Flight Training - August 2014 - 47

'WHEN ABLE'

A large aircraft is waiting at the hold-short line as you cross
the numbers and touch down. This time, on your touch and go,
the controller requests that you turn crosswind "when able,"
and clears the waiting aircraft to taxi onto the runway. The
instructions you received have a very specific meaning. Instead
of your usual procedure of climbing straight ahead until almost
reaching pattern altitude before turning, you are now expected
"to seek the first opportunity to comply," as explained in the
Aeronautical Information Manual's Pilot/Controller Glossary.
That may mean starting your turn earlier than usual-but not
before you deem it safe to do so. Once you have begun your
turn, don't be surprised to hear the controller clear the large
aircraft for takeoff, and possibly include additional instructions
such as "Fly runway heading," to ensure safe separation.
A NEW RESTRICTION

Until now, on each of your traffic patterns you have been
"cleared for the option," which is an ATC authorization "for an
aircraft to make a touch-and-go, low approach, missed approach,
stop and go, or full stop landing at the discretion of the pilot."
But with several aircraft now inbound, your next clearance
restricts you to "touch-and-go only," because there would not be
enough time for a stop-and-go or a full-stop landing.
REQUEST A STOP-AND-GO

Touch-and-go practice has its efficiencies, but it is also valuable
to make full-stop landings and perform the next takeoff from a
standing start now and then. If the runway is long enough and
traffic permits, requesting clearance for a "stop and go" provides
this opportunity without your having to spend time taxiing off the

TRANSLATION GUIDES
Resources to make communications easier
Communicating well with air traffic control involves three elements:
the vocabulary, theory of language, and the practical application of
the language. There are multiple resources to help with each.
There's nothing better than the Pilot/Controller Glossary to learn
the vocabulary. Almost everything you'll ever hear a controller say is
in this book. It's a true controller-to-pilot translation guide, and it is
found at the back of most Federal Aviation Regulations/Aeronautical
Information Manuals.
The Aeronautical Information Manual includes common phraseology, or theory of the language. Search there for the proper way to
say the required elements.
Finally, just as in language immersion, practice is the best way to
learn. Listen online (www.liveatc.net), get a handheld transceiver,
ride along with friends, and of course fly at tower-controlled airports.
Don't be afraid to say you're a student pilot, even if you already have
a certificate. The controllers will be thankful for the heads up, and
happy to treat you with a bit of extra care.
-Ian J. Twombly

runway, contacting ground control, and
taxiing back to the beginning for takeoff.
Ask your flight instructor for acceptable
limitations on this method and for its close
cousin that is often employed at tower-controlled airports: the intersection takeoff.
LOW APPROACH

During your practice session ATC has
been issuing the instructions needed
to accommodate your training and also
make the runway available to other
aircraft (most of whose pilots understand
and appreciate the importance of what
you are doing). Barring any restrictions
on your next circuit, another practice
tool available to you is a low approach-
that is, a final approach that does not
conclude with touchdown.
Why would you opt for this? If the runway is sufficiently long and there's a bit of
a crossswind, this method offers a chance
for a student pilot who is getting ready
for the private pilot checkride to practice
keeping the aircraft positioned above the
center line (provided your instructor has
shown you this method in dual sessions
and approves of it for solo practice). It
also allows for an intentional go-around.
'FULL STOP'

After a thorough workout in the aircraft,
most students can sense when the point
of diminishing returns is at hand. To end
on an upbeat note, you decide to finish
with a short-field landing (traffic permitting). Your goal is land on a spot and
clear the runway at the first taxiway, or
before reaching a handy reference point
of your choice. Give the tower controller
plenty of advance notice that this will be
a full-stop landing. If traffic makes the
short-field landing impractical, performing a spot landing that lets you clear the
runway promptly at the nearest taxiway
is also great practice, and it will win you
appreciation from the controllers and fellow pilots-with whom you have had the
privilege of being an equal partner using
the local airspace.
Dan Namowitz is an aviation writer and flight
instructor. He has been a pilot since 1985 and an
instructor since 1990.
AUGUST 2014 FLIGHT TRAINING

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Flight Training - August 2014

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