All traffic in the area, please advise

nauga said:
I don't use it and don't particularly care for it but hearing the call bothers me less than, say, using CTAF to coordinate a rental car or asking if anyone's seen Clarence recently and how's his dog doing?
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When did Unicom become CTAF? Because originally, coordinating a car and such things was one of the things Unicom was supposed to be used for (secondary to weather and traffic info). I don't object when the FBO's charter calls in 10 miles out and asks the girl in the office to have the car ready. Though I mostly fly out of small sleepy airports without that much radio traffic, even the occasional "Hi Joe, where ya headed today?" really isn't a problem. At a busier airport it might be less appropriate.
 
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Dana said:
When did Unicom become CTAF?
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"Unicom" is an assigned frequency for a licensed ground station, typically at the FBO. The CTAF frequency can be the Unicom frequency, it can be the Multicom frequency (122.9, IIRC), the tower frequency when the tower is closed, or its own unique frequency.

So, regarding Unicom becoming CTAF..... When an FBO licenses a ground station (Unicom) and a frequency is assigned to it, that frequency is usually designated the CTAF.

At least that's how it's supposed to work. I think more typically at a small airport, there is a designated CTAF and somebody at the FBO gets hold of a removed airplane radio or a handheld, tunes it to CTAF, and uses it sporadically as an unofficial ground station / pseudo-Unicom.
 
AV8R_87 said:
If the pattern isn't too busy and someone announces on the radio "At DUMBR for the RNAV GPS 36" I reply with something like "no idea where that is, what's your bearing and distance from the airport?"
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But if I say "Cirrus N123XP, 10 mile final for runway 26" everyone will be ****ed and reinforcing the stereotype
 
Dana said:
When did Unicom become CTAF? Because originally, coordinating a car and such things was one of the things Unicom was supposed to be used for (secondary to weather and traffic info). I don't object when the FBO's charter calls in 10 miles out and asks the girl in the office to have the car ready. Though I mostly fly out of small sleepy airports without that much radio traffic, even the occasional "Hi Joe, where ya headed today?" really isn't a problem. At a busier airport it might be less appropriate.
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We have a busy nontowered airport nearby that uses the same frequency as our field. It's pretty common to hear pilots arriving there to call & verify that a car is ready for whomever is on board. Sometimes a name is given and I've heard a few impressive ones over the years.
 
M20K said:
If you're saying that and you're still a potential threat, then there's a bigger issue.

And don't give me that you're IFR and you have to talk to ATC. If there's still a threat, they'd want you to be staying on the CTAF until you get a little higher and you do not need to be on CTAF anymore.
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My photo crew works very closely every single week with DFW ATC for the last decade and I think we know what we're doing. Not everyone is blasting out in a straight line from point A to point B.
 
flyingcheesehead said:
That's one of the least annoying ones, but it's also utterly useless, except in the situation @midlifeflyer mentioned: Clearing the runway, you get taxi instructions and told to remain this frequency, "Foxtrot, Alpha, Delta to parking with you, 7ST..."
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well…. I don’t say “with you” to “remain this frequency.”

My “with you” is reserved for the controller who says, “stay with me.” I’m just parroting the controller on the readback.
 
RyanShort1 said:
My photo crew works very closely every single week with DFW ATC for the last decade and I think we know what we're doing. Not everyone is blasting out in a straight line from point A to point B.
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I can appreciate that and there are other times when one wants to change frequencies early to switch to ATC. But I don’t understand what that has to do with “last call,” a phrase, as far as I have been able to tell, that originated on YouTube.
 
eman1200 said:
I do. And proud of it! I AM NOT A PARROT!! But I do want a cracker.
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I don’t use it myself but don’t disdain using it there. Nor in response to “change to my frequency.”

I’d be happy to give you a cracker, but like these biscuits better
1741089921394.jpeg
 
Gilbert Buettner said:
I haven't heard an "airport advisory" in years, but rather than a "preferred runway" I recall more like which runway is in use.
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My “first call” is always to unicom when about 10 out asking for an airport advisory. Just the way I was trained by my crusty old curmudgeon CFI.
 
Bill said:
My “first call” is always to unicom when about 10 out asking for an airport advisory. Just the way I was trained by my crusty old curmudgeon CFI.
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What information do they give you?
 
If there’s someone there usually weather and runway in use.
 
