Flight Training - September 2013 - 34

FOR THE MICROPHONE-AVERSE
PILOT: Radio communications are such
an important and integral part of flying
in today’s airspace that it should be part
of your training from day one, says Peg
Ballou, owner of Ballou Skies Aviation
in Bucyrus, Ohio. If you’re beyond day
one but still stumbling, it’s important to
realize that every pilot started where you
are, she says. Even the smoothest-talking,
Chuck-Yeagerest-sounding pilot on the
airwaves flubbed more than one call in
primary training.
Several flight instructors said they write
a script to help students understand the
basics of communication. Get one from
your instructor, and use it to practice key
phrases and calls on the ground—and out
of earshot of others—until you get comfortable with them. Or, use index cards
while chair flying at home.
Listen to other pilots to get a feel for
the give and take of radio communication.
Bring a handheld radio to the airport,
find a bench, and sit and listen. Can’t get
to the airport? LiveATC.net offers live
streaming radio communications from
airports around the world (yours might be
included!); you can listen free through the
website, or purchase an app for $2.99.
Use Flight Training contributor Jamie
Beckett’s trick: Think of each call as if
you’re ordering pizza for delivery. “Tell
them who you are, where you are, and
what you want. That gives the student
something easy and understandable to
relate to. The anxiety goes away pretty
quickly from that point.”
Think about what you’re going to say
before you key the mic.
If your call starts to go badly, release the
push-to-talk switch, take a deep breath,
and try again.

34 /

FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Especially in the early stages of training, it’s not uncommon to be overloaded,
overwhelmed, and focused on everything
but the radio. Your CFI is a second set of
eyes and ears, and he or she will help you
with your radio calls until they become a
part of your flying routine. Honing your
stick-and-rudder skills will “free up your
brain to process these things now that you
don’t have to focus so hard on the basics of
flying,” notes Ron Klutts, an independent
flight instructor with Advantage Aviation
in Palo Alto, California.

FOR THE PILOT WHO IS MISSING
RADIO CALLS: Ask your flight instruc-

tor to make a video or audio recording of
your flight that you can view or listen to
later. This can help you to pinpoint when
or where you’re missing calls. Klutts
uses an Nflightcam and GoPro plus a

THINK OF EACH CALL AS IF YOU'RE ORDERING A PIZZA FOR
DELIVERY: TELL THEM WHO YOU ARE, WHERE YOU ARE,
AND WHAT YOU WANT.


http://www.LiveATC.net http://FLIGHTTRAINING.AOPA.ORG

Flight Training - September 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - September 2013

Flight Training - September 2013
Contents
Member Benefits
Right Seat
Centerline
Letters
Dropping In
After the Checkride
How it Works
Success Story Tech Tip
News
Flight Training Excellence Award Winner
ASI News
AOPA Action
Summit Preview Training Products
Final Exam
Flying Carpet
Upside Down, Inside Out
No More Monkey Business
Technique
Weather
Checkride
Flight Lesson
Cause and Effect
Career Advisor
Tech Talk
Nothing to Fear
Reveal the Hidden Value
Advertiser Index
Debrief
Flight Training - September 2013 - Flight Training - September 2013
Flight Training - September 2013 - Cover2
Flight Training - September 2013 - 1
Flight Training - September 2013 - Contents
Flight Training - September 2013 - 3
Flight Training - September 2013 - Member Benefits
Flight Training - September 2013 - 5
Flight Training - September 2013 - Right Seat
Flight Training - September 2013 - 7
Flight Training - September 2013 - Centerline
Flight Training - September 2013 - 9
Flight Training - September 2013 - Letters
Flight Training - September 2013 - 11
Flight Training - September 2013 - Dropping In
Flight Training - September 2013 - 13
Flight Training - September 2013 - After the Checkride
Flight Training - September 2013 - How it Works
Flight Training - September 2013 - 16
Flight Training - September 2013 - Success Story Tech Tip
Flight Training - September 2013 - News
Flight Training - September 2013 - Flight Training Excellence Award Winner
Flight Training - September 2013 - ASI News
Flight Training - September 2013 - AOPA Action
Flight Training - September 2013 - Summit Preview Training Products
Flight Training - September 2013 - Final Exam
Flight Training - September 2013 - Flying Carpet
Flight Training - September 2013 - 25
Flight Training - September 2013 - Upside Down, Inside Out
Flight Training - September 2013 - 27
Flight Training - September 2013 - 28
Flight Training - September 2013 - 29
Flight Training - September 2013 - 30
Flight Training - September 2013 - 31
Flight Training - September 2013 - No More Monkey Business
Flight Training - September 2013 - 33
Flight Training - September 2013 - 34
Flight Training - September 2013 - 35
Flight Training - September 2013 - Technique
Flight Training - September 2013 - 37
Flight Training - September 2013 - Weather
Flight Training - September 2013 - 39
Flight Training - September 2013 - 40
Flight Training - September 2013 - Checkride
Flight Training - September 2013 - Flight Lesson
Flight Training - September 2013 - 43
Flight Training - September 2013 - 44
Flight Training - September 2013 - Cause and Effect
Flight Training - September 2013 - Career Advisor
Flight Training - September 2013 - 47
Flight Training - September 2013 - Tech Talk
Flight Training - September 2013 - Nothing to Fear
Flight Training - September 2013 - 50
Flight Training - September 2013 - Reveal the Hidden Value
Flight Training - September 2013 - Advertiser Index
Flight Training - September 2013 - 53
Flight Training - September 2013 - 54
Flight Training - September 2013 - 55
Flight Training - September 2013 - Debrief
Flight Training - September 2013 - Cover3
Flight Training - September 2013 - Cover4
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