"Any Traffic, Please Advise" by an Airline

[Boris Badenov]

There is no way I would ask a controller if there was any traffic in the area.

Even if you had some reason to suspect that there was unannounced traffic? I'll offend a controller, "violate the AIM",...heck I'll even risk sounding uncool if it will even marginally improve the odds of not digging any smoking holes.

 

[Roger, Roger]

Listen in to 122.8 on a nice Saturday while en route and you can hear quite a bit of transmissions stepping over one another from a good number of airports.

Exactly. It's really fun when everyone's stepping on eachother and you can't tell whether that guy that just called on final is final at Harrison County or at Panola County, because all you heard was !@$#%% County 4KZ final runway @#@$%^&. But if the freq. is slow, whatever works for ya. If I hear another plane on freq. and he doesn't make another call for some time, I'll often call up and ask him where he's at. Saved me from getting run over by a Travel Air that was flying into the setting sun and never saw me.

 

[Number1atNumber2]

Gotta give a big :yeahthat: to Boris, PCL, and Spira, on their points on this.

Call me unprofessional all you want, but I'd like to hopefully remind the retard that's in the pattern he needs to not jeopardize everyone else's (and espically my) safety by not making position reports. It's one thing if everyone is already doing so, but going into a quiet field, espically on a weekend, I see no problem with a nice reminder to anyone there to do thier position reports. Again, use a little common sense.

If you're so big on looking professional out there, then making a radio call for safety reasons should not be a big deal.

I've noticed with most of the people I have flown with, the ones that play the "it's not professional" card also seem to have the biggest ego and are generally a pain in the ass to be in the cockpit with.

Of all the details to sweat, this issue can't be near the top of the list.

 

[RICHARD5]

You certainly are optimistic! is it always sunny in your world too?

No kidding! My experience is even those with radios cannot be counted on to use them. Even them that do, some I wish would just stay off the freq.

I operate under the belief that every pilot is trying to kill me (I have lots of experience to support that!) and would hardly trust another pilot to A)use his radio, B) use it properly, if he even has a radio.

Guess what, children; there are still a lot of aircraft that don't have a radio. Yes, even in controlled airspace, towered fields.

 

[BillH]

I am sorry, but if you are flying in South Florida at an uncontrolled airport with all the foreign student pilots(India), you are ASKING for it if you do not say, "Any Traffic, Please Advise". It is bad enough when you are making traffic pattern calls and one comes on the radio and makes his calls and completely ignores your calls and does his own thing... This happens every single day. Professional or not, it is called defensive flying.

 

[scooter2525]

Rather than getting worked up about a simple phrase which is requesting traffic in the area to speak up, maybe worry more about changing the regs to actually require airplanes to have a radio. Its not the 40s anymore.

I'll second that. my one and hopefully only almost midair was due to a non-radioed pilot that decided to go in the pattern on a busy day, flying half downwinds at 500ft AGL. I don't like going around on accord of some jackal that wants to make up his own pattern for touch and go's

 

[derg]

Someone asked tonight, "Any aircraft on Track Y got any ride reports?"

Umm, what altitude?

Where ya at, dawg?

West coordinate miiiiiiight be helpful since Track Y pretty much spans the entire ATLANTIC!!!

 

[EDUC8-or]

Did they say any traffic please advise? That would be cool if they did.

 

[Barty]

I'll second that. my one and hopefully only almost midair was due to a non-radioed pilot that decided to go in the pattern on a busy day, flying half downwinds at 500ft AGL. I don't like going around on accord of some jackal that wants to make up his own pattern for touch and go's

I'd be happy even if they just required a handheld with an external antenna at a minimum to operate out of a public airport. If it is your own or your buddy's grass strip, who cares if you have a radio or not. But, around a public airport, particularly one with a good deal of students and maybe even a little turbine traffic thrown in, operating without a radio is almost irresponsible.

 

[BajtheJino]

On a broader note than just this issue...

I think it's interesting how many professional pilots take a stance of "ehh, who cares?" when it comes to phraseology, yet ATC is required to use rock solid phraseology every time.

You should go flying between the hours of 12-6 am.

 

[MidlifeFlyer]

Just two observations:

1. Some of the comments sound a bit like attempting to justify not following recommended procedures (avoiding 'any traffic...') by complaining about other stupid pilots who don't follow recommended procedures (position reports).

