please don't make "radio check" your first call
Flight simulation purposes only. Ask a qualified instructor for actual advice about flying.Anytown Tower, ABC123, request radio check?
ABC123, loud & clear.
Anytown Tower, ABC123, request clearance to Donlon
… 🙄🙄
Notice how our pilot friend here could've gone straight to the request? Getting straight to the point would've saved a juicy chunk of time for everyone else sharing that radio channel as well.
It might feel harmless, and in the best case scenario, it might be.
Often, it's not; it's a painful inconvenience when the radio channel is shared between dozens or more stations at once. So, even if you think you're being polite (or whyever else), it's a bit inconsiderate, and it's an example of poor radio etiquette.
Just state your request! 🙏🥺
Anytown Tower, ABC123, received ATIS bravo, request clearance.
ABC123, Anytown Tower, cleared to Donlon via flight planned route…
😊🛫
👍🫡
If you really ought to cold call (perhaps if you're in an unusual spot), you could just announce with callsign only. That gives the other side a chance to reply after much fewer syllables, seconds, and attention.
Really, being more deliberate & thoughtful about the contents of your radio calls in advance will go a long way, and it will definitely be noticed by the receiving side — perhaps a lot more than you might realise!
Super duper! Valuable time is spared and everyone's happier! 🎉
Not quite. A radio check is a useful solution, despite being massively overused. Here are a few scenarios where you probably should make a "radio check" call:
This is only half serious, please don't get too mad at whoever sent you this 👀
That said, if you see someone with this in their status/bio, prepare for them to be unenthused & unimpressed by hearing "radio check!"
Inspired largely by nohello.net, and open-source on GitHub.
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