ATC and the Art of Communication
“The air is to share”
– Darren Swain, ATC Bankstown and Camden
Early last year, I took my new partner for his first flight in a light aircraft, hiring an SR22 and flying him to Mudgee for lunch. Upon landing, I could tell by the look on his face he’d loved the flight, and I asked him whether he’d be interested in learning to fly. His answer surprised me: “I think I could handle the controls, and I know I’d love landing, but I don’t think I could get my head around all that talking on the radio.”
“But that’s the easiest part!” I retorted. Turns out, for many, it isn’t.
After speaking to friends, students and pilots milling around various flying schools, I discovered that for many students, and for quite a few pilots who trained outside Class D aerodromes, radio communication can be intimidating.
Armed with this information, I arranged a visit to my local tower at Bankstown Airport to find out how communication with air traffic control can be less intimidating for students and nonmetropolitan pilots.
Advice from the High Tower
Based on previous visits
