The Guard Police

Mason

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Moved from SOCAL back to Iowa.
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Mase
Copied from somewhere Canadian:



Guard Police

The steady thrum of the mighty P-dubs drone incessantly into the night. I am almost oblivious to their presence as I maintain my vigil, patrolling 121.5 from Timmins to Toronto like a pacing Doberman. The toothpick rides up front, balanced on my lower lip just above the soul patch, the tip vibrating like a tuning fork. A sudden burst of static flares out of the #2 radio, causing the adrenaline to race madly for a split second before subsiding. The toothpick shoots up like a power antenna and then lays flat once more, waiting patiently for the next intrusion. “Easy, my friend”, I mutter under my breath. “They’ll be back….

“Whas that?” The left seat warmer emerges from behind his papery tent of Globe and Mail, an inquisitive look on his face. “You say sumpin?” I wave him away impatiently and return to the task at hand. You see, chaps, I have no time for such frivolous recreational pursuits such as reading when flying.

My mission is far bolder and my purpose clear: I am a self-trained, highly experienced member of the guard police.

In fact, if the guard police handed out ranks, I would probably be a corporal. To date, I have over 2367 confirmed penalized violations on 121.5, all swiftly punished by my ruthless and relentless curt radio transmission: “YOU’RE ON GUARD!!” These three powerful words smite violators like a scimitar, laying bare your error for all of your peers to judge. No matter if you are a hapless student pilot calling final on the wrong radio, or a chubby corporate flyer calling ahead for a lav dump at the FBO, nobody escapes my swift intervention into your shocking transgression. I consider it a personal travesty that a trained professional could be so irresponsible to transmit on the wrong freq, and delight in clenching the transmit button and snarling my stern correction from my listening post in the Dash. I’m like an AWACS in that sense, gents.

I pause from my post briefly and watch the lights of Sudbury slide by in the inky blackness. Maybe everyone will behave tonight and maintain strict radio protocol after all. I make a routine entry in the guard police black notebook. 2230 local. All is quiet.

And then it happens.

A heavy Korean accent making a position report.

Stammering and stumbling over fuel quantities, time over, next waypoints….and all on 121.5! The mullet curls up in anger like an epic wave, and the toothpick stands straight up at attention, vibrating like a guitar string. My fingers twitch over the mic button, waiting for the horrific crescendo to be complete. Excitement pummels the seat cushion beneath me as the flight deck fills with a gaseous explosion consisting of limburger cheese, baked beans and broccoli. The Left Seat Warmer slumps over, grasping for the wemac, the Globe and Mail flapping feebly like a limp sail!

Silence now, but only for a second. I stab the mic button with a sweaty grasp and howl my protest into the northern Ontario darkness. I bellow my distaste in a hail of abuse and rage. “On guard! On guard! YOU ARE ON GUARDDDDD!!!”

I release the mike and slump back in my seat heavily. Another successful round of punishment issued. I scratch the number with pride in my little black notebook: 2368.

Watch those transmissions out there, blokes. I’ll be listening. Notebook in hand.
 
Too bad the guard police force is only 30,000 strong.
 
WOW, that's amazing, how'd you know he was Korean?
 
WOW, that's amazing, how'd you know he was Korean?

Canadians have special powers


Also when you work with enough different people you can determine accents beyond just "Asian".
 
Now everyone taunts the guard police on 21.5. Its funny, but is getting overplayed.
 
My radio has an off position. I make good use of it.

In fact, coming up in a few years, I"m seriously considering going nordo, and pulling my txp too. If I can't go in B or C without letting my pants down, and if I want to go in a D, all I need is 'spamcan 345' in reply, there's really no reason to be burning all those electrons. NO ONE navigates by VOR anymore, I have one pricey and two cheap GPS, I have a tablet with Echarts, and I have two eyes.

Pretty sure I'll soon be done with radios entirely. Maybe I'll get one of those cheap ADS-B tuners so I can gather in weather and some modest traffic. But really, what value to the pilot is all that electronic emission anyway? Worst case, I have a handheld, and it's got a primitive VOR tuner. Last gasp if all the sats go down, and I can't see the ground anymore.
 
Climbing through FL240 over Indiana on Tuesday monitoring guard I hear a faint, whispered "Work, work, work..." I busted a chuckle and my captain looks over to see what was so funny. Shortly thereafter we heard the obligatory "Guaaaaarrrrrrd!"
 
I've heard the work, work, work too.

Then there was the guy who proceeded to lecture everyone else about how we should be more professional on the guard frequency.






With the predictable responses...
 
I've heard the work, work, work too.

Then there was the guy who proceeded to lecture everyone else about how we should be more professional on the guard frequency.





With the predictable responses...

:D:rofl::)
 
I've heard the work, work, work too.

Then there was the guy who proceeded to lecture everyone else about how we should be more professional on the guard frequency.






With the predictable responses...

Was I flying that day??? :D:goofy:;)
 
Yesterday, I heard some poor student transmit to FSS on 121.5 and open his flight plan.

"GUUUAAAARRRRRRRRDD!!"

:rofl:
 
Canadians have special powers


Also when you work with enough different people you can determine accents beyond just "Asian".
That is so true, Canadians do have special powers. I know, I married one. Oh, and they never ever forget any mistake you ever make ehh.
 
Then there was the guy who proceeded to lecture everyone else about how we should be more professional on the guard frequency.
With the predictable responses...

Yah, it would be hard not to--> 'and what are you doing right now?'
(ie, non emerg discussion on 121.5)
 
And look too. I can differentiate most the different cultures now.

