draw your own conclusions, but a big part of safe and successful aircraft operation is effective radio communication in any airspace. Funding of federal agencies is quickly becoming the legislative equivalent of Survivor, so who knows if or when control towers might get closed. So here are my observations, suggestions, and tried-and-true techniques for effective radio communication (Hey! Look at me!)
I've written before about radio communications, but hopefully this post will add something new to the mix.
Quality Equipment
Few things in aviation will waste a pilot's time and money (especially a student pilot's) more than a cheap, low-quality headset. If you low-ball the amount you spend on your headset, you'll likely end up with poor noise suppression and a crappy microphone that won't stay in position resulting in an awful double-whammy: You'll have a hard time hearing what other pilots (and controllers) are saying and they'll have a hard time hearing you. The solution is to get a quality headset from the get-go. You don't have to buy new. You may be able to find a used, quality headset and save some dough. I'll throw out some names: LightSpeed, Bose, David Clark, Sennheiser, and Clarity Aloft. There may be other reliable brands, but those are the ones that come to mind. Bite the bullet, buy one of those, and in the long run you'll be glad you did. And so will the rest of us.
Microphone Placement and Windscreen
Now that you have a good headset, you'll need to position the microphone properly and that means close to your pie hole. Close placement is required for noise-canceling microphones to work effectively. If the microphone is too far away, your transmissions will sound ... weak ... and far ... away ... Also ensure the microphone is oriented so that you're speaking directly into it. Some mics have a flat surface that needs to be oriented so that it is parallel to your lips.
That foam windscreen that came with your headset will greatly reduce high-frequency sounds of your breathing and sounds related to the pronunciation of consonants. I've flown with pilots who lost or damaged the windscreen or simply took it off because they didn't like the sensation of a piece of foam next to their pie hole. I point out to them how bad they sound on the radio and if they don't get the point (often they don't) I take the windscreen of my microphone and give them a demonstration using "She sell sea shells at the seashore." This is usually all it takes to realize that a windscreen is an important part of effective radio communication.
Resonate
Maybe it's a generational thing or perhaps I'm becoming a grouch (it's inevitable with age, right?), but what's the deal with people talking like Millhouse? You know, a whinging/gravelly speaking voice that wanders into an unnaturally low speaking register, especially toward the end of a sentence, reminiscent of tuvan throat singers? Combine that with a nasal way of swallowing consonant sounds and you've got all the ingredients for a terrible radio speaking voice. I'm not a voice coach or speech therapist, but if you find yourself exhibiting this problem an antidote could be joining a barbershop quartet. Think of keeping your voice toward the front of your mouth, avoid swallowing your words, and keep the air moving through your vocal cords right to the end of each sentence.
Consonant sounds are what help us distinguish words heard over a weak or static-ridden radio. To make effective consonant sounds, you have to open your mouth, move your jaw, and enunciate. If you don't open your mouth you will likely spew a stream of nasally, whining vowel sounds that will leave your listener baffled as to what you are trying to say.
The above mentioned problems plague both pilots and controllers. If you're unsure how you sound on the radio, why not record yourself? Here's a great link that describes how to build your own audio splitter and use it with Notability running on an iPad to record and then self-evaluate your radio voice.
Too Fast, Too Many Words
Many pilots seem to have been taught that they must speak over the radio at a rapid fire pace. It's true that you don't want to hog the frequency when things are busy and lots of people need to talk, but if you speak so fast that no one can understand you, you'll be asked to repeat what you said and you haven't really saved anyone's time, have you? The problem is usually not the tempo of the pilot or controller speaking, it's the content: Too many unnecessary words and vocalized pauses (aaahh, ummm, ...). We all spent our formative years learning how to correctly use prepositions and grammar, but when you become a pilot (or a controller) you have to winnow out all the unnecessary words and pare your speech down to the bone.
A great way to develop a clear and concise radio style is to ... practice. You can do this while stuck in traffic in your car, while taking a shower, or while walking the dog. Here's how:
Imagine a scenario - you're about to request taxi, or you're asking for an instrument approach clearance, or you're entering the traffic pattern at a non-towered airport. Next, say out loud what you think you should say. Then evaluate what you just said (the evaluation step is what many people skip). How many unneeded words did you include? Did you use accepted phraseology? If you aren't satisfied, try it again. Repeat this sort of practice regularly and you'll find your radio style will improve, others will understand you, you won't waste other people's time, and controllers may just start to respect you.
Say Intentions
One thing many pilots seem to leave out of their communications (especially at non-towered airports) is what they intend to do or what they want to do. Maybe NextGen will eventually provide us all with a mind-reading function, but until that happens it's important to let others know your intentions. At non-towered airports (just one example), when you've departed and announced you're turning crosswind, remember to include whether you are remaining in the pattern or departing. Same goes for when you are on final: Will you be making a full stop landing or a touch and go? You know, but the rest of us don't have a clue and are dying to know. So tell us. Remember that radio communications, especially at non-towered airports, is verbal TCAS that might keep you from running into another aircraft.
The Last Word
So those are my few suggestions for effective radio communication. If you use good equipment, speak up, enunciate, and use clear, concise phrases, you'll be less likely to run into problems. With practice, any pilot (or controller) can talk pretty.
