Call signs?

The few times Ive talked with ATC in the glider i say "Grob Glider XXXXX" and they normally respond with "Uh... glider?"
 
Back when I was partners in a Stinson, I used "Stinson XXXX" as a call sign. Tower always came back, "CESSNA XXXX..."

The rare times I've spoken to ATC with my current plane, I make the call as "Fly Baby Experimental 45848" and they always shorten that to just "Experimental."

Ron Wanttaja
 
Skylane81E said:
Rarely has ATC goofed on me. Melbourne tower called me by several different numbers then accused me of changing it on him. My response was "negative, it has been five four eight one echo since before I bought it." Maybe that wasn't smart but it did shut him up.
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Was this Melbourne as in KMLB? That's where my Skylane was accused of being a Cherokee :)

Every now and then they read back my numbers transposed, and I respond with a little louder/clearer correct reading and generally they recognize their error right away and fix it. One particularly busy day though I was doing pattern work and this happened; I read back my tail number in a louder than normal portion of the rest of my readback and I didn't get any response from them. This went on for another loop around the pattern before I caught the hint that there actually was another bird in the pattern with a very similar last-three on the tail, so ATC started using all five. :redface:

I learned to fly at KMLB and overall I definitely appreciate the work ATC does here. My XC's were to non-towered fields that also had a fair amount of active training, and while at them I was sometimes amazed at the unsafe things I heard or saw.
 
Hmmm. Mary just asked, and I don't know.

What will we call ourselves in the RV-8A, to ATC?

"Vans N14EG"?

"Experimental N14EG"?

"RV 14EG"?
 
prancingmoose said:
I've got a question on aircraft call signs, specifically for PA28s. I got my private in a Warrior, and when talking to ATC, I either said "Warrior N..." or "Cherokee". Never had any problems until I got to the collegiate program I'm in now and started flying the Arrow. I was taxiing one day, and called up and said "Cherokee.." and my instructor fussed at me and said to always say the specific model.

A few weeks later, I'm flying with my dad in his Dakota and I called up tower and said "Dakota.." which was followed by confusion from the controller as to what kind of aircraft it was. I finally just said Cherokee and he was happy. There's a big speed difference in a 160hp Warrior and a 235hp Dakota though, and I would think that knowing the specific model would be good..

Thought? I've had contrasting answers from several different instructors.
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Your instructor is an idiot. In the Cherokee line, just say Cherokee. Unlike Cessnas, there's not much difference in the dirty speed of a Warrior vs. an Arrow, so it doesn't matter anyway.

Its not like the difference between a 152 and a 182 or something.
 
Jay Honeck said:
Hmmm. Mary just asked, and I don't know.

What will we call ourselves in the RV-8A, to ATC?

"Vans N14EG"?

"Experimental N14EG"?

"RV 14EG"?
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In MSFS, it would something something ridiculous like:

"Experimental Type Vans, RV8A, November One Four Echo Golf."

In real life, you would just say either "Experimental 14EG" or "Vans, 14EG"
 
This happened to me once at KAPC:

Ground: "Cessna 123SA, do you see the Bombardier ahead?"

Me: "Uh, I see a big jet looking thing in front of me."

Ground: "Roger. Well, then follow the big jet looking thing to runway 18R."
 
SkyHog said:
In MSFS, it would something something ridiculous like:

"Experimental Type Vans, RV8A, November One Four Echo Golf."

In real life, you would just say either "Experimental 14EG" or "Vans, 14EG"
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Considering the builder's name is on the registration as manufacturer, shouldn't it be the name of the builder?
 
moonshine said:
How about "Big Katana".. Been called that too by a tower. They have DA20s on the field (which are technically Eclipses) and are used to calling them Katanas. Getting my IFR release I got "Katana" too - it's ok, used to fly one of those, but just in case clarified that I'm a Star (damn that sounds good!) DA40. "Ok, Big Katana, advise ready to.." oh well :)
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Funny, I got called a Star while flying a DA20.
 
when I call in "Stinson *****" 9 times outta 10 I get asked " what type of aircraft? :mad2: About half the time they say "I never heard of a Stinson" I so badly wanna tell them to google it.:D The thing that makes me wonder is that even after correcting them numerous times, I still hear "experimental *****" WTF!!!:dunno:
 
C182P said:
Was this Melbourne as in KMLB? That's where my Skylane was accused of being a Cherokee :)

Every now and then they read back my numbers transposed, and I respond with a little louder/clearer correct reading and generally they recognize their error right away and fix it. One particularly busy day though I was doing pattern work and this happened; I read back my tail number in a louder than normal portion of the rest of my readback and I didn't get any response from them. This went on for another loop around the pattern before I caught the hint that there actually was another bird in the pattern with a very similar last-three on the tail, so ATC started using all five. :redface:

I learned to fly at KMLB and overall I definitely appreciate the work ATC does here. My XC's were to non-towered fields that also had a fair amount of active training, and while at them I was sometimes amazed at the unsafe things I heard or saw.
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Affirmative
 
C182P said:
I always announce as "Skylane (N)67890". Most of the time I'm acknowledged as "Cessna 890" in response, sometimes as "Skyhawk 890" (sigh), but every once in a while...