I do it more for fun than anything now just to see if there’s a live person sitting at the fbo desk
 
Bill said:
I do it more for fun than anything now just to see if there’s a live person sitting at the fbo desk
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will someone hook up an AI to respond to such queries?
 
midlifeflyer said:
I can appreciate that and there are other times when one wants to change frequencies early to switch to ATC. But I don’t understand what that has to do with “last call,” a phrase, as far as I have been able to tell, that originated on YouTube.
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It’s been around well before YouTube was popular for aviation videos in my experience. I do generally despise the ATITPPA calls, because of their presumptions, but I always though that in given circumstances last call made reasonably good sense. I don’t think it should be a common phrase as much as situational.
 
RyanShort1 said:
It’s been around well before YouTube was popular for aviation videos in my experience. I do generally despise the ATITPPA calls, because of their presumptions, but I always though that in given circumstances last call made reasonably good sense.
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I really never heard it on the radio until fairly recently. And if it made "reasonably good sense" as opposed to normal traffic position calls, I'd expect to see it mentioned in the AIM or AC90-66C. Basically, I think most of these empty phrases are just people who feel a need to fill silence. That's why silence is such a good interrogation technique."

"Podunk Traffic. Cessna 1234A departing runway 4. Departing [straight out/cardinal direction]. Uhhhhhhh. Ummmmmm."

"Podunk Traffic. Cherokee 9876Z turning left crosswind. Departing the pattern westbound. Uhhhhhhh. Ummmmmm."

I took the liberty of replacing. Last call" with words of equal substantive content:D Sure, you can probably come up with a situation or two in which it makes sense to say something special or non-standard, but not every single departure.

Sorry, but "last call" reminds me too much of its towered airport counterpart, calling Tower after leaving the Delta airspace to inform them you are changing frequencies :stirpot::stirpot::stirpot:
 
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Dana said:
When did Unicom become CTAF? Because originally, coordinating a car and such things was one of the things Unicom was supposed to be used for (secondary to weather and traffic info). I don't object when the FBO's charter calls in 10 miles out and asks the girl in the office to have the car ready. Though I mostly fly out of small sleepy airports without that much radio traffic, even the occasional "Hi Joe, where ya headed today?" really isn't a problem. At a busier airport it might be less appropriate.
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UNICOM is the radio station licensed to the FBO. At uncontrolled airports that frequency is usually also the CTAF (the place you make your announcements). Originally, this was 122.8 everywhere, but they've added five more frequencies over the decades. You can call the UNICOM for an airport advisory as well as conducting business with the FBO.
At towered fields, there is usually a UNICOM assigned as well, but the CTAF is the tower frequency (whether the tower is open or not). We used to use it at BJC to order up fuel.
At fields without a UNICOM, the multicom frequency (typically 122.9) serves as the CTAF.
 
midlifeflyer said:
My “with you” is reserved for the controller who says, “stay with me.” I’m just parroting the controller on the readback.
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I used to think "stay with me" was a song request and would start singing. At the end of the song, they always gave me their phone number. It wasn't until I sang it to a female controller and actually called her that I learned they were looking for something a little more succinct.


More seriously, is "remain this frequency" the official form of "stay with me" or are they equally correct? I tend to hear the former a lot more than the latter, although I don't fly through as much of the country as many here have experienced.
 
iamtheari said:
More seriously, is "remain this frequency" the official form of "stay with me" or are they equally correct? I tend to hear the former a lot more than the latter, although I don't fly through as much of the country as many here have experienced.
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Well, technically, "remain this frequency" is official jargon. "With me" is not in the 7110. I can't really say I've heard one more than the other, although I think I've heard "with me" more often on the ground as part of a taxi instruction than in the air.
 
Ed Haywood said:
Replace "final" with "straight in" and you're good.
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I once decided to try the accuracy of the glide ring on my EFB. Pulled power to idle and headed towards the field.
Decided to make a "15 mile final" courtesy call, but forgot to add "simulated engine out". You should've heard the peanut gallery.
 
AV8R_87 said:
I once decided to try the accuracy of the glide ring on my EFB. Pulled power to idle and headed towards the field.
Decided to make a "15 mile final" courtesy call, but forgot to add "simulated engine out". You should've heard the peanut gallery.
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With my Cherokee's glide ratio, that would have meant I was planning to walk the remaining 13 miles of the final approach.
 
I posted:
ATITAPA. Much ado about nothing in my opinion. Inbound to an uncontrolled field on a straight-in, I'll monitor the frequency. If I don't hear anything, I'll ask if there's anyone in the pattern. Surprising number of times, someone will fess up to being in the pattern.

