Photo credit: AOPA
Effective communication is a crucial aspect of aviation safety. Aviation communication is not just the communication between pilots, copilots, ATC and other aircraft. It involves a variety of team players which includes ground handlers, cabin crew, construction workers, airline staff, security personnel, ramp workers, airport operators and other aviation specialists. As a result of this, all individuals in the aviation industry have a huge responsibility to improve their level of communication and understanding to minimize the risks of catastrophic aviation accidents that could be prevented with adequate communication.
Check out the AOPA safety center for radio communications and ATC
The major importance of communication in aviation is to increase the level of safety and reduce the risk of accidents. When aviation was still in its early stages, the general assumption was that the sky was too expansive for two planes to randomly collide. That was until the well-known collision of two planes over the Grand Canyon in 1956. That crash prompted the establishment of the FAA. This was the beginning of better aviation safety in all aspects of aviation, including addressing proper communication.
What are some common communication issues?
Information overload
The higher the amount of information being transmitted, the larger the chances for an error to occur.
Pronunciation issues
For non-English speakers, there is always a huge probability of passing information with unclear pronunciation.
Basic misunderstanding
Most errors in aviation communication are a result of a general misunderstanding. It could be caused by variations in the speech rate, intonation, stresses, sentence structure or pauses in the communication. Misunderstandings can be found in both native and non-English speakers.
Incorrect terminology
The misuse of standardized phrases and terms can not only cause confusion, but it can also cause fatal injuries. For instance, replacing “inbound” with “outbound,” using “no” instead of “negative” or “yes” instead of “affirmative” can start a chain reaction that leads to runway incursions or near-misses.
Since communication plays a vital role in aviation safety, it’s no surprise that we focus on communication throughout our aviation careers and training. We learn the proper phraseology and terminology to communicate effectively and efficiently with air traffic control and other aircraft. After a while, communication becomes second nature as we anticipate radio calls, clearances and other instructions. However, even with the standard phraseology and terminology, we can easily find ourselves in a situation where poor communication paints us into an ugly corner.
Aviation Alphabet
Here are 5 tips to improve your communication skills in the cockpit:
Know who you’re talking to
Depending on the airspace you operate in, you may encounter a wide variety of people that you will be required to talk with. Know their roles. Whether it’s a control tower, approach controllers, or other pilots, just like a stage play, everyone has a role to play. Knowing what is expected of you when talking can make any flight seem effortless. Beyond that, try to learn and understand the roles of others as well. Knowing what to expect is essential for good communication.
Develop good situational awareness
Try to keep a mental picture of what is happening in the airspace around you as you fly. Don’t tune out radio chatter until you only hear your tail number. Use the exchanges you hear between other people on your frequency to build a mental picture of where others are and where they are going. With practice, you should be able to determine where other aircraft are and what their intentions are, even if you can’t see them. This shouldn’t come at the expense of operating your aircraft, but it will develop good situational awareness habits while giving you ample time to react should something happen outside of what you anticipate.
Practice makes perfect
Technology has made it easier and easier to monitor frequencies to sharpen up your skills. Websites such as liveatc.net provide real-time exposure to radio traffic from all over. Airline pilots are obviously very experienced, but they fly frequently and often operate using predetermined procedures. Listening to the back and forth they have with controllers can teach you the rhythm and cadence they’ve developed with years of practice.
Slow down
Talking faster doesn’t equate to getting things done faster. Resist the urge to repeat back that clearance at light speed and take a moment to think. The last thing you want is for your mouth to get ahead of your brain causing you to stumble or lose your train of thought. If you need to repeat your message three times, you just wasted more time doing so than if you had just slowed down and said it clearly the first time.
Don’t overthink it
Some pilots view radio communications as a code or a secret society with its own unique passwords. That’s a mistake. At the end of the day, pilot-controller communication is a conversation between two humans. When in doubt, explain what you need in the simplest terms. ATC controllers are people too and are there to help.
Contact
Name: Maddie Moles
Company: GlobalAir.com Scholarship Recipient
Website: https://globalair.com
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 502-456-3934
©2023 GlobalAir.com, Maddie Moles. All rights reserved.
Recent Comments