DSGC

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RT practice Route 3

Route 3: Compton Abbas to Exeter

You’re going to listen to the calls a GA pilot would make on route from Compton Abbas to Exeter.

This flight takes G-BATC from Compton Abbas’s FIS aerodrome, through Yeovilton’s MATZ to Taunton, and then to Exeter for a practice radar air surveillance approach.

Listen to the relevant exchanges between pilot and ground (links are in the text).

Audio 1. Departure from Compton Abbas – being an FIS there is no ATC controller, and radio calls establish your intentions for other pilots; take-off is at the pilot’s discretion. Even so, the rule is only the airfield can use the term “take-off” which the pilot then repeats when saying he’s taking off. All other references are to departure – as they must be at any airfield. Note too that the pilot informs Compton Information of his change of frequency – once contact is established you can only break it by notifying the ground, eg of your change of frequency or that you’ve landed.

Audio 2. en route – G-BATC establishes contact with Yeovilton Radar and seeks clearance to penetrate the MATZ.  Once through the MATZ he tells Yeovilton he’s changing to:

Audio 3. Exeter Radar. After establishing contact, intentions, and getting the weather, the landing at Exeter is under radar control

Audio 4. The SRA landing is quite a technical process which, of course, gliders will never have to do. It’s unlikely to be needed for your RT test, if you take it; these calls are included here mainly to get our fictional plane back on the ground, but also as useful revision of what needs to be read back to the controller, and what can be acknowledged with a simple “wilco” or callsign.

RT practice Route 1

Route 1: Haverfordwest to Swansea

You’re going to listen to the calls a GA pilot would make on route from Haverfordwest to Swansea.

The pilot uses London FIS and has to avoid the Danger Areas D117 & D118.

Listen to the relevant exchanges between pilot and ground (links are in the text).

Audio 1. Haverfordwest is in class G airspace. It has Air/Ground radio only, not ATC Calls made to A/G are, in effect, for Information to other pilots as much as for the airfield itself.  The pilot is not asking permission, just informing the airfield what he is doing.

Audio 2. G-BTAC now needs to switch to the London FIS -- note he says “change” not “contact”, since his details have not been passed to the controller yet. This is also known as Freecalling.

Audio 3. Approaching the Danger areas, G-BATC needs to ask whether D117 and D118 are active So he requests a DAAIS (Danger Area Activity Information Service)

Audio 4. The Danger areas ARE active, so G-BATC re-routes via Carmarthen and tells the FIS his intentions . After requesting the weather for the area, he passes his details in preparation for arrival . In acknowledging the weather the pilot MUST read back runway in use, QNH, QFE

Audio 5. As before in passing his details, this time to Swansea Approach, he uses the format – WHO WHO (aircraft call sign and type),  WHERE WHERE (points of departure and destination), WHAT WHAT– what height/position, what intentions

Audio 6. G-BATC continues his approach to Swansea, seeking clearance  to land and reading back relevant instructions –  wind speed and direction, runway in use, the fact he’s on final approach, and then the fact that he’s cleared to land. As a glider pilot you probably won’t ever need this, but you will need to know it for your CAA RT exam.

RT practice Tug to the Cliffs

Visiting the cliffs – talking to Exeter etc

You should already have read the CFI’s notes about visiting the cliffs at Sidmouth. These pages are intended to remind tug pilots of the kind of information they need to give Exeter Radar once airborne, and the likely responses to expect.

The second section is concerned with what the glider pilot needs to say to Exeter when they begin their return from the cliffs.

Assuming there has already been a telephone conversation between North Hill and Exeter ATC, Exeter shouldn’t be surprised to find tug/glider combinations flying south, and the conversation between the tug and Exeter Radar should be pretty routine. They may expect the tug to have a transponder, or already be aware that it does not. Exeter may ask for position reports and/or a report that the glider has released. (The conversation here is for illustration only and is not intended to recommend particular release points or heights!)

Listen to the relevant exchanges between pilot and ground (links are in the text).

Exeter will be mainly concerned with where we are in relation to the extended centre line/ILS approach shown here.

Audio 1 – first part of the journey

Audio 2 – reporting Ottery and release of glider, turning for home. This would be followed by reporting change of frequency to 129,9 when far enough north on the return leg (not recorded).

RT practice Route 2

Route 2: Swansea to Compton Abbas

You’re going to listen to the calls a GA pilot would make on route from Swansea to Compton Abbas.

This leg entails leaving Swansea - which is an ATC aerodrome in Class G  Airspace. G-BATC needs clearance through the Cardiff Control Zone (Class D),  and then through the Yeovilton MATZ.

Listen to the relevant exchanges between pilot and ground (links are in the text).

Audio 1. Departure from Swansea The fact that there is ATC at Swansea means asking clearance to depart (NB, not “take-off”)  and then to inform Swansea of the change course after  take off. Note the items which the pilot MUST read back – taxi instructions, Runway in use, QNH, clearance to take off.

Audio 2. Next G-BATC has to contact Cardiff Radar. “Contact” rather than “call” because his Flightplan has been passed by Swansea and he therefore doesn’t need to pass his details again.

Audio 3. This  being a Traffic Service, the  ATC Informs the pilot of traffic in the  vicinity – but it is up to the pilot to decide what avoiding action to take

Audio 4. Now the pilot needs to talk to Yeovilton in order to seek clearance through the MATZ . As before, note what parts of  the  clearance the pilot reads back

Audio 5. Yeovilton Radar gives clearance conditions and G-BATC presses on to Compton Abbas, which has an Information Service, not ATC. Compton Information lets pilots know of other traffic in the circuit, gives weather conditions but cannot give clearance to land – responsibility remains with the pilot.

RT practice Glider from the Cliffs

Visiting the cliffs – talking to Exeter on your return leg

Assuming you have been tugged safely to the cliffs and had your fun, you will need to talk to Exeter as you prepare your return to North Hill. The CFI recommends that people flying P1 have an RT Licence. Even if you don’t yet have one, the message from Exeter Air Traffic is clear – they would rather know who we are, and what our intentions are, as they don't know our height information.  Flying in Class G airspace means that we don’t HAVE to speak to them or even do as we’re told – however, it is in our interests as good neighbours to remain on good terms with them. It is also good airmanship.

Listen to the relevant exchanges between pilot and ground (links are in the text).

As you reach the point of deciding that it’s time to return home, there are three likely scenarios

1)      You will have sufficient height to get home (in which case you need to talk to Exeter at roughly figure 3 on the map before leaving the ridge lift.) You will also need to tell them you’re clear of the ILS and that you’re changing back to  129,9 (figure 5)

2)      You have sufficient height to at least set off on the return leg, but are unable to guarantee to maintain height as you cross the centre line (in which case you need to talk to Exeter – somewhere around 3 or 4). And you need to tell them you’re clear of the ILS (5).

3)      You don’t have enough height to get home, and either abandon the attempt – landing out sites at Branscombe and Farway Common are marked on the map.  Unless you are already very low Exeter Radar will probably be able to see you, so you should tell them your intentions. And having made contact from the 3 or 4 area, you should not just disappear – you need to tell them  you’re landing out, unless you want a search and rescue mission to be launched on your behalf!

Audio 1. For their part, Exeter may tell you there’s traffic coming (as on this recording); you should tell them your intentions – either to wait on the cliffs near Sidmouth, or that you intend crossing the centre line at a given height, or that you will have to land in a field.