ATC Cheatsheet, First draft: Departure procedures

[RayS]

Ok guys, I've got the first draft for the ATC Cheat sheet complete.

I'm not IFR-rated, so please bear with me.

Give this a look over, with the mindset that the pilot has little experience with ATC Comms.

Comments and suggestions are definitely welcome!

http://anthonyscottphotography.com/wf2015/h5bf861ec#h5bf861ec

An Arrival Cheat sheet is in the works but thought I'd get this out in the wild before I started that.

[dougsnow]

I think it'll be handy somewhat for those who are unfamiliar with ATC procedures, however, I think just listening to a busy IFR tower, ground, approach and departure on LiveATC.net will make the listener much more comfortable on the headset.

Sometimes when I am at work, and not working an operational desk, I'll have LiveATC streaming for noise - I love Shannon High in the morning with all the westbounds entering the Atlantic, and anything JFK is good for comedy value.

[RayS]

I tend to be one of those "In one ear, out the other" types... (it's why I did somewhat poorly in school, even though I am fairly intelligent.)

I listen to LiveATC all the time but there's always that stage fright right before I go hot on the mic. This helps keep me focused and sound at least half-professional once I key the mic. 

[Trevor Hale]

Great Job Ray.

I think this will help. Thanks for contributing. Anything that will help people in the cockpit is appreciated.

[KyleH]

Looking good Ray.
A couple items:

- If getting clearance from a Clearance Delivery position, do not need to indicate you location on the field. When you contact ground for pushback, that's who you give your gate position to. And It should be gate number, not just a ramp position, for WorldFlight.

- As we are flying IFR, we do not indicate a N/S/E/W departure to either clearance or tower. They have the filed flight plan and know where we are going, so for contacting tower for take off it would be "Tampa tower, Delta 209, holding short of 1R." You could add the taxiway you are on, or that you are ready to go.

Also as we will be on busy frequencies, don't be too concerned with reading back every part of a clearance. Just make sure you get the important stuff; squawk code, hold short instruction, cleared for takeoff etc.
With many pilots needing to get in on the frequency, being brief on the radio is a common courtesy. I know we often wont get that in return but we can try and lead by example.

[RayS]

That's great input Kyle. I purposely left a few items in there because I really wasn't sure about them, and you pointed them all out. thanks!

I'll make the revisions tonight.

At this point I'm not sure there would be any benefit to an Arrival Cheatsheet because in my own experience, once you get in the air and are conversing with ATC, the rest (At least for me) comes somewhat naturally.

[dougsnow]

An arrival cheatsheet no, for thats the purpose of the arrival brief before top of descent.