B is for busy

Afraid of big-city airports? Does the thought of nonstop radio chatter and shotgun clearances raise your blood pressure? Or would you prefer to make extensive detours around Class B airspace rather than transit the area? If that idea sounds familiar, you've just admitted to what the majority of pilots -- from new students to experienced pros -- feel when they are confronted with congested airspace. You may have a different definition of what congested is, but whenever you leave your home base and head for unfamiliar crowded skies, you're going to experience some apprehension, regardless of what size airplane you're flying.

Free tools from AOPA AOPA provides all pilots with a variety of tools to help make flights into congested airspace safer and less stressful -- whether it's your first one ever or just your first one today. The Runway Safety Program, produced by the AOPA Air Safety Foundation (ASF) and the FAA, is a free online course designed to help pilots avoid and prevent runway incursions by studying the various factors involved. Download the companion flash cards to help you learn runway signage. Detailed taxi diagrams for virtually every U.S. airport with an operating control tower are available for free in Flight Training Online's Virtual Flight bag. Review ASF's Airspace for Everyone Safety Advisor for a refresher on airspace structure and how pilots are expected (and required) to operate within it. ASF's Operations at Towered Airports Safety Advisor provides information you must know to operate more safely at busy towered airports. Links to all of these resources, and additional information on flying into congested airspace, are available at AOPA Flight Training Online.

Thinking about busy airports reminds me of a taxi clearance we received many years ago from Chicago O'Hare Ground Control after landing on Runway 27 in a Boeing 727. After clearing the active runway, we heard a rapid-fire taxi clearance that both the captain and first officer missed completely. Rather than admit their ignorance to a female controller, they turned to me, the female second officer, and said, "Karen, tell her you missed the clearance and would she please read it again!" Following orders, knowing I'd enjoy seeing them squirm a bit, I said, "Ground, Continental One-Six-Seven-Two, both the captain and the FO missed all of your last transmission; please say again slowly."

It could have happened to anyone, but I figured the rest of our crew needed a nudge to remind them they should never take anything for granted at a busy airport -- least of all a taxi clearance. A bit of active listening rather than the assumed "we can handle anything" would have saved them lots of embarrassment.

Having been behind the windscreen of both large and small aircraft, I've found there are three keys to surviving congested airspace: thorough preparation, constant surveillance, and active listening. None of these skills is particularly difficult, but each one requires practice and some fine-tuning, even for the most experienced pilots.

Step 1: Preparation

Let's start with preparation and see what you can do to boost your confidence as you plan your flight into Big Town International or through its terminal airspace. When flying into any busy airport, a well-organized cockpit is of primary importance. Begin with a thorough job of preflight planning, placing particular emphasis on having quick access to details that you'll be expected to know upon arrival. This includes the airport layout, where you're going to park, and the taxi instructions you might receive after landing on any of the destination airport's commonly used runways. Quick access to the necessary frequencies is important, and you may prefer to write them down in one place or highlight them on your charts to reduce the paper clutter in the cockpit.

Chart organization is crucial when transiting or landing at an airport in congested airspace. First, fold each chart to show the panel that you'll be viewing, highlight your expected route on each chart, and then arrange the individual charts in the order you'll be using them. When I transit the Los Angeles area under instrument flight rules (IFR), for example, I have both IFR and VFR charts at hand, folded to show the route of flight. I try to anticipate "hot spots" where I know the traffic will increase because busy airports' arrival and departure corridors are nearby. I try to pick out other traffic I hear on the radio and monitor the progress of other airplanes. Maybe I'm over Burbank and have just heard the handoff to Departure Control of a bizjet. I can hear his altitude reports, visualize his progress from my vantage point, and I'll be ready with a "traffic in sight" or "Five-Kilo-Charlie's looking" if ATC calls it as my traffic.

Over the years I've realized how often I look at a chart for the same information over and over: courses from VORs, mileage between facilities, navaid frequencies, and minimum en-route altitudes (MEAs are an important concept in IFR flying to make sure you maintain a safe altitude above terrain or any obstructions on the surface; in many parts of the country you could use the maximum elevation figure shown in each graticule of your sectional aeronautical chart to achieve the same objective). Now, to save myself all those extra chart readings that take away from time I could use to scan for traffic, I start my flight planning by highlighting the course line and those other important items for easy repeated references. If I get a change en route, I'll use a different color marker to quickly shift my eye to the new course.

For a lapboard, I use a letter-size clipboard turned lengthwise to hold approach charts on the left side under the board's big clip. On the right side I secure my en route charts plus a pad of paper under a clip that's affixed to the top right side of the lapboard. If you're a klutz with pens and pencils like I am, consider getting one of those pens on a coiled leash that helps you keep track of it, allowing you to reel it in when you drop it and avoiding the vertigo you might experience reaching down to grope for your writing instrument. By the way, airline copilots have told me that the real problem with dropping your pen or pencil is the Floor Monster. He waits for you to drop something and then quickly hides it from you, adding to his collection of pens, pencils, and checklists on every flight.

