Ditto

My goal is to give just enough information so the controller can decide my priority. He may be able to handle a plane transiting his airspace, but not be able to handle pattern work.

"Cessna1234, 30 north, flight following"
"Cessna1234, VFR practice approaches"
"Cessna1234, clearance to XYZ"

Each of these gives him an idea of how much work you will be adding without tying up the frequency.

 

First off, the communication described is not what is known as a courtesy call; it is an initial contact. A courtesy call is entirely different. Unless chatter is slow I would recommend just your type and call sign/N # as applicable, followed by request or over. In busy airspace such as the LA basin or the northeast, never give the whole speil initially. You will likely tie up the frequency at an inopportune time or may even be in the wrong sector for the controller you are talking to. That aside, polish up the communication! It will pay off right away. Don't be a hot shot, just professional. You don't have to get paid to fly like a Pro... BTW, Phoenix does get busy at times but I would not consider that area busy airspace at all; they do have some great controllers though.

 

I want to ammend my last post... If on the ground and VFR I generally give the whole speil at once. The ground controller needs to know 3 things, 4 if there is an ATIS. Who you are, Where you are & What do you want. You can spit that out pretty quick and I do it whenever possible. In the air talking to a tower controller it is the same. When reporting your position; don't anticipate being there, report where you are at that moment, the controller will allow that you are moving! Also, don't say you are over the coastline, that generally does not tell them anything as it is generally a long coastline. Use the charted or accepted reporting points when ever possible.

 

Situation-dependent IMO.

If they're expecting you (ex approach hand-off to class B tower) check on with all the info needed.

If you have some complicated special request, or request for info, check on with basic who & where and then start your dialog when you have their attention. This gives them enough info to prioritize you.

 

I know that there are certain controllers that list speciafically what they want to hear in the Jepps for the airfield. They want nothing more, nothing less. From what I remember, checking in with the Frankfurt (EDDF) tower the call was " Frankfurt Tower, Callsign, runway ".

As has been said many times in this post, it all depends on the congestion of the airspace at the time and how busy the controllers are.

 

I would say on the initial call state your request if they are busy.

 

Do what you NEED to do. Never question a transmission if you're certified,a,d understand unless you believe it's absolutely necessary. Small request, big request; neither you or ATC wants to have an incident.

It should be very basic though- be short, and to the point. Unless you're a frequent flyer into JFK where they seem to enjoy casual banter. And it's a wonder they have numerous delays...

 

Which do you think is more efficient? "ground, N12345" ..... "N12345 ground" ...... "Ground N12345 is at FBO VFR eastbound ready to taxi with information charlie" ..... "N12345 runway 24 taxi via..." OR "ground N13455 at FBO VFR eastbound ready to taxi information charlie" .... "N12345 runway 24 taxi via..."

Same thing on RADAR. give me something to work with (but keep it short) instead of a required extra transmission. A basic request such as taxi VFR or request flight following with call sign will do. I may ignore you on the radio at first, but I can start computer entries on you while I'm talking to another aircraft or coordinating something with another controller. PLEASE use your callsign when you readback or acknwowledge a clearance. I may recognize your voice but the quality control folks (and lawyers) that listen to tapes don't. Also if the clearance involves a runway and or hold short instruction READ IT BACK or else I am required to get you to do it.

 

If you call once or twice and we don't answer, it's because we're busy. We don't just talk on the radio; sometimes talking to the center or tower takes a minute. You hear dead air, but we might be relaying important information on the landline.

Also, if you were handed off from another controller (say, if you're IFR), and I don't get to you right away, be patient and stop blocking the frequency. I never understand when pilots keep trying to check in 40 miles from the airport and keep blocking the frequency as I am trying to turn someone onto the localizer or something. We see you....if it's busy and you don't get the chance to check in, I will reach out to you when I need you to do something.

 

In 12 years as a CFI, I must say I've never heard of an ATC courtesy call as being a violation of the FARs. Ask your instructor if (s)he can give you the FAR number that references this so-called reg. I'm willing to bet (s)he can't. Most likely, this is just the instructor's pet peeve, so (s)he's trying to discourage your class from doing something that (s)he personally finds annoying.

Regarding courtesy calls, just use your best judgment as PIC. If you're making a standard ATC request (ie. on the ramp, ready to taxi for departure to the practice area), I'd say go ahead and make your full call sans courtesy call. If, however, you have some kind of unique situation or complicated request, a courtesy call might be nice to make sure the controller's workload allows him/her to accommodate you. As you gain flight experience, you'll get a feel for what works and what doesn't.

As a favor, please do report back if your instructor is able to show the existence of such a "courtesy call" regulation.

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