I fly a Cessna out of a towered airport that has a large Piper oriented part 141 school. One afternoon I was on final when another aircraft was getting its landing sequence and this is what the exchange was like:

ATC: N12345 you're #2 for landing following a Cherokee(really my Cessna)
N12345: #2 following Cherokee, 345
N67890(Cessna in #1): this Cherokee has high wings
ATC: N12345 you're #2 following the high wing Cherokee
N12345: #2 following high wing Cherokee, 345
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When filing in the Casa, quite often the type gets entered as C212. You don't know how many times I've been called a Cessna 212. :nonod:
 
Non Compos Mentis said:
All single engine Cessnas usually go by "Cessna". Everything from 150s to 210 Centurions.

Pattern speeds are close enough for controllers. Only the twins distinguish themselves by calling "Twin Cessna" so controllers give them a bit more room.
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Not my experience at all! Maybe different in your part of the world but I have heard controllers ask for model type for a variety of logical reasons.
 
GAZOO said:
when I call in "Stinson *****" 9 times outta 10 I get asked " what type of aircraft? :mad2: About half the time they say "I never heard of a Stinson" I so badly wanna tell them to google it.:D The thing that makes me wonder is that even after correcting them numerous times, I still hear "experimental *****" WTF!!!:dunno:
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A slight thread hijack -- this is why I was SO glad when Lockheed-Martin took over flight service. They preferentially hired pilots, and as a result we get to deal with briefers who are actually knowledgeable and interested in flying.
 
Non Compos Mentis said:
In my experience, yes.

Does your experience differ? Ever since sitting in the back seat of my dad's Cessnas (170 through 340), to today's Saturday morning breakfast gang, to listening to the tower while hanging out in the hangar, all the single engine Cessnas simply say "Cessna".
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Cessna 170s and 340s are called Cessna or Twin Cessna because the manufacturer never gave them actual names. Also true for 120s/140s/310s...etc.

The majority of the Cessna line (at least the singles) have always used the model name...Skyhawk, Skylane, Cardinal, Centurion...etc.
 
If you're flying a PT17, are you a Boeing? All helicopters are just helicopters. Standard callup would be "Tower, Helicopter 12345".
 
Jay Honeck said:
Hmmm. Mary just asked, and I don't know.

What will we call ourselves in the RV-8A, to ATC?

"Vans N14EG"?

"Experimental N14EG"?

"RV 14EG"?
Click to expand...

The last one, if you want to sound like every other member of the Vans Air Force. :)

Arr-Vee One Four Echo Golf

or...

Experimental One Four Echo Golf
 
I get so used to flying the Bo and responding with "9CJ"; I was leading a 4 ship of F15's today on a VFR leg and responded to one call with "9CJ". Thankfully he controller either didn't notice or didn't comment...
 
When I fly the N3N I use Biplane 45261 to controllers and Yellow Biplane when at uncontrolled fields. Sometimes a controller will ask what type of biplane but most don't. When I had the Nanchang I used YAk 642K because most pilots know what a YAK looks like but have no idea what a Nanchang is.
Ron I always use Experimental Vans as again all of them look the same and fly about the same speed. Don
 
EvilEagle said:
I get so used to flying the Bo and responding with "9CJ"; I was leading a 4 ship of F15's today on a VFR leg and responded to one call with "9CJ". Thankfully he controller either didn't notice or didn't comment...
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Yeah I did the opposite once. I was flying the Glasair and checked in with approach with my work call sign "Crusader 66." Approach got a chuckle out of it.
 
wanttaja said:
Back when I was partners in a Stinson, I used "Stinson XXXX" as a call sign. Tower always came back, "CESSNA XXXX..."

The rare times I've spoken to ATC with my current plane, I make the call as "Fly Baby Experimental 45848" and they always shorten that to just "Experimental."

Ron Wanttaja
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RIGHT!!!!

I've had mine a good while and more times then not I call in Stinson XXXX, I will get called a Cessna, a few times a Stearman (guess it's more common and the same speed? lol).

Guess when they deal with spamcans all day, Stisons just dont compute :D

As for Cessnas, the only one that is damn near ALWAYS called by model is the Caravan, I cant recall a time I was called anything other then Caravan XXX or just XX.
 
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ryoung99 said:
Grumman seven two tango here, ATC normally responds with seven two tango.
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I've tried referring to myself as a Cheetah and I usually get a "Say type again?" in repsonse. Now I'm just "Grumman 9908U". Every once in a while I will use Grumman and they call back "Tiger ....". :dunno:
 
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