Step 2: Looking

Our second key, looking, means keeping your head on a constant swivel, watching for traffic. This is a requirement even if you've filed an instrument flight plan. To scan effectively, you'll need to be very proficient at your flying and navigating tasks so you can have the maximum time available to watch for other traffic.

Student pilots learn ground reference maneuvers so that they can fly precisely and watch outside at the same time. Now you'll need to do the same sort of thing, only you'll be looking for moving objects as well. If you have passengers, ask them to watch for traffic and when they spot it, describe to you not only what they see, but also what's behind the target ("above the green trees" or "just below that cloud") to help you find the same spot.

Step 3: Active listening

Active listening, our last secret weapon, occurs when you do more than just allow sound to come into your headset. It means anticipating the instructions you're likely to receive before you get them, so they make sense; carefully monitoring the frequency, listening not only for your instructions, but keeping abreast of what's going on around you; and finally, composing your radio transmissions in your mind before you key the microphone. That way, when you do talk, you can take advantage of what you have already heard by speaking the minimum number of words to convey your needs and using a minimum amount of air time.

Mistakes are not uncommon, so don't let one spoil your day. Often times, it's not you who has erred, but rather a misunderstanding has occurred regarding where an air traffic controller thinks you are located. You may be at X, he may think you're at Y, and his instructions just won't get you where you want to go. Just because someone gives you a machine-gun clearance doesn't mean it's always correct. Remember, a clearance must make sense. If it doesn't, request verification of what you think you heard. One night we landed on the north side of O'Hare. Our parking area was on the south side, and when we cleared the runway my first officer told Ground Control our correct position as being clear of Runway 27R. The controller responded with a taxi clearance that included an all too-familiar "taxi via the Cargo and the Inner to the gate." I knew it sounded wrong. The words were familiar, but they didn't jibe with our position.

Do's and Don'ts Congested airspace can be managed, so long as you know what you should and should not do.

Do take a test drive (flight) with an experienced pilot -- to relieve your fears and learn ways to sound assertive when necessary. Do ensure you have a good headset with the mic properly positioned for clear transmissions. Do speak slowly and concisely; know what you're going to say before you key the mic. Do have a back-up handheld mic that's plugged in and ready to use. Do listen actively and form a mental picture of what's going on around you. Do question unclear instructions concisely. "Confirm heading 230 for Cessna Four-Six-Quebec" rather than "Ah, do you want me to turn to 230 or 320?" Do plan your route carefully; know where you're going and what fix/nav names to expect to hear in your clearances. Do keep your head on a swivel -- look for traffic and respond with "in sight" or "no contact" when you are alerted to same. Do use your autopilot if one is installed in your aircraft to give you time to accomplish all tasks.

Don't be afraid to ask questions about best procedures. Don't choose heavy traffic times for your first flight into congested airspace; go when it's relatively quiet. Don't use a bad mic or radio -- scratchy transmissions frustrate the controllers and will often get you ignored. Don't cut in on other ATC transmissions. Almost every transmission from ATC is followed by a pilot's reply. Wait for the exchange to be completed before you transmit. Don't assume ATC heard you -- get confirmation before you take any action. Don't worry about making mistakes -- that's how we all learn.

I stopped the MD-80 clear of the next intersection, pulled out the chart on which I'd earlier figured a possible routing to use after landing, and told the FO to tell Ground we were off Runway 27R on the north side of the field, not off Runway 27L on the south side, and we'd need clearance to take us to Gate F8.

He looked at me kind of quizzically, as if to say "You really want me to say that to them, Boss?"

"Yep, I think they've given us their standard clearance #3B and didn't bother to look outside and see just where we are. Their instructions make no sense, and if we can gently clue them in as to what we need, we can get ourselves headed in the right direction now, before we get any older." He obliged. To his amazement the next thing we heard was a whole new corrected clearance, spoken slowly, routing us in a logical manner to our assigned gate. It was a case of familiarity breeds contempt, and the controller had probably had a long day of giving the same canned taxi clearance over and over.

As I said before, be sure to question any ATC instruction that doesn't make sense. Sometimes you'll find it's you who has fallen behind in your situational awareness and your query will help bring you up to speed on what's current. When all else fails, speak plain old English. You shouldn't be afraid to say, "Ground, Cessna Three-Kilo-Golf's holding short of Romeo on Juliet, do you want us to turn left or right?" You may want to ask for progressive tax instructions, which are turn-by-turn directions to your destination on the airport.

Learning to employ these three steps takes practice, just like making consistently good landings. It's also a skill that gets rusty if you don't use it, so make time to get the experience, even if it's only from the back seat during a friend's training flight. Remember, if you talk like a pro, ATC will assume you fly like one and treat you accordingly. If you screw up, apologize and you'll find everyone's happy to help you as long as you admit your mistake and make it clear that you're honestly trying to comply with their request.

Karen Kahn is a captain for a major U.S. airline and author of Flight Guide for Success -- Tips and Tactics for the Aspiring Airline Pilot. Type-rated in the Boeing 757/767, MD-80, and Lockheed JetStar, she is an FAA aviation safety counselor who holds ATP and Gold Seal flight instructor certificates. Kahn is rated in gliders, seaplanes, and helicopters. Visit her Web site.

Want to know more?

Links to additional resources about the