Call sign

Thank goodness. I always thought call signs were a little stupid for flight schools. Kind of like wearing your uniform through Orlando Intl' or any other large commercial airport just to "look official." Perhaps there's a legitimate reason for having call signs I don't know.
 
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Thank goodness. I always thought call signs were a little stupid for flight schools. Kind of like wearing your uniform through Orlando Intl' or any other large commercial airport just to "look official." Perhaps there's a legitimate reason for having call signs I don't know.

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I believe there is a legitimate reason. The time saved on the radio is the reason. It is much faster to say Sioux 42 than 242ND. That is why Sioux is said following the aircraft number. Plus the number said after Sioux tells others what kind of aircraft it is.
 
Yeah, I think if its a big school then its worthwhile. Saves lots of radio space. At Riddle, in Daytonas airspace, we were always "Riddle XXX (first three digits of tail #). Where I am now, Kent State has a pretty big flight program, and they use the callsign..."Kent XX" (2 numbers). If they didn't, nobody could ever get a word in.
 
I think that it's pretty cheezy. I get enough pretend airline time in my dorky uniform. Controllers usually shorten your call sign on their own after the first time you contact them anyway.

I suppose that a marketing department could tout that as part of their "airline style" training. "Boy I sure would feel stupid if I gave the tail number of the 777 that I was flying instead of my company callsign, wouldn't you?"

Not to mention the fact that if you say Riddle XXX or Kent ABC, how is the controller going to know what type aircraft you are?

Hey, if anyone's interested, I'm driving up to MLB this weekend to hang around the airport in my uniform with my chart case. Call me.

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Dave
 
Why not go to MCO and do the bag drag? I hear it's been done....by someone who managed to obtain a hat no less!

wow....
 
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Not to mention the fact that if you say Riddle XXX or Kent ABC, how is the controller going to know what type aircraft you are?

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It is pretty easy: Sioux 20-77 are Warriors
Sioux 78-89 are Arrows
Sioux 90-99 are Seminoles
Sioux 1 and 2 are Decathalons

These are basically the only planes we fly. It is really easy to tell what kind of plane it is just by listening to the number or by looking at it. The controller knows are aircraft since we are basically the only people that fly out of here (a few cargo flights and NWA are the only ones here).
 
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I think that it's pretty cheezy. I get enough pretend airline time in my dorky uniform. Controllers usually shorten your call sign on their own after the first time you contact them anyway.


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Think what you want. Why do the airlines do it? Probably partly because they have a lot of similar tail numbers. FlightSafety does not, so they do not need them (incidentally, neither does KSU, I was just using them as an example).

Every airplane Riddle has ends in ER. With 100-some-odd airplanes, they cannot shorten tail numbers in the traditional way. If they did, there could be several 4ER's, 3ER's, 5ER's, etc. at any given time on frequency. Call signs making more sense now?
 
For example...after looking back in my logbook, in my time at Riddle I flew:

3- 0ER's (500, 490, 460)
2- 1ER's (441, 421)
2- 2ER's (442, 422)

...and at least 2, sometimes 3 different aircraft for each number all the way up to 8ER for a total of 17 different aircraft ending in ER (and I definitely didn't even fly them all). Therefore, shortening callsigns is not possible.
 
Nope, still cheesy if you ask me. I can buy the whole idea of saving radio time to a point, but once you are out say Daytona Approach control or Orlando Approach, what good does it do anyone then? Something tells me that controllers in other areas are like Connection what? or Riddle who? Everytime I hear it I chuckle to myself and invision some dork getting out of a Cessna with the big hard leather chart case with a Delta or United Sticker on it. The airlines do it because they have designated flight numbers that mean something to controllers, passengers, schedulers, etc. I think I'd prefer to wait until I'm in that situation before I try to be something I'm not.
 
Personally, when flying a PA 28-161 with full tanks and a rear passenger I find it imperative to add the suffix "heavy" to all my call signs.
 
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Personally, when flying a PA 28-161 with full tanks and a rear passenger I find it imperative to add the suffix "heavy" to all my call signs.

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This reminds me of something and made me laugh at the same time. How pathetic is a warrior on a hot day with a 250 lb instuctor and 50 lbs added in the back just so we aren't to foward of CG?

Well it stinks, this happened to me last week when I flew with a different instructor. I think it was 90 degrees and 75% humidity. Climbing out at 70 we got about 200-250 feet per minute climb. We were doing instrument work and had to go to 5000 from 845 ft. Talk about a waste of money just to climb!
 
The control tower in Vero has "cards" on all of our airplanes identifying what kind of airplane they are to them by the tail number.....also the controllers all have them memorized pretty well as it is.
 
well thank you for the info I didnt want to start any conflict in here!
My two cents...... Call signs could be easier or could be BS.....
As for uniforms... "some" pilots at my company would eat,sleep, and oh ya Fly
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in there uniforms.... Some guys think is cool to try pick up chicks with it!!!! Somebody tell if it works
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!!!!!!
Later
 
My problem with the callsign thing is that it has to be consistent. For example, Pan Am 10 (made up callsigns) calls midfield downwind. Vero tower calls traffic for Pan Am 10 and a different pilot (instructor) comes back and says "Archer 21PA". Now the tower isn't sure if there are two a/c or what. I've seen it happen and it sucks for everyone.
 
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