2. I doubt that this is the case with this group, but some comments sound like the pilot using the "any traffic" phrase is relying on a response. Some pilots will not respond to the request (I'm one of them) and others can't (no radios).

 

[B767Driver]

Someone asked tonight, "Any aircraft on Track Y got any ride reports?"

Umm, what altitude?

Where ya at, dawg?

West coordinate miiiiiiight be helpful since Track Y pretty much spans the entire ATLANTIC!!!

Easy there, homeboy. That was probably me at 0300 after an all day commute! The brain just doesn't work right.

If it was westbound after a good night sleep...then that's unforgiveable!

 

[SteveC]

Just two observations:

1. Some of the comments sound a bit like attempting to justify not following recommended procedures (avoiding 'any traffic...') by complaining about other stupid pilots who don't follow recommended procedures (position reports).

2. I doubt that this is the case with this group, but some comments sound like the pilot using the "any traffic" phrase is relying on a response. Some pilots will not respond to the request (I'm one of them) and others can't (no radios).

:yeahthat:

Be professional & follow recommended procedures. Use standard phraseology. I know it's hard to believe, but some very experienced people spend a lot of time working out those procedures, recommendations, and phrases, and it is not uncommon for the reasons to be less than clear to laymen. Don't try to reinvent the wheel guys.

 

[falconvalley]

Just two observations:

1. Some of the comments sound a bit like attempting to justify not following recommended procedures (avoiding 'any traffic...') by complaining about other stupid pilots who don't follow recommended procedures (position reports).

2. I doubt that this is the case with this group, but some comments sound like the pilot using the "any traffic" phrase is relying on a response. Some pilots will not respond to the request (I'm one of them) and others can't (no radios).

:yeahthat:

On a quiet frequency, it could be a wake-up call for the lone piper pilot up in Northern WI who thinks they're the only person who's around and has decided to say nothing. I still don't use the phrase. It's confusing to me. On a busy frequency, you're basically asking everybody to advise their position. That's gonna make the radio pretty interesting because some pilots are gonna think that you mean for them to throw in an immediate position report, regardless of what they've been doing.

I'm pretty sure that's one of the reasons the FAA decided to take a position on this. They likely don't want pilots using a phrase like this because it makes things more complicated rather than simplifying the process. Putting the example in the AIM is their way of saying "We have radio phraesology, please use that. Please don't make up your own."

Pilots will still use the phrase, however. It's a way of saying that they don't completely trust that the standard phraesology completely gets the job done. Unfortunately, this is a people thing and the AIM can't change that.

 

[derg]

Easy there, homeboy. That was probably me at 0300 after an all day commute! The brain just doesn't work right.

If it was westbound after a good night sleep...then that's unforgiveable!

Actually it was some guy in a Gulfstream so no worries.

Where ya at? Madrid here!

 

[SlumTodd_Millionaire]

Just two observations:

1. Some of the comments sound a bit like attempting to justify not following recommended procedures (avoiding 'any traffic...') by complaining about other stupid pilots who don't follow recommended procedures (position reports).

It's not justification, it's reality.

2. I doubt that this is the case with this group, but some comments sound like the pilot using the "any traffic" phrase is relying on a response. Some pilots will not respond to the request (I'm one of them) and others can't (no radios).

Seems to me that the one who's irresponsible and unprofessional is the pilot on frequency who wont respond to the request, not the one making it.

 

[B767Driver]

Actually it was some guy in a Gulfstream so no worries.

Where ya at? Madrid here!

I'm home for a couple of weeks. Did TLV during the start of the Gaza invasion. Went over to Jerusalem...pretty interesting.

 

[tgrayson]

Some pilots will not respond to the request (I'm one of them)

I also do not respond to these calls. Anyone who does provides positive reinforcement for those who make them, which tends to perpetuate the behavior.

 

[derg]

I'm home for a couple of weeks. Did TLV during the start of the Gaza invasion. Went over to Jerusalem...pretty interesting.

I'm going to have to bid TLV since the six-day trips are pretty skosh, and will get even more skosh when JFK-SVO goes to the -400.

Sunrise and Five Towns are certainly going to see an upswing in commuter business this spring!

 

[adreamer]

Midlifeflyer,
I totally agree with your point. However, I have been cut one time too many when I used to instruct. :banghead: Therefore, I always ask.

On the other hand, there is a question I would like to ask - How far out you start listen unicom freq. at your destination airport? From my experience, it gets interesting that you are 30 miles out and #5 arrival into the same un-control field on a good VFR day.