Radio Call - your opinion

British Pilot

British Pilot

New Member
When you have landed at a tower controlled airport, and have cleared the runway and are now on a taxiway, is the bolded text in this radio call redundant?

"Hanscom Ground, Cessna 6097G, clear of the active, taxiway Golf, for the West Ramp"

I have heard some pilots say this.
 
Some folks use it. I prefer to be specific. "35 Left" for instance.

It is more annoying at an uncontrolled field. When you just tune onto CTAF and all you hear someone say 'clear the active' it doesn't give you any good info. Had they simply stated 'clear 29' you are instantly armed with a great snapshot of what's going on in the pattern.
 
I normally just reply something like this: "Riverside ground, cessna xxxxx holding short alpha on alpha 2 for west ramp" it may vary depending on how the ap is setup.
 
Let's see. At my airport there are three runways, all of which (in at least one direction) are in use at any given time. So the "active" is...?
 
On initial contact with ground control, you should state your position. While "clear of the active" is not as descriptive as it could be, it does fit that requirement. "Taxiway Golf" should suffice. The two together are the most descriptive.







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ground blah blah is clear of 11 right at charlie three, taxi flightsafety
 
The AIM says:

3. Request for taxi instructions after landing. State your aircraft identification, location, and that you request taxi instructions.

EXAMPLE-
Aircraft: "Dulles ground, Beechcraft One Four Two Six One clearing runway one right on taxiway echo three, request clearance to Page."

Tower: "Beechcraft One Four Two Six One, Dulles ground, taxi to Page via taxiways echo three, echo one, and echo niner."

or

Aircraft: "Orlando ground, Beechcraft One Four Two Six One clearing runway one eight left at taxiway bravo three, request clearance to Page."

Tower: "Beechcraft One Four Two Six One, Orlando ground, hold short of runway one eight right."

Aircraft: "Beechcraft One Four Two Six One, hold short of runway one eight right."

I must admit I normally only include the runway number if it might not be clear where I am - if I say "clearing Yankee 4" then if the controller doesn't know exactly where I am (since Y4 is about 2 plane lengths long) then he/she has bigger problems in their knowledge of the airport than trying to locate me...... :-)
 
It is redundant because you shouldn't be talking to ground when on a runway.
Just tell them an intersection and ATC should be able to find it. (I'm pretty sure they know where the intersections are on the field ;) )

-ColM
 
Kingairer said:
What does it describe?
Click to expand...

Without having an airport diagram of the location in question, I'm not sure exactly what is described. However, the question asked for an opinion, and I offered one based on a generic situation. If British Pilot's taxiway golf is only 50 feet long, then it only describes the direction pointing, towards, or away from the runway. If it's a longer taxiway, oh, say a parallel that is 8000 feet long and runs from the appraoch end of the active to the departure end of the active, then "Clear of the active, taxiway Golf" describes where along taxiway Golf the ground controller might first look to spot the airplane.

Stating the taxiway I'm on is descriptive, stating the intersection of two taxiways is more descriptive. Except for the verbage ("clear of the active" vs "clearing runway one right"), British Pilot's example is just like those in the AIM.


The point is this - - communicate the location of the airplane. It's required by AIM. CFIse has done a fine job of presenting that case already.



If your mention of ORD is meant to suggest that we should disregard the guidance given in the AIM, then I suggest you are misguided. Certainly that extremely busy airport is not a good place to learn what is normal. However, the presence of Ground Metering is not envisioned when discussing normal communication with ground control either. If your point is that AIM guidance is invalid because of ORD, your point is moot.






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ColMustard said:
Just tell them an intersection and ATC should be able to find it.
Click to expand...

"Clearing the active, Taxiway Golf" IS an intersection. (AND, it's like the examples given in AIM!)



:)




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Come sit with me in the Jumpseat in ORD one day, and of course im not suggest we burn the AIM in effigy b/c of the presence of ORD. And my opinion is that "Clear of the active" is a wasted call. Sure it wont throw anyone for a loop, but its a wasted call in my opinion.




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TonyC said:
Without having an airport diagram of the location in question, I'm not sure exactly what is described. However, the question asked for an opinion, and I offered one based on a generic situation. If British Pilot's taxiway golf is only 50 feet long, then it only describes the direction pointing, towards, or away from the runway. If it's a longer taxiway, oh, say a parallel that is 8000 feet long and runs from the appraoch end of the active to the departure end of the active, then "Clear of the active, taxiway Golf" describes where along taxiway Golf the ground controller might first look to spot the airplane.

Stating the taxiway I'm on is descriptive, stating the intersection of two taxiways is more descriptive. Except for the verbage ("clear of the active" vs "clearing runway one right"), British Pilot's example is just like those in the AIM.


The point is this - - communicate the location of the airplane. It's required by AIM. CFIse has done a fine job of presenting that case already.



If your mention of ORD is meant to suggest that we should disregard the guidance given in the AIM, then I suggest you are misguided. Certainly that extremely busy airport is not a good place to learn what is normal. However, the presence of Ground Metering is not envisioned when discussing normal communication with ground control either. If your point is that AIM guidance is invalid because of ORD, your point is moot.






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Click to expand...

Tony, Kingerror just likes to fall all over himself.:)
 
Kingairer said:
Come sit with me in the Jumpseat in ORD one day,...
Click to expand...

I don't need to sit in your jumpseat, I operate into and out of ORD on a regular basis, thank you.

Tell ya what, I'll be the First Officer making the radio call, and you be the ground controller.


"FedEx 5470, Taxiway Tango, Southwest Cargo"


OK, now, give me taxi instructions. ;)






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Figured thatd get ya wound up with extra arrogance.

Anyways, I as the ground controller, would be lost since you didnt say clear of the active :) Now im just kiddin ;-)
 
Kingairer said:
Figured thatd get ya wound up with extra arrogance.

Anyways, I as the ground controller, would be lost since you didnt say clear of the active :) Now im just kiddin ;-)
Click to expand...

Then we agree that ORD is not a good place to explain a fundamental concept such as radio communication.


:)






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TonyC said:
Then we agree that ORD is not a good place to explain a fundamental concept such as radio communication.


:)






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Click to expand...

ORD isn't a good place to explain the fundamentals of the English language. :argue:
 
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