The good old days of IFR

As a student pilot, I got a couple of minor lectures from ATC. Once, when I got handed off to a tower for touch-and-goes and then back to ATC for FF back home, I didn't change my squawk code to 1200, and ATC was surprised to see me squawking what I had before. Other times were for not hearing my callsign immediately or grasping my instructions immediately and causing a repeat.

But since I've gotten more proficient on the radio I haven't had any "attitude" from ATC. A few weeks ago, I and a couple of other pilots had a nice long conversation with (and started by) the controller about the best barbecue in Lockhart, TX...while flying through Houston Class B. Now that's service! :)
 
Jim_R said:
As a student pilot, I got a couple of minor lectures from ATC. Once, when I got handed off to a tower for touch-and-goes and then back to ATC for FF back home, I didn't change my squawk code to 1200, and ATC was surprised to see me squawking what I had before.
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If you hadn't been told to squawk VFR the previously assigned code was the proper one.
 
Jim_R said:
As a student pilot, I got a couple of minor lectures from ATC. Once, when I got handed off to a tower for touch-and-goes and then back to ATC for FF back home, I didn't change my squawk code to 1200, and ATC was surprised to see me squawking what I had before. Other times were for not hearing my callsign immediately or grasping my instructions immediately and causing a repeat.
Click to expand...
The only real scrape I've ever gotten into with ATC was similar to that, also when I was a student pilot but had committed the cardinal sin of not using those magic words. I questioned the approach controller handing me off to Tower when he used the phrase "beacon code", asked him to explain. Of course he guessed I was a student pilot but gave me a real talking to for daring to invade his airspace without announcing myself as such. Then he repeated that I should maintain that beacon code and had me contact Tower, who "somehow" was expecting me to be squawking 1200. The only thing I could figure out is that the approach guy was so exercised over my peccadillo that he wanted to teach me a lesson and set me up. The tower controller chewed me out at first, but after I explained that I had been told to stay on the squawk, quickly said that I had done the right thing, so no harm no foul.

Other than that I've had no bad experiences at all with ATC and find them invariably to be helpful, respectful, and professional. I've heard them chewing out other pilots though, usually for neglecting to read back instructions or for not following them -- especially when on a Class B clearance.
 
azure said:
The only real scrape I've ever gotten into with ATC was similar to that, also when I was a student pilot but had committed the cardinal sin of not using those magic words. I questioned the approach controller handing me off to Tower when he used the phrase "beacon code", asked him to explain. Of course he guessed I was a student pilot but gave me a real talking to for daring to invade his airspace without announcing myself as such. Then he repeated that I should maintain that beacon code and had me contact Tower, who "somehow" was expecting me to be squawking 1200. The only thing I could figure out is that the approach guy was so exercised over my peccadillo that he wanted to teach me a lesson and set me up. The tower controller chewed me out at first, but after I explained that I had been told to stay on the squawk, quickly said that I had done the right thing, so no harm no foul.

Other than that I've had no bad experiences at all with ATC and find them invariably to be helpful, respectful, and professional. I've heard them chewing out other pilots though, usually for neglecting to read back instructions or for not following them -- especially when on a Class B clearance.
Click to expand...

"Sorry, 'beacon code' isn't in my copy of the pilot-controller glossary"

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4
 
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