How to Identify Yourself in Radio Communication with Control Tower

[sar104]

Completely agree.

Apply the Theory of The Perfect Husband: "Listen, but *never* speak."

Chances are extremely thin that the tower will ever want you to say a word on the radio. Unless you are an appropriately licensed pilot and operating a registered aircraft (one that has an "N" number), it is not legal for you to transmit on any aeronautical frequency. Even having a Restricted Radio Telephone Permit won't get you past that requirement.

Aviation frequencies are for appropriately licensed pilots flying registered aircraft *ONLY*, and there are very, very, few exceptions.

Agreed. Ground coordination of air assets during emergency operations is one of the few exceptions that I can think of, but not applicable to UAV flights.

 

[2nckayakers]

Aviation frequencies are for appropriately licensed pilots flying registered aircraft *ONLY*, and there are very, very, few exceptions.

I agree that right now it is too early in the sUAS world for us to be even thinking about radio communications with control towers and manned aircraft.

However, your statement of appropriately licensed pilots flying registered aircraft only is not true. There are many instances where it is appropriate for people who are not licensed pilots can and do communicate. I have done it personally on two occasions, using a hand held to direct helos to a landing zone.

 

[DownandLocked]

Don't identify yourself, and don't jam the freq.
If you work out an agreement with an ATC facility to operate in their airspace, ask them what they want, and do it.
The last thing needed is for drone operators to transmit.
And please, never use the word "mission."

Please explain your concern over the word "mission". It seems to be used quite often in the vernacular when referring to pre-planned sUAS flights.

As the OP, let me clarify. I have not yet talked to the BGM ATC manager. I did want to offer the option of 2-way communication since I would propose to by flying directly over an aircraft parking ramp and possibly within a few hundred feet of the control tower. As an instrument rated full scale pilot, I would be more than comfortable communicating with the tower to let them know of my intentions and to land immediately if they were concerned about traffic conflicts with any incoming or outbound flights. It seems like the tower might want direct communication with me as the best option. This is a low density operation airport. I would never consider a drone operation near JFK or ORD. If I worked ATC at BGM, I might welcome a break in the boredom.

Again, let me be clear that I would never initiate 2-way communication with ATC without prior discussion and approval from them by phone. No sUAS pilot should. I was just curious if anyone had flown a "mission" where they had done so and what there experience was.

 

[Phlier]

I agree that right now it is too early in the sUAS world for us to be even thinking about radio communications with control towers and manned aircraft.

However, your statement of appropriately licensed pilots flying registered aircraft only is not true. There are many instances where it is appropriate for people who are not licensed pilots can and do communicate. I have done it personally on two occasions, using a hand held to direct helos to a landing zone.

That would fall under the exceptions clause.

But without proper radio training, I'd be willing to bet that ATC guys aren't gonna want drone pilots transmitting except in very rare circumstances.

 

[grantallan]

Pilot license training includes radio phraseology to be used with air traffic control and appropriate radio usage. Maybe someday the FAA will include that training with some form of UAV license. Until then, ATC is going to want drone operators to listen only.

Hi All
Interesting thread. As an FYI, here in Australia, to get your CASA RePL (like the FAA 107), you have to pass an exam for Radio Comms before you will get your UAV licence. However, the rule of listen and don't speak still applies. ATC and TOWER either ignore you or are blunt in telling you to get off the freq, but at least the AoRC allows you to operate the airband transceiver legally!

Or as a previous poster suggested, use a scanner to listen in

 

[2nckayakers]

Well I will bet you a dollar to a doughnut that 10 years from now this conversation will go a whole different way. Pilots, ATC, Airspace and the FAA as we know it today is going to look a whole lot different in short order. Whether Pilots and the FAA want it or not, Unmanned flight whether it is sUAS, large scale commercial UAS, and even autonomous passenger and cargo aircraft are all going to be the future of aviation whether you want to believe it now or not. If you had tried to convince people 30 years ago that we would be fighting wars by flying aircraft remotely all the way across the globe, people and Fighter Pilots would have told you that you were absolutely insane, that you had to have a person in the cockpit. But look at where we are today, it is common place. So the best anyone can do is suck it up and get on the bandwagon or technology is going to leave you in the past.

 

[BigAl07]

Pilot license training includes radio phraseology to be used with air traffic control and appropriate radio usage. Maybe someday the FAA will include that training with some form of UAV license. Until then, ATC is going to want drone operators to listen only.

Yes I agree. If UAS are to communicate with ATC we all need to be reading from the same sheet of music.

Licensed pilot (Single Engine Land) since the 90's.

