From: philf@xymox.palo-alto.ca.us (Phil Fernandez)
Subject: Re: Radio procedures at controlled airports
Organization: Jade and Jett Incorporated
Date: Thu, 21 Jan 1993 05:33:32 GMT

In article <1993Jan20.192430.7098@porthos.cc.bellcore.com> patter@dasher.cc.bellcore.com (patterson,george r) writes:
>In article <93020.35980.L697187@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM> L697187@LMSC5.IS.LMSC.LOCKHEED.COM writes:
>
>>......................................................  At controlled
>>airports with no clearance delivery, do you ask for your clearance
>>from ground before you request to taxi or do you wait and request from
>>the tower?  Any other tips on radio procedure at small and large
>>controlled airports appreciated.

I think some folks are getting confused by what you mean by "your
clearance".  Here's the procedure I use:

1) Listen to ATIS at your parking place, before you contact anyone.

2) Contact GROUND for your *taxi* clearance, giving the ATIS code.

2a) At airports where there is a VFR *flight* clearance required,
e.g., from the primary airport in a TCA or ARSA, or a flight into an
ARSA from under our outside, you will get the clearance from ground as
well.  Such a clearance will probably include a squawk, plus
frequently some flight instructions including an initial heading,
altitude assignment or restriction, etc.  It's good to give your
intended route of flight information to ground on your call, e.g, "San
Jose Ground, SkyBuster 12345, west hangers, taxi for takeoff with
Bravo, departing to the East".  You might also get a departure
frequency to contact after your takeoff (only change to departure freq
when instructed by tower!)

3) Take and do your runup.


>Anyway. This is the procedure used at Trenton and Harrisburg, neither of
>which have clearance delivery. You do your runup and get ready to go while
>still at the ramp/tie down. If this is inconvenient, do the runup on the
>taxiway. Same with the ATIS broadcast. When you are ready to taxi, call
>ground control. Tell them where you are, that you want permission to taxi
>to the active, and what direction you want to depart. Example:
>...
>If you have listened to the ATIS, say so. If you already did your runup,
>say so. Ground will typically direct you through the taxiway maze to the
>active.
>...
>At the active runway hold point, listen to the ATIS and do runup if
>necessary. When you're ready to go, call the tower. Tell them what you
>want to do, including desired altitude, etc. They will then give you a

I don't agree with this approach in general, although this may be
appropriate local procedure at Trenton and Harrisburg.  IMHO, you
should *always* get ATIS before making your first call to ground.  You
don't need to be bothering with ATIS while out ready to depart, and
you need the info on ATIS before you start to taxi.

Also, most large airports have reasonable designated runup areas, so
there's no reason to be doing runup in parking, or while taxiing.  If
you're unfamiliar with local procedure, it's just fine to call ground
and say, "Podunk ground, Cessna 12345 at Lima 16, taxi with Sierra.
I'm unfamiliar; say location of runup area."


>Don't expect to get a departure clearance from ground. You may get one,
>but only if the ground controller is the tower controller.

Right.  Don't confuse VFR departure instructions (aka departure
clearance) with a clearance to takeoff.  You must get an explicit
clearance to takeoff from the tower.

pmf
pp-asmel-ia
mooney n5632j