Air-ground voice communications – the vital and often weakest link. New guide from EUROCONTROL for GA pilots
On 11-10-2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
It is a curious fact of life in air traffic management that it is impossible to do ATC without proper communications yet the air-ground voice communications system as we know it to-day is both a hindrance to increasing capacity and a potential source of serious incidents. The former is due to the fact that a controller can only speak to aircraft in a sequential manner and hence he or she will run out of talking time relatively soon when traffic increases beyond a certain level; the latter is due to the relative ease with which the spoken word can be misunderstood, even if it is in a standardized form like the standard radiotelephony prescribed by ICAO. From call-sign confusion to misunderstood clearances resulting in near-misses or runway incursions, communications is a major source of problems.
Of course there are many things the aviation community can do to mitigate the risks inherent in voice communications. Air/ground digital link supporting Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) will enable more capacity while also reducing the possibility of misunderstandings.
Where voice remains, better training and discipline in the application of the relevant procedures can go a long way towards improving the situation.
EUROCONTROL has now published a cute booklet, available in electronic format, entitled “A Guide to Phraseology for General Aviation Pilots in Europe”. As the title says, the book does not cover peculiarities applicable only in the United States or other parts of the world but it is still a useful addition to the library of any GA pilot. Since aircraft operations in Europe are mostly subject to strictly ICAO compliant procedures, this book is also a good reference to check what the ICAO rules say in certain communications related situations.
You can access the guide here.