 

[Woodrow256]

I have faa tower certification from when i was in the military. Please do not use a brick/radio to contact atc without prior approval. Call the watch supervisor and let them know your intentions. If it is not a busy airfield for vfr trafic they can approve you to use two way com. Its been years since i worked in a tower so who knows if they have added rules for unmanned ac. Dont be surprised if you get blown off anyway since all the controllers ive ever met have ego issues.

 

[danman999]

The licensed aircraft pilots (myself included) are correct. Do not use ATC radio frequencies for drone operations. If need be, contact the tower or TRACON by phone. Things may certainly change in the future, but for now airspace and ATC exists primarily for manned aircraft, flown by certificated pilots who have been trained in radio usage.

 

[Raymondo]

In Australia, a radio license is required as part of the certification process. "Holding an Aircraft Radio Operator’s Certificate (AROC) is a requirement for all aviators; this includes Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operators."

 

[flyboy]

Couldn't agree more with the problems of low flying aircraft. I live and fly my drone about 2k beyond the no fly zone of the local rural airport. Also I am just off the line for the straight in approach and departures to the south of the north south runway. We regularly have light aircraft under tree top height in the adjacent paddock to my house. We also have one training aircraft consistently failing to reach 500 feet whilst performing touch and goes. Whilst I do monitor the local area frequency many of these flights are not announced as the local control tower is not manned 24/7. The best you might hear is an "all stations" call announcing an aircraft "inbound local airport".
I fly legally at all times but the chance of being run into by some illegally low flying aircraft appears to be quite high even though I do monitor the local frequency. My only consolation appears to be that the Mavic has the equivalent of a flight recorder and to my knowledge most of these low fly idiots don't. This might give me an edge if I am surprised by a low flying aircraft suddenly cresting the ridge behind me and an "incident" happening.

 

[flyboy]

In Australia, a radio license is required as part of the certification process. "Holding an Aircraft Radio Operator’s Certificate (AROC) is a requirement for all aviators; this includes Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) operators."

Hi Raymondo, as a retired pilot I still have my Australian radio operators licence. What does that imply in relation to drone operations and radio communications?

 

[Joeglennaz]

IMHO, I would not communicate with the tower via radio unless my Part 107 waiver specified that I should do so. In that case, the waiver will specify the call sign they want you to use.

After spending some time in a Delta control tower, I can attest to the workload level demands during busy times in the airspace. Add to that the handling of multiple radio transmissions from Part 101 and 107 pilots in the area, and one can see the workload will be even more increased. In fact, the tower may ignore your transmission altogether unless you are flying a Part 107 mission under a COA that requires radio communications.

Best to use phone contact.

However, I think it is VERY important to monitor air traffic while flying your mission, especially if you are anywhere near an airport.

I could not have said it better myself! DON'T USE A RADIO TO CONTACT THE CONTROL TOWER! IF YOU HAD A PART 107 AND YOU ARE A PILOT YOU SHOULD KNOW BETTER!

 

[QuadKid]

Don't identify yourself, and don't jam the freq.
If you work out an agreement with an ATC facility to operate in their airspace, ask them what they want, and do it.
The last thing needed is for drone operators to transmit.
And please, never use the word "mission."

And they prefer the term "Quadcopter or Hexicopter" than the term "Drone" to them a Drone is a semiautonomous Military AC.

 

[rfc]

And they prefer the term "Quadcopter or Hexicopter" than the term "Drone" to them a Drone is a semiautonomous Military AC.

Isn't the appropriate term "UAS"?

 

[QuadKid]

Isn't the appropriate term "UAS"?

Actually it is (sUAS) My local ATC wants me to refer to it as a quadcopter, I'm sure every airport may be different.

 

[TheoMatthias]

“UAS” at my closest Delta tower.

 

[Big Mouth Media Digital]

Question for the Aussies - if you get the AROC, what hardware do you use to communicate with and how do you know the frequencies, etc ?

 

[Wokka Wokka]

Question for the Aussies - if you get the AROC, what hardware do you use to communicate with and how do you know the frequencies, etc ?

That's all covered in the RePL course (at least it should be, it was done in the one I completed this week)

Any VHF airband radio would do, costs a few hundred bucks.

Frequency information for airfields is the the ERSA (En-Route Supplement Australia, look up for free on CASA website). If you want to know the frequencies for unmanned aerodromes or Class G airspace, it's on the VTC (Vicual Terminal Charts), which are not difficult to read if you know how. Though VTCs are usually for areas around larger airports. Probably easiest to do a course.

For the original question of what identifier you use when transmitting, I was taught the currently in Aus we are supposed to say "Unmanned RPA" (I did the AROC part yesterday, but who knows how long that'll be correct for).