Flying Cheesehead posted the reply:
You'll get the exact same result or better if you merely report your position, and at that point useful communication has occurred. ATITAPA, you might as well say "Everyone key your mic at once, I want to hear radios squealing and not hear anyone!"

I can't count the number of time I announced my position and intention to land without hearing anybody respond with their position in the pattern. This after monitoring the frequency for some time before making my radio call. Then, as I neared entry and asking if anyone was in the pattern, somebody responds yeah, I'm turning downwind. And people stepping on the radio happens no matter what someone does beforehand.
 
asicer said:
I can't say I like either "last call" or ATITPPA, but both tell me something about the pilot and I'll try to give them a little wider berth.
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This ^^^^ :D
 
Dana said:
When did Unicom become CTAF?
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Half Fast said:
"Unicom" is an assigned frequency for a licensed ground station, typically at the FBO. The CTAF frequency can be the Unicom frequency, it can be the Multicom frequency (122.9, IIRC), the tower frequency when the tower is closed, or its own unique frequency.
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Unicom, Multicom .... strange words of the ancestors, not spoken in generations.
 
When I first started PPL training, I used the phrase "McCullum Tower, THIS IS Skyhawk 1234....... "

I wasn't even aware of that until my CFI pointed it out. Not sure why I was adding that.
 
midlifeflyer said:
well…. I don’t say “with you” to “remain this frequency.”

My “with you” is reserved for the controller who says, “stay with me.” I’m just parroting the controller on the readback.
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What do you say for "Remain this frequency"? I haven't yet thought of anything that means the same yet is shorter than "with you".

midlifeflyer said:
I can appreciate that and there are other times when one wants to change frequencies early to switch to ATC. But I don’t understand what that has to do with “last call,” a phrase, as far as I have been able to tell, that originated on YouTube.
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I'm pretty sure that the first place I heard about Last Call was many years ago here on PoA, before aviation YouTubers became a thing.

Witmo said:
I posted:
ATITAPA. Much ado about nothing in my opinion. Inbound to an uncontrolled field on a straight-in, I'll monitor the frequency. If I don't hear anything, I'll ask if there's anyone in the pattern. Surprising number of times, someone will fess up to being in the pattern.

Flying Cheesehead posted the reply:
You'll get the exact same result or better if you merely report your position, and at that point useful communication has occurred. ATITAPA, you might as well say "Everyone key your mic at once, I want to hear radios squealing and not hear anyone!"

I can't count the number of time I announced my position and intention to land without hearing anybody respond with their position in the pattern. This after monitoring the frequency for some time before making my radio call. Then, as I neared entry and asking if anyone was in the pattern, somebody responds yeah, I'm turning downwind. And people stepping on the radio happens no matter what someone does beforehand.
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Maybe you're not waiting long enough. Generally, I make an initial call, a downwind call, and a base-to-final call if I don't hear anyone else.

If I hear another plane check in and I haven't heard anyone else, I'll tell the other plane where I am.

If there are already other planes at the same field on the frequency that have been talking and someone checks in, I'll reply right away *IF* I am the closest to them or the biggest threat, otherwise I'll wait for others who are in a worse position relative to that person to make their calls first.

But "ATITAPA" gets you nothing. If you say it at the end of a position report, you get exactly what I would have given you anyway. If you say it without a position report, there's no way for everyone else to respond in a logical order and it's gonna be a bunch of people stepping on each other. Either way, I'm going to assume that you don't know what you're doing.

WDD said:
Unicom, Multicom .... strange words of the ancestors, not spoken in generations.
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Unicom is still used by plenty of corporate/charter types to alert the FBO that they're 15 minutes out and a reminder of what they need, especially if it involves a quick turn, pulling a car up to the plane, or other time-sensitive things.

I've been flying for over 20 years and I still don't really know what multicom is/was supposed to be. Not a term that's been in use in a LONG time.
 
eman1200 said:
“Taxi alpha, foxtrot, delta remain this freq” you say ‘Wilco’? Pretty sure you’re gonna wanna rethink that.
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Wilco was simply replacing "Remain this frequency" - in this case that you added to, it would be “Taxi alpha, foxtrot, delta, wilco, N12345"
 
RyanShort1 said:
Wilco was simply replacing "Remain this frequency" - in this case that you added to, it would be “Taxi alpha, foxtrot, delta, wilco, N12345"
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I didn’t add anything, that was the original question/comment.
 
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