I had a nice flight this morning with a friend who is a student pilot. He was formerly an ultralight aircraft pilot and has been working on his Private Pilot License for several years. He reported being very scared and “freaked out” by radio communication with Air Traffic Control (ATC). I’ve seen this many times by students that do most of their training in uncontrolled airspace so I suggested we go for a flight and spend as much time as possible under ATC control. He loved the idea so off we went. We flew to Albuquerque, did a touch and go, transitioned to the Double Eagle Airport (ABQ reliever), did a touch and go, back to ABQ for another touch and go, and then departed for home. We had to talk to Albuquerque Approach, Albuquerque Tower, Albuquerque Approach, Double Eagle Tower, Albuquerque Approach, Albuquerque Tower, and finally Albuquerque Departure. He LOVED it! His flying was great and this particular “route” forced a fair amount of radio communication. I was there to help and he said he did not feel nearly as “freaked out”.
In my opinion, good radio communication requires practice. A tidbit that helps is realizing that those voices on the other end are just “guys” and they are more than willing to help if you ask (tell them you are a student). Some people learn to fly in a busy, controlled airspace environment so radio communication is learned very early on. If this was not the case for you, go spend some time practicing! It will make you a more confident pilot and open up a number of previously “scary” places.
Leave a Reply