Subscriber question:
"I am struggling with radio calls, What can I do to get better?" —Justin T.
Not subscribed yet? Sign up here to receive tips like this every week.
David:
“Don’t feel bad. Talking on the radio can be a struggle for new pilots.
Hearing is as important as talking, and a good noise-cancelling headset, properly adjusted for your head, with good seals, makes every flight more comfortable, enjoyable, and enhances all of your learning. Borrowed flight school headsets usually don’t fit well, and the worn ear cups let noise in.
Set the combination of volume controls so that the radio is a bit louder than the intercom volume. This will help you avoid missing radio calls.
Next, obey the 3 golden rules of radio work: Engage brain before mashing the push-to-talk (PTT) button, wait about 5 seconds before you transmit after switching to a new frequency, and talk normally.
The first rule means that you’ve thought through what you’re going to say rather than trying to create the message as you transmit. The second rule means that you won’t disrupt a conversation that’s already occurring on frequency. The third rule means you don’t speed up or change the tone of your voice, and you stick to the facts without any color commentary.
Almost every radio transmission has only 4 parts. The name of the station you’re calling; who you are; where you are; and what you want, know, or are doing. “Gumboot River Tower, Cessna 172 N123AB is 10 miles South at 4500 inbound for landing with information Bravo.” This means much of the radio work is a fill-in-the-blanks format. So make yourself a cheat sheet with spaces for the information for standard calls.
What do you do if halfway through a transmission your brain just freezes up? Don’t stress. It happens to everyone. Let go of the PTT so that you don’t keep blocking the frequency. Regroup, think about what you want to say and start over. No harm no foul.
Finally—and this is important—do not acknowledge a communication that you don’t understand. If you didn’t hear it clearly, you can transmit, “Say again.” But if you heard but didn’t understand the meaning, say exactly that: “I do not understand what you want.”
Remember, that gravel-voiced 30,000-hour 747 Captain you just heard talking was once a squeaky-voiced neophyte with a death grip on the microphone.”
