Every pilot needs to know how to communicate with fellow pilots as well as air traffic personnel.
Otherwise, safe flights, landings, and general piloting could be compromised. Thus, lead to deaths through-plane accidents. To avoid this; there should be good and constant communication between pilots and air traffic personnel.
However, while in the air, communication can be challenging due to network issues. Hence, there’s a need to use the best quality aviation radios for effective communication.
Plus, every pilot must also know how to use aviation radio effectively to ensure there is no communication problems during flights.
It is, for this reason, I will give you 4 tips for better communication through aviation radio.
1. Take Your Time before Transmitting
There are many pilots who are always communicating with air traffic personnel. As such, you should avoid wasting time during communication.
So, before transmitting, take your time. You may consider writing down whatever you want to say to ensure that you don’t forget a thing, then waste time trying to figure out what you wanted to communicate.
However, even the pilots who have been in the industry for long sometimes forget a few things if they don’t write.
So, don’t be hard on yourself if you forget something. At times, the controllers, if they need more details or some clarification, they will ask you. Also, ensure that the microphone is well positioned. That is; ensure it is close to the lips so as to capture your voice effectively.
This helps in ensuring that your voice is clear and audible to save time as well as avoid mishearing, which could lead to problems.
2. Keep the Rule of 4 W’s of ATC
Every sincere pilot will tell you that the most challenging aviation call is the first one. Let’s explain why. When making the first call, the caller must keep the rule of 4 W’s of ATC.
That is, when making the call you must give this information about yourself;
Who are you calling? State the name of the facility you are calling.
Who are you? Give all the details of the aircraft identification as indicated in the flight plan
Where are you? Plainly explain where you are at the time of calling. If, however, you are not sure where you are, try to give a few details to help the controller know where you are.
What do you want? Clearly state your needs.
The aviation band is stable; thus, there is nothing to complicate your communication. Just apply the 4 W’s.
3. Listen To Air Traffic Control (ATC) Communications
There’s a saying, “Practice makes perfect.” The more you do lots of practice, the better you become. So, when you are not in the air, practice by listening to Air Traffic Control communications.
However, to effectively do this, you need to use a radio that can receive aviation frequencies. That way; you will familiarize yourself with the 4 W’s. Why? You will hear the pilots communicating with the air controls using the 4 W’s.
As a result, you will learn what to say and how to say it. Plus, and how to respond to the ATC directions.
To ensure you got it right, you might decide to test it with a pilot friend or other trainees if you are one. You don’t have to be on the plane while doing this. Just try it on the ground.
4. Commit Yourself to Study
Especially if you are a student pilot, most of the time, commit yourself to study. It is at this time you get to learn all the aviation call signs.
Familiarize yourself with each of them. Plus, carefully go through the Aeronautical Information Manual. This manual, also known as the Controller Glossary, is a must study if you want to familiarize yourself with every bit of aviation communication.
It will help you in avoiding unnecessary jargon during aviation communication and improve your phraseology.
Hi, I am Jeff, a dedicated author in radiothoughts.com and sharing my own experience on the field of electronics and radio communication engineering. I am also checking facts for other published articles here.
I love to learn the latest technologies on radio communication and write here about that to help readers to be up-to-date. I have used a lot of radios, electronics, and communication devices. Now I can easily advice to beginners or learners regarding different radios.