Radio use.

[Jerry_Atrick]

Many seasoned pilots make mistakes.. Radio is not perfect - just another weapon in the safety arsenal.

 

The area in the red square (Willedo should like that) is probably the busiest GA airspace in the world on a good summer's day because it is where highest conecntration of GA/rec planes are based or pass through, it is full of no-go controlled airspace, particularly the Heathrow CTA (which is as low as 2,500' for long distances), Heathrow CTR, London City, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Southhampton, a couple of yearrs ago, Southend and now Farnborough all have Class D CTRs. So, most airgraft, GA and Rec, fly around the squeezing many aircraft in a small area and it does get very tight. Farnborough operate 3 LARS services (West, North and East) that roughly cover the box, with assitance from RAF Benson when it is active. Although some pilots are "purists" and would not entertain even carrying a portable in their vintage or grass-roots planes, there is no way in hell I would go there withough a radio. It gets so busy (with the ridiculously long calls we have to make), that last time I flew I couldn't get a word in edgeways. But we now have listening squawk codes; so we set the transponder to that ATC unit's listensing code and they know we are (supposed to be) on frequency and will call us if they feel we need to. Works pretty well. A couple of times while on a listening squawk I have been warned of conflicting traffic that I could not see.

 

When we leave the area (or in my case, switch to the aerodrome information frequency), we squawk 7000 (general VFR code and a reason why they never issue a code ending in 500, 600 or 700). Where the airfield we are arriving at is within an airport CTR, the airfield will have an agreed squawk code so the airport ATC know that the aircraft is entering the CTR for that airfield.

 

[turboplanner]

I did. I stand by my comment. Now howsabout you go look up the CAR's and CAAP's and tell us what the MANDATORY calls are...I'll wait.....

If you and Derek have been looking in CASA documents you're on the wrong trail, you need to search Airservices Australia, a different organisation.

 

I posted the class D requiremnents for radio and phraseology two weeks ago, briefly:

AIP Gen 3.4 AIP ENR 1.1

Procedure-Aircraft Operations Vol1, ICAO 8168 Chapter 12.

[KRviator]

If you and Derek have been looking in CASA documents you're on the wrong trail, you need to search Airservices Australia, a different organisation.

 

I posted the class D requiremnents for radio and phraseology two weeks ago, briefly:

AIP Gen 3.4 AIP ENR 1.1

Procedure-Aircraft Operations Vol1, ICAO 8168 Chapter 12.

Those chapters you've referenced in the AIP GEN3.4 are when in communication with an ATC/ATS unit, not for use when operating OCTA. And the only requirement in AIP ENR 1.1 that mandates radio usage in Class G is AIP ENR1.1.10.1.4 which states:

To achieve the greatest degree of safety CAR 166C requires pilots of aircraft carrying a serviceable radio which they are qualified to use' date=' to make a broadcast whenever it is reasonably necessary to do so to avoid a collision, or the risk of a collision with another aircraft at a non-controlled aerodrome. In certain circumstances carriage of radio and being qualified to use it are mandatory - (Refer to para 6.1 and CAAP 166-01).[/quote']

 

A couple of chapters further on, it even says:

In Class G airspace' date=' pilots of radio-equipped VFR aircraft [u']should[/u] monitor the appropriate VHF frequency and announce if in potential conflict. Pilots intercepting broadcasts from aircraft which are considered to be in potenial conflict must acknolwedge by transmitting their own callsign and, as appropriate, aircraft type, posiition, actual level and intentions.

My underlining. Unless you can provide a specific reference, I again stand by my assertion there are no mandatory broadcasts required by a radio-equipped aircraft operating OCTA except as necessary to avoid a collision.

[flyunder]

Read the CASA publication reproduced at the top of this, it states “Radio carriage and USE is still MANDATORY”

Ctaf +mbz

[Ironpot]

http://vfrg.casa.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/visual-flight-rules-guide.pdf

[coljones]

Having a radio is no guarantee that you will be safe. At my home strip we have aircraft flying on area frequency, because they do not even know that the strip is there. When you fly cross country are you looking for all those strips near your route and changing frequency to listen to all of them, or do you listen to area frequency to stay safe and informed?

If you are not on the map you should be on area. If people don't know that you are there why would they be be 126.7. If you are not on the map, why not? Are you a bunch of drug runners? If you are flying cross country and within 10 miles of a strip and lower than 2000' agl you should probably be on CTAF for situational awareness.

[Mike Borgelt]

There was a CASA advisory publication in May 2019 on radio use in Class G. Seemed to me the only MANDATORY transmission stuff was if an IFR guy called and there was a conflict. CASA has no interest in VFR aviation, particularly recreational, or its safety and wishes it would all go away. They are doing their best to ensure this.

 

Most mid-airs occur in the vicinity of aerodromes, in particular in the circuit. We've been using radio in Australia for a long time and it doesn't seem to have helped all that much. Looking out and training yourself to actually *see* might be better. The frequency fills up orders of magnitude quicker than the airspace. There was once an article in the old Aviation Safety Digest about how your visual perceptions are severely constricted by listening or talking on a radio. Aviation was operating for a long time before voice radios in aircraft came along.

 

I learned to fly in gliders at Cunderdin W.A. in the late 1960's, never had a radio in a glider until late 1973. Cunderdin was a popular nav point for RACWA aircraft at the time. Never had an issue.

 

Funny how in the USA you can fly VFR in Class G and E, enroute and you don't even have to maintain a listening watch on any frequency. It is common to monitor 121.5 on a second radio.