What is the fascination with talking fast on the radio?

jordane93

jordane93

Touchdown! Greaser!
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I've noticed it more and more. 9/10 times ATC tells the pilot "say again" and it causes more clutter on the frequency. We really need to teach students to slow things down, enunciate with proper phraseology, and teach them that comms. are not a race who can speak the fastest. What say you POA?
 
jordane93 said:
I've noticed it more and more. 9/10 times ATC tells the pilot "say again" and it causes more clutter on the frequency. We really need to teach students to slow things down, enunciate with proper phraseology, and teach them that comms. are not a race who can speak the fastest. What say you POA?
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A lot of pilots mumble and I drives me bonkers.
 
I don't speedtalk on the radio or anything, but I've seen folks have trouble with even a well-articulated medium conversational pace- effin ridiculous if you ask me.
 
jordane93 said:
I've noticed it more and more. 9/10 times ATC tells the pilot "say again" and it causes more clutter on the frequency. We really need to teach students to slow things down, enunciate with proper phraseology, and teach them that comms. are not a race who can speak the fastest. What say you POA?
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ATC first. No one babbles and throws it out faster than ATC.
 
I've tried talking really slow, they still can't read back my tail number correctly.
 
That aggravates the **** out of me too. I wish everyone would just slow down a bit and say it once, clearly.
 
cowman said:
I've tried talking really slow, they still can't read back my tail number correctly.
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Man, I have slowed down and enunciated like a ... well, like someone who really enunciates, and they still screw up my tail number half the time. I'm beginning to think it's not me.

(Same thing for getting flight following. Anyone see anything wrong with:

"Memphis Center, Mooney 999AB, departing Cape Girardeau, request"
"Mooney 999AB, Memphis Center"
"Mooney 999AB is a M20P, like to get flight following to Huntsville (Hotel, Sierra, Victor) at 7500"

Half the time, I have to repeat parts of that. Isn't that the expected order and information?)
 
if atc or a pilot don't understand each other then they have to say "say again" or maybe a less annoying variation. Flying throughout the country you get to hear totally different accents and although people might speak perfect english undesranding them might take some patience and the magic phrase. LOL
 
Could not agree more. There's a lot of jargon going on, a lot of emulation of military r/t - and all of it way too fast. Easy to fall into that trap in a busy environment, but I try to make a conscious effort to slow it down and be more precise. I try not to use superfluous r/t such as "with you" etc.
 
CTLSi said:
ATC first. No one babbles and throws it out faster than ATC.
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Man, you said it. And nothing is worse than when ATC is on several frequencies and talks on all of them at the same time while speaking to one pilot.

In Alaska, there was a guy in Flight Service, he would get bored and sneeze on frequency, or uncork a belch that would shake the airplane. That would bring everyone else on frequency to try their best belch on the air.

Life was good...
 
One of the things I liked about being a student pilot. Whenever I flew into controlled airspace or called for weather I would always start with, "I am a student pilot flying a 172..." They would always talk slower. Wish they did that all the time.
 
imagine if they spoke in spanish. now those guys speak freaking FAST. or so it seems to me.
 
CTLSi said:
ATC first. No one babbles and throws it out faster than ATC.
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Just talk real slow, and tell 'email "do you hear how fast I talk? That's how fast I listen, too." You can always say it slower, with a drawl, at least as long as you're with the speed-talking controller.
 
CTLSi said:
ATC first. No one babbles and throws it out faster than ATC.
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Agreed. Even on slow days at my field I sometimes here controllers spewing out clearances, taxi routes, etc even when I'm the only one on the freq.
 
The only time I see needing to be Johnny on the spot with the radios is coming in and out of the east coast(JFK, PHL, LGA). I have noticed they speak a lot faster than back in the midwest. I wouldn't say talking fast on the radio is necessary. More important to be clear than be fast and have to have something be repeated.

Also paying attention. Getting a new frequency and having to have the controller "say again" because someone isn't paying attention takes up unnecessary radio chatter.

If I have a long request I usually say, "xxx Center....callsign...." before I make a request so they know I have something long winded coming their way. But like a previous poster said, I still usually end up reading back some of it because the controller didn't catch it.:D
 
What bugs me the most is all of the extra words people use during communications. Normal conversation pace is fine, but a taxi clearance request shouldn't take 27 words.
 
I have been told I talk too fast in real life...

