Getting the current ATIS

B

Brian Z

Well-Known Member
I was finishing up my flying for my CFII today and tower twice asked me to get the current ATIS in what I feel was an inappropriate time. The first time was when I was number one at the runway. The set up was they issued a new ATIS after I was put in sequence, but before I was given the take off clearance. My take was clearance was, "cleared for take off runway 29R, confirm you have information Z." I echoed back the clearance and stated I did not have Z. During my takeoff roll I was aske to report when I had Z. My first thought was, huh, why. My second thought was, you are asking me this during a critical stage of flight. We were able to monitor ATIS during climbout and reported Z.

The second was during an approach. I checked in with approach with the current ATIS. Sometime afterchecking in with approach and before checking in with tower the ATIS changed. Approach vectored me on a tight approach with my final vector direct to the FAF and has me switch to tower about a mile outside the FAF. Between getting established on the final coarse and waiting for other radio traffic I did not check in until after passing the FAF. I was asked to sidestep and given a landing clearance and asked if I had information A. I echoed the clearance stating negative A. I once again I was asked to report when I had the current ATIS.

I am not trying to trivilize ATIS, but why request this of a pilot during a critical phase of flight?
 
I was taught not to transmit to pilots during critical phases of flight unless absolutely necessary. Talking to you while you were taking the runway, or on departure roll, was inappropriate.

Talking to you during the approach for certain things isn't as bad, but I don't think I'd ever imply that you needed to tune the atis and obtain the whole sequence between the FAF and the runway. I would just give you the new wind and altimeter if it was different. I'm not sure why you encountered this.

EDIT: Thought I had a book reference for this but I can not find it.
 
Brian Z said:
I am not trying to trivilize ATIS, but why request this of a pilot during a critical phase of flight?
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The timing you describe should not happen. Back when I was a CFI, there were a couple times after we landed I asked the ground controller to relay to local a request not to issue taxi instructions as we were touching down. Bottom line is most controllers are not pilots and may not be thinking of the activity in the cockpit at the moment. Ignore non-essential transmissions if you are in a critical phase of flight.
 
z987k said:
"Ya we have Zulu."

Problem solved.
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Yeah. If I were the sort of dude who does these sorts of things, I might just look out the windshield at the windsock and say "got the numbers". Luckily I'm not that sort of dude, because that would be Wrong, and almost certainly "violate" the AIM.
 
Boris Badenov said:
Yeah. If I were the sort of dude who does these sorts of things, I might just look out the windshield at the windsock and say "got the numbers". Luckily I'm not that sort of dude, because that would be Wrong, and almost certainly "violate" the AIM.
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Approach N123, level 3 thousand, we have information zulu, field in sight and no turbulence. - The only acceptable freight pilot check on.
 
Here is what you do... If you have the field in sight...both takeoff and landing, then you have the information "x". The only time I worry about getting Atis is on the arrival. If we are on with final approach or tower, whatever. If I can see the airport, whatever. If I'm taking off, really whatever. I will tell them I have information "tree" if they ask me during one of those times. No offense to the tower guys, but it doesn't mean a hill of beans to me. Give me the altimeter and landing clearance and I will figure out the rest.
 
"SFO ground, buzz saw 6766, spot one with Yankee.
"Buzzsaw 6766, San Francisco ground, runway 1 left via mike. Promise me you'll get Zulu."
"One left via mike (straight ahead...) and I promise, buzz saw 6766..."
 
Boris Badenov said:
You'd better want to punch kittens ALL THE TIME, or you're out of the club. I'm seriously starting to think you're a communist or, worse, an airline pilot. :(
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I know what you do for a living sir. You call me an airline pilot?! You probably haven't flown VFR in months! Hell, you've probably not even flown in months.
I do want to punch kittens every time I have to start that stupid fing pratt though.
 
Boris Badenov said:
Months!? YEARS!



Months!? MONTHS!



Here we agree, you commie. Now go sing the Internationale with your Red Brothers.
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Sounds like you're the airline pilot to me. When's the last time you got that abortion of an airplane you fly into something under 3000ft?... and unimproved?
I also live in the most consistently red state and district in the entire nation. If I were a commie, they would have hunted me down by now.
 
Pilotdude3407 said:
Here is what you do... If you have the field in sight...both takeoff and landing, then you have the information "x". The only time I worry about getting Atis is on the arrival. If we are on with final approach or tower, whatever. If I can see the airport, whatever. If I'm taking off, really whatever. I will tell them I have information "tree" if they ask me during one of those times. No offense to the tower guys, but it doesn't mean a hill of beans to me. Give me the altimeter and landing clearance and I will figure out the rest.
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Well no offense but we have to make sure you have it, or read you all the stuff contained within it to you over the radio. Pretty selfish to make us do that, why don't you just get the ATIS for departures too? Ground control at my facility ensures the departing aircraft has the ATIS, this won't come up during a critical phase so you need not worry here. I still agree that if you're being told to obtain the new ATIS on final, or while taking the runway, that the controller is being inappropriate.
 
Here's one thing I've noticed at my home airport lately. Even if we call up with the current ATIS, the controllers still read the wind, altimeter, etc, every time. Any particular reason? I get that the ATIS may not be the most 100% up to date, but it confuses the hell out of a lot of students when they get a 5 paragraph long read back for a simple taxi clearance. I haven't noticed it at many other airports either.
 
JordanD said:
Here's one thing I've noticed at my home airport lately. Even if we call up with the current ATIS, the controllers still read the wind, altimeter, etc, every time. Any particular reason? I get that the ATIS may not be the most 100% up to date, but it confuses the hell out of a lot of students when they get a 5 paragraph long read back for a simple taxi clearance. I haven't noticed it at many other airports either.
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The ATIS only updates every hour it so. Winds change all of time time.
 
My favorite is PHL controllers,

Me: Philly approach, bugsmasher 123 three thousand level with the weather at KABC request the visual.

Philly : Roger, altimeter 29.92 advise when you have the weather at KABC and say type approach requested....


????? About 90 % of the time????
 
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