Sport Pilot Talk

nbjeeptj · Joined: 23 Jun 2011 Posts: 46 Location: Gilbert SC

I decided to take what I thought would be a easy task ( class c airspace ) in before finishing my sport pilot training. I could be done now and on to my check ride, but i wanted to be able to land at a class c airport in my area, so I asked my instructor to teach that to me so I could have that done before going for my check ride. We are now 5hr deep into tower communications and I feel lost as day one. I cant seem to understand what they are saying. I have a app for my Iphone that while sitting on my porch at the house I can listen to live ATC at most any airport in the country. If i chose a smaller class c airport I can usually follow along. What I cant decide or understand is when I am in my airplane I cant understand most anything the tower is telling me. Is it because I am pre occupied with flying the airplane, or possibly I need a better headset so the communication is clearer or is it just a massive learning curve and what I am experiencing just normal?

zaitcev · Joined: 05 Jan 2010 Posts: 258 Location: Albuquerque, NM

I don't remember any trouble understanding the ATC or other pilots on frequency. If you can understand others at CTAF but not Tower/Approach, this is something psychological. If you have trouble with CTAF, your radio or headset is bad.

I learned to fly at Class C (KABQ) and my CFI insisted on managing radios for the first couple of times, but it was not a problem for me thereafter. I just wrote down Clearance, Ground, Tower, and Approach frequences on the top of kneeboard.

Note that I'm not a native English speaker and I speak with a heave accent. ATC personnell may not be so happy about me in their airspace, but they seem to bear it.

P.S. I use a set of David Clark, simple set.

roger lee · Posted: Tue Nov 01, 2011 7:56 pm Post subject: Class C

If it were me I would forget the Class C sign off for now and just concentrate on finishing up you license. Then after that you can go back and get it signed off at your leisure.

comperini · Joined: 24 Feb 2008 Posts: 152 Location: California

I agree with Roger... if you don't need the endorsement to fly out of whatever airport you intend to fly from during your training and practical, just wait until you've passed the practical. That's one less thing the examiner can fail you on. Concentrate on getting the certificate first, then add the airspace endorsements.

Jack Tyler · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 6:14 am Post subject:

nbjeeptj:

Your experience is quite common across a range of avocations (amateur radio quickly comes to mind...) and is probably due to several key variables: the ability to aurally discriminate sounds easily (which varies greatly by individual), the quality of the voice coms in the mix of transmission and reception hardware being used, your attention span while also trying to master other relatively new mental activities (including those that govern your physical flying actions), and the fact that the content of some Class C voice comms are unfamiliar to you. Now fold in the natural anxiety you are feeling, which probably deepened as you discovered there was another learning curve to master.

Roger's recommendation would probably mitigate almost all these issues, anxiety perhaps moreso than any other. Pass the check ride and keep the Class C goal in mind, chipping away at it along with polishing your other piloting skills.

Good luck to you!

roger lee · Posted: Wed Nov 02, 2011 8:39 am Post subject: A lot on your plate

You have a lot on your plate to just get your license finished up. Finish that then take a little while to relax and get accustomed to flying and do it at a number of class D air space airports. Then go back and bite into seconds with the class C. It will be much easier. Sometimes being in a hurry makes things move slower.

nbjeeptj · Joined: 23 Jun 2011 Posts: 46 Location: Gilbert SC

Thanks for the replies I do believe I will talk to my instructor about postponing this part. He is real big on getting flight following when going cross country and we did that on the duel. Do you have to have the tower endorsment to ask for flight following on a solo cross country.

nbjeeptj · Joined: 23 Jun 2011 Posts: 46 Location: Gilbert SC

Thanks for the replies I do believe I will talk to my instructor about postponing this part. He is real big on getting flight following when going cross country and we did that on the duel. Do you have to have the tower endorsment to ask for flight following on a solo cross country.

roger lee · Posted: Thu Nov 03, 2011 7:20 pm Post subject: b, c, d air space

You only need the sign off to enter their air space. You can flight follow with them or one of the big control centers.

SSDriver · Joined: 15 Apr 2011 Posts: 31 Location: NJ

NbJeep,

Just curious.. are you comfortable on the radio at the field you fly out of now? What gets to you when you think about talking to a controller? Is it primarily the instructions themselves or is it more of a shyness issue?

