Typical cockpit dynamic during long transits

IMO the shorter, clearer and to the point a radio transmission the better.

The guys at the center know where they are...


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My thoughts exactly. And generally they're smart enough to know who's supposed to be in their sector.
 
I flew with this one guy who ran a timer, he did some kind of fuzzy math on when the sector should end and what the timer should be. Started calling on the radio after that.

I do something similar without the math - a habit from my days flying to/from California.
  • Sent to a new Frequency - Stop the Clock
  • Check In - Start the Clock
  • If I see 20 minutes I start thinking about the Controller stranding us.
  • If (more likely When) I see the clock not running, I know I've been sent over but not checked in. I try to wait a bit after changing the frequency to avoid stepping on someone or interrupting a request.
It's anal, but it's helped me maintain situational awareness more than once.

On Another Note - how many of you read back the actual frequency to the controller before changing? I don't domestically since it's easier for me to remember it without reading it back (go figure). I do ask the Captain if he has a preference; he usually says "Nah, don't worry about it until you mess it up." :eek:
 
On the tangent of useless things said on the radio. While flying in the area where those massive beam emitting things that make up a solar power plant just south of Vegas. Some guy goes "Hey center I got a question, what are those solar panel plant thingies we're looking at?" "Uhhhh that's a solar power plant." "Ahh gotcha"

As far as flight deck conversation. Just depends on the person. Some don't care to talk at all, some like to talk your ear off. And then there is anywhere in between. I prefer the latter because it passes the time by quicker and they're generally more sociable. It beats the "Do you like - stuff?" pilots... Some pilots just don't like stuff I guess...
 
Some guys like to play "asteroid" or "golf" with the FMS and airports displayed on the MFD.

I just flick my boogers at the window trying to hit something I see outside.
 
I do something similar without the math - a habit from my days flying to/from California.
  • Sent to a new Frequency - Stop the Clock
  • Check In - Start the Clock
  • If I see 20 minutes I start thinking about the Controller stranding us.
  • If (more likely When) I see the clock not running, I know I've been sent over but not checked in. I try to wait a bit after changing the frequency to avoid stepping on someone or interrupting a request.
It's anal, but it's helped me maintain situational awareness more than once.

On Another Note - how many of you read back the actual frequency to the controller before changing? I don't domestically since it's easier for me to remember it without reading it back (go figure). I do ask the Captain if he has a preference; he usually says "Nah, don't worry about it until you mess it up." :eek:
f07.jpg
 
Some guys like to play "asteroid" or "golf" with the FMS and airports displayed on the MFD.

I just flick my boogers at the window trying to hit something I see outside.
Next time I'm just going to spend the whole flight looking out the window back and forth like a dog on a car ride.

"Hey... this isn't the way to San Diego... You're taking me to Detroit aren't you?!?!"
 
how many of you read back the actual frequency to the controller before changing

I was always happy with

A) you actually acknowledged the switchover before leaving so I didn't have to hunt you down or;
B) you actually used your call sign so I didn't have to make another transmission to see who answered me

"Seeeeeeeyaaaaa,"

Ugh, save the cool talk for Guard;)
 
I was always happy with

A) you actually acknowledged the switchover before leaving so I didn't have to hunt you down or;
B) you actually used your call sign so I didn't have to make another transmission to see who answered me

"Seeeeeeeyaaaaa,"

Ugh, save the cool talk for Guard;)

YOU'RE ON GUARD!!!!!!
 
The flight deck dynamic tends to get a little weird after the flight deck door gets closed and I hang my uniform pants up. Then I "Fat Man Sit" in my seat while we push off the gate with me musing aimlessly about needing to "punch a grumpy" as soon as we get airborne. I once made the mistake of a telling an FO about the hemorrhoid repair kit I bought off the internet... the kit came with a used shoelace, a rusty fishhook, and a half liter of brackish looking battery acid. During the takeoff roll on a bumpy/uneven runway I usually make some random remark about how I used to like boobs... until I grew a pair. Then in cruise I let everyone know how I hate all conservatives in politics only pausing long enough to clip my toenails, pass some gas, and bitch about our current contract. During the descent I make it a habit to ask if the FO's wife/girlfriend is hot just to keep things awkward.... and on the taxi in, besides having the FO retrieve my hanging and un-mussed pants, I'll usually relay in some grandiose fashion what kind of slimy poop will be exiting my backside ten minutes after the parking checklist is run....

Its hard work being this awesome.... but someone has to do it...
 
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