Bull! I worked in Japan with a Chinese man. We would go out to eat and local Japanese people would think he was Japanese. Problem was, he spoke less Japanese than I did, but pretty good English . . . If Asians can't tell themselves apart, ain't no way you can. I can often identify some correctly, but would never bet more than a beer on it. The best clues are verbal, then cultural; physical,appearance counts for so little.
 
My general response to the guard police: "**** off."

Works well, because then they tie up guard trying to get me to identify myself. I find it quite humorous and ironic.
 
Southern Chinese are the same sub race as Japanese, Northern Chinese are the same sub race at Koreans, I can't differentiate there, but I can differentiate between them. Vietnamese, Malays, Thai, and Indonesians all have distinctive sets of facial characteristics unique to their culture. Burmese are tougher for me because I haven't spent time there. Of th gals, the Malay and Indonesians are the most beautiful.

The best place to do a comparative study of the features of various Asian cultures is at the Hotel Alexis in Jakarta, they are grouped by nationality.;)
 
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My favorite is when atc tests a transmitter on guard and they'll say like "so and so tower testing on guard how do any aircraft hear" naturally someone responds then other people start freaking out that they are on guard, like man they know they are responding on it on purpose...yesterday coming back from Little Rocks somewhere over Tennessee, I heard "sooo what do you think of the next contract", followed by "Holi...holida...hollidaese" followed by like 50 people saying they were on guard, sorry not 50, more like 100 (I kid but seriously maybe like 30?!" I was cracking up, my FO looked at me like I was crazy, he hadn't seen any of those YouTube videos before!
 
Southern Chinese are the same sub race as Japanese, Northern Chinese are the same sub race at Koreans, I can't differentiate there, but I can differentiate between them. Vietnamese, Malays, Thai, and Indonesians all have distinctive sets of facial characteristics unique to their culture. Burmese are tougher for me because I haven't spent time there. Of th gals, the Malay and Indonesians are the most beautiful.

The best place to do a comparative study of the features of various Asian cultures is at the Hotel Alexis in Jakarta, they are grouped by nationality.;)

So you are an Asian geneticist now? If so, you are not very good at it. In fact, most Asians are not that good at it themselves. You cannot tell just by looking at someone from East Asia if they are Chinese, Korean, Japanese or otherwise.
 
I simply do not get this fascination with all of the stuff that happens on 121.5. Who really cares? There seems to be a crowd of folks who are anal about policing the frequency and another group who enjoys pulling their chain. It is all rather banal. I bet all of the shenanigans stops the second someone breaks in with a mayday or an ELT goes off. That is all that really matters.
 
I simply do not get this fascination with all of the stuff that happens on 121.5. Who really cares? There seems to be a crowd of folks who are anal about policing the frequency and another group who enjoys pulling their chain. It is all rather banal. I bet all of the shenanigans stops the second someone breaks in with a mayday or an ELT goes off. That is all that really matters.

I've heard about cases where the Guard Nazis have fussed at someone discussing their situation with ATC, but have t yet said "Emergency." :yikes: some folks are just too self righteous for their own good. Haven't yet heard of a G. Nazi interfering enough in a real emergency to actually cause a problem, though.

Every time I monitor guard,it's pretty quiet, even the time ATC asked me to listen for an ELT.
 
I've heard about cases where the Guard Nazis have fussed at someone discussing their situation with ATC, but have t yet said "Emergency." :yikes: some folks are just too self righteous for their own good. Haven't yet heard of a G. Nazi interfering enough in a real emergency to actually cause a problem, though.

Every time I monitor guard,it's pretty quiet, even the time ATC asked me to listen for an ELT.
While not dull blown emergencies, I've heard waaaay too many cases of ATC trying to reach a NORDO aircraft or deal with frequency problems and have heard the Guard Nazis jump on without paying attention to what was actually going on. Pretty sad really.
 
My last flight, I was surprised the GP didn't jump all over ATC. They were contacting me on 121.5 and nary an "ON GUAAAAARRRRRRD!" was to be heard.

FWA forgot about me, and never handed me off. "XXXXX, this is Kalamazoo Approach on 121.5 if you can hear this ident."

Ident

"Tune to my frequency [freq]"
 
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My radio has an off position. I make good use of it.

In fact, coming up in a few years, I"m seriously considering going nordo, and pulling my txp too. If I can't go in B or C without letting my pants down, and if I want to go in a D, all I need is 'spamcan 345' in reply, there's really no reason to be burning all those electrons. NO ONE navigates by VOR anymore, I have one pricey and two cheap GPS, I have a tablet with Echarts, and I have two eyes.

Pretty sure I'll soon be done with radios entirely. Maybe I'll get one of those cheap ADS-B tuners so I can gather in weather and some modest traffic. But really, what value to the pilot is all that electronic emission anyway? Worst case, I have a handheld, and it's got a primitive VOR tuner. Last gasp if all the sats go down, and I can't see the ground anymore.

Anyone flying an instrument plan with a /A aircraft is likely to be flying VOR to VOR unless ATC gives him vectors. Who, you ask? That would be me with 2 of the 3 aircraft in the club.

That is so true, Canadians do have special powers. I know, I married one. Oh, and they never ever forget any mistake you ever make ehh.

I don't think that has anything to do with her being Canadian. :D
 
Typical exchange in Vietnam:

First voice, maybe a radio repariman: "Testing, testing. One, Two, Three."

Second voice: "Get off guard, you idiot."

First voice: "Thank you."
 
Maybe its working. Yesterday an airliner was ordering fuel on guard and there was no response from the guard police.
 
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