...since getting my PPL I appreciate having someone on the other end of the radio that can finally understand me!
 
nimdabew said:
What bugs me the most is all of the extra words people use during communications. Normal conversation pace is fine, but a taxi clearance request shouldn't take 27 words.
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XXX Ground, Bugsmasher 1 2 3 4 5, at YYY, with Information Papa, Request Taxi to the Active. 18 words, sometimes a few more. Hard to pare it down much more without getting cryptic.
 
warthog1984 said:
XXX Ground, Bugsmasher 1 2 3 4 5, at YYY, with Information Papa, Request Taxi to the Active. 18 words, sometimes a few more. Hard to pare it down much more without getting cryptic.
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Drop the word information and drop "to the active"
 
jordane93 said:
Agreed. Even on slow days at my field I sometimes here controllers spewing out clearances, taxi routes, etc even when I'm the only one on the freq.
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Well, that doesn't make much sense. If you are the only one on frequency, who are they talking to? How would one know if one is the only person on frequency anyway?
 
warthog1984 said:
XXX Ground, Bugsmasher 1 2 3 4 5, at YYY, with Information Papa, Request Taxi to the Active. 18 words, sometimes a few more. Hard to pare it down much more without getting cryptic.
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I would even shorten that to, "XXX Ground, Bugshmasher 12345, YYY, Taxi with Papa"
 
I used to talk very fast on the radio until I heard myself on liveatc.net once. The key to sounding professional on the radio is making every transmission clear, concise, and to the point, not sounding like you just downed a red bull and ran a 5k.
 
warthog1984 said:
XXX Ground, Bugsmasher 1 2 3 4 5, at YYY, with Information Papa, Request Taxi to the Active. 18 words, sometimes a few more. Hard to pare it down much more without getting cryptic.
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XXX Ground Bugsmasher 12345 at YYY taxi 18 with Papa.

That's 10 words, same information.

Just say it like Forrest Gump so they can understand....
 
ssonixx said:
Well, that doesn't make much sense. If you are the only one on frequency, who are they talking to? How would one know if one is the only person on frequency anyway?
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They give me lightning fast clearances/taxi routes when I hear no one else transmitting.
 
You talk fast in NY, because it is busy and it is NY. Just be happy they don't drop F bombs every sentence.
 
MAKG1 said:
XXX Ground Bugsmasher 12345 at YYY taxi 18 with Papa.

That's 10 words, same information.

Just say it like Forrest Gump so they can understand....
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Count Again. 15 Words.

But my point was precisely what you and other posters demonstrated: it's easy to eliminate words, or talk faster, but it's very difficult to get much more concise than short declarative phrases without becoming cryptic [where are you going- to the Active, MX, fuel, or the cafe?] or difficult to pick out and comprehend in a fast-paced noisy environment. You shouldn't need special training to make a radio call.

At the same time, I can spit out my taxi request in 5s or less, and because of the conversational flow and the ordering, ATC can understand what I am saying even they weren't alert at the start of the call or I talk really fast.

In my case, I go by the old Sporty's 5Ws: Who you are calling, who you are, where you are, what ATIS you have, and what you want.
 
Although I'm perfectly comfortable on the radio, I never realized I spoke so quickly until I listened to some liveatc.net archive recordings of flights I did - it really shocked me. I suppose when students are so busy trying to fly the plane and especially during intense dual training, they try to get the words out fast to get back to flying the plane.

I've since really slowed myself down and while I never had issues before with ATC understanding me, I feel more focused and centered while flying.
 
Speedblurting one's tail number on initial callup causes problems but no more than ATC's speedblurting complex taxi instructions. And I think the A#1 most common comm offense I hear is pilots forgetting to include the ATIS letter on initial callup. I've done it. You've done it. But it wastes time nonetheless. It wastes even more time if you didn't listen to ATIS to find out that ground is now open and don't call tower, etc.

And read back the #}%^* runway number every time ATC says it. Speed comm is a problem but I don't think it is necessarily the #1 problem.

Plenty of comm sins to go around fo sho.

I'd like everyone to say things in the shortest and clearest way possible that results in mutual understanding.

I am the kind of nerd who listens to LiveATC for KAPA app/dep/gnd/twr/clnc on the way to work. It is very interesting to hear all the little comm nuances and pecadillos.
 
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warthog1984 said:
Sounds on the faster side at the start, but still clear [I'm guessing "with the numbers" is your phrasing for ATIS].
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I asked the tower and they said they prefer "with the numbers" since there is no atis code at our field
 
If you forget the ATIS code (but listened to it and have the info you need), just say "with information". That will usually suffice. Especially if things are busy.

Heck, I was at Santa Monica and we just double clicked on our takeoff clearance and took off. No frequency room to say anything. Freq was too busy.

Remember, its about COMMUNICATION, not some magic "saying the right words". Don't sweat the little stuff. Keep it simple and brief.
 
In the typical POA fashion, this thread is morphing into lots of divergent paths. Meh - it's the internet.

I have to make an effort to slow down. Most others I hear when I do have the radio on are similar. As for the content, that's a much larger bag of marbles.
 
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