Every certificated pilot (and solo student pilots) should be familiar with non-towered airport radio communications, so these aforementioned reminders are either a way to fill empty column inches in a newsletter, blog, or tweet (Hey! Look at me!) or it's an acknowledgement of how quickly piloting skills may erode once the plastic certificate has been received. Or it's a stinging indictment of how inadequate recurrent training can be for US pilots. You can draw your own conclusions, but a big part of safe and successful aircraft operation is effective radio communication in any airspace. Funding of federal agencies is quickly becoming the legislative equivalent of Survivor, so who knows if or when control towers might get closed. So here are my observations, suggestions, and tried-and-true techniques for effective radio communication (Hey! Look at me!)
I've written before about radio communications, but hopefully this post will add something new to the mix.
Quality Equipment
Few things in aviation will waste a pilot's time and money (especially a student pilot's) more than a cheap, low-quality headset. If you low-ball the amount you spend on your headset, you'll likely end up with poor noise suppression and a crappy microphone that won't stay in position resulting in an awful double-whammy: You'll have a hard time hearing what other pilots (and controllers) are saying and they'll have a hard time hearing you. The solution is to get a quality headset from the get-go. You don't have to buy new. You may be able to find a used, quality headset and save some dough. I'll throw out some names: LightSpeed, Bose, David Clark, Sennheiser, and Clarity Aloft. There may be other reliable brands, but those are the ones that come to mind. Bite the bullet, buy one of those, and in the long run you'll be glad you did. And so will the rest of us.
Microphone Placement and Windscreen
Now that you have a good headset, you'll need to position the microphone properly and that means close to your pie hole. Close placement is required for noise-canceling microphones to work effectively. If the microphone is too far away, your transmissions will sound ... weak ... and far ... away ... Also ensure the microphone is oriented so that you're speaking directly into it. Some mics have a flat surface that needs to be oriented so that it is parallel to your lips.
That foam windscreen that came with your headset will greatly reduce high-frequency sounds of your breathing and sounds related to the pronunciation of consonants. I've flown with pilots who lost or damaged the windscreen or simply took it off because they didn't like the sensation of a piece of foam next to their pie hole. I point out to them how bad they sound on the radio and if they don't get the point (often they don't) I take the windscreen of my microphone and give them a demonstration using "She sell sea shells at the seashore." This is usually all it takes to realize that a windscreen is an important part of effective radio communication.
Resonate
Maybe it's a generational thing or perhaps I'm becoming a grouch (it's inevitable with age, right?), but what's the deal with people talking like Millhouse? You know, a whinging/gravelly speaking voice that wanders into an unnaturally low speaking register, especially toward the end of a sentence, reminiscent of tuvan throat singers? Combine that with a nasal way of swallowing consonant sounds and you've got all the ingredients for a terrible radio speaking voice. I'm not a voice coach or speech therapist, but if you find yourself exhibiting this problem an antidote could be joining a barbershop quartet. Think of keeping your voice toward the front of your mouth, avoid swallowing your words, and keep the air moving through your vocal cords right to the end of each sentence.
Consonant sounds are what help us distinguish words heard over a weak or static-ridden radio. To make effective consonant sounds, you have to open your mouth, move your jaw, and enunciate. If you don't open your mouth you will likely spew a stream of nasally, whining vowel sounds that will leave your listener baffled as to what you are trying to say.
The above mentioned problems plague both pilots and controllers. If you're unsure how you sound on the radio, why not record yourself? Here's a great link that describes how to build your own audio splitter and use it with Notability running on an iPad to record and then self-evaluate your radio voice.
Too Fast, Too Many Words
Many pilots seem to have been taught that they must speak over the radio at a rapid fire pace. It's true that you don't want to hog the frequency when things are busy and lots of people need to talk, but if you speak so fast that no one can understand you, you'll be asked to repeat what you said and you haven't really saved anyone's time, have you? The problem is usually not the tempo of the pilot or controller speaking, it's the content: Too many unnecessary words and vocalized pauses (aaahh, ummm, ...). We all spent our formative years learning how to correctly use prepositions and grammar, but when you become a pilot (or a controller) you have to winnow out all the unnecessary words and pare your speech down to the bone.
A great way to develop a clear and concise radio style is to ... practice. You can do this while stuck in traffic in your car, while taking a shower, or while walking the dog. Here's how:
Imagine a scenario - you're about to request taxi, or you're asking for an instrument approach clearance, or you're entering the traffic pattern at a non-towered airport. Next, say out loud what you think you should say. Then evaluate what you just said (the evaluation step is what many people skip). How many unneeded words did you include? Did you use accepted phraseology? If you aren't satisfied, try it again. Repeat this sort of practice regularly and you'll find your radio style will improve, others will understand you, you won't waste other people's time, and controllers may just start to respect you.
Say Intentions
One thing many pilots seem to leave out of their communications (especially at non-towered airports) is what they intend to do or what they want to do. Maybe NextGen will eventually provide us all with a mind-reading function, but until that happens it's important to let others know your intentions. At non-towered airports (just one example), when you've departed and announced you're turning crosswind, remember to include whether you are remaining in the pattern or departing. Same goes for when you are on final: Will you be making a full stop landing or a touch and go? You know, but the rest of us don't have a clue and are dying to know. So tell us. Remember that radio communications, especially at non-towered airports, is verbal TCAS that might keep you from running into another aircraft.
The Last Word
So those are my few suggestions for effective radio communication. If you use good equipment, speak up, enunciate, and use clear, concise phrases, you'll be less likely to run into problems. With practice, any pilot (or controller) can talk pretty.
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