Just a couple things I did that has me talking on the radio like crazy. Maybe you've done some of this maybe not...

A) The Biggest advice I have is ask your CFI (or you can do this yourself) to contact a local towered field and arrange to visit the tower. Meeting the controllers in their work space was really informative and gives you a sense of what is going on from their end. You'll also find out these guys are just like your next door neighbor, the guy at the grocery store or driving the car next to you. None of the controllers I've met had horns on their head or had any pilot dolls sticking voodoo pins into them or anything. :lol: It will give you a good perspective and is well worth the effort. I guarantee you'll leave there knowing that they are out there to help you. The tower can be a lonely place and they DO enjoy visitors.

B) Another thing that helped alot was attending some of the AOPA seminars. I just completed one last month. The topic was "Say Again? Radio Communication Done Right" They even bring in local controllers to speak at these things and your free to ask questions, etc. I got alot of useful tips from that event. You can visit their site and find out when/where the next seminar is.

http://www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/seminar.cfm?FA=SS&SA=ShowForm

C) Early on, my CFI gave me 'cheat sheets' that I simply read off of when I was speaking with the controllers. Maybe you could ask him if he has anything available.

Helen · Joined: 23 Apr 2007 Posts: 119 Location: Maryland

What type of headset do you have? I find that many students buy themselves very low end headsets that they can't hear didly with. Many flight schools that supply headsets aren't much better. If you headset isn't in the $300 range or higher, try borrowing one that is for your next lesson.

Helen

bryancobb · Posted: Fri Nov 04, 2011 11:40 am Post subject: Do they

Hi,

Does the new generation of SLSA's have speakers?

I learned in 150's and Tomohawk's and never even considered buying a headset.

drseti · Joined: 28 Nov 2009 Posts: 1390 Location: Lock Haven PA

bryancobb wrote: Does the new generation of SLSA's have speakers?

I haven't yet flown one that does. But, when the planes I used to instruct in did have speakers, I couldn't wait to use a headset, because I couldn't hear diddly in those speakers!

dstclair · Joined: 06 Mar 2008 Posts: 212 Location: Allen, TX

A speaker would be be pretty simple to add (don't know why you would want to but....). LSA's seem to have adopted the PS PM1000 intercomm which has an AUX output. Run this to an external jack and plug in your favorite speakers. Could even put in a handheld mic and we could pretend we're back in the 70's :)

nbjeeptj · Joined: 23 Jun 2011 Posts: 46 Location: Gilbert SC

SSDriver wrote: NbJeep,

Just curious.. are you comfortable on the radio at the field you fly out of now? What gets to you when you think about talking to a controller? Is it primarily the instructions themselves or is it more of a shyness issue?

Just a couple things I did that has me talking on the radio like crazy. Maybe you've done some of this maybe not...

A) The Biggest advice I have is ask your CFI (or you can do this yourself) to contact a local towered field and arrange to visit the tower. Meeting the controllers in their work space was really informative and gives you a sense of what is going on from their end. You'll also find out these guys are just like your next door neighbor, the guy at the grocery store or driving the car next to you. None of the controllers I've met had horns on their head or had any pilot dolls sticking voodoo pins into them or anything. :lol: It will give you a good perspective and is well worth the effort. I guarantee you'll leave there knowing that they are out there to help you. The tower can be a lonely place and they DO enjoy visitors.

B) Another thing that helped alot was attending some of the AOPA seminars. I just completed one last month. The topic was "Say Again? Radio Communication Done Right" They even bring in local controllers to speak at these things and your free to ask questions, etc. I got alot of useful tips from that event. You can visit their site and find out when/where the next seminar is.

http://www.aopa.org/asf/seminars/seminar.cfm?FA=SS&SA=ShowForm

C) Early on, my CFI gave me 'cheat sheets' that I simply read off of when I was speaking with the controllers. Maybe you could ask him if he has anything available.

I understand most of the local field communication if it is usual stuff (stating position around the runway) but it can be confusing when they say something that you are not expecting. I quess that may in its self explane the problem more is not being able to anticipate what they are going to say and then when they put something new at me I will be trying to figure out the new command and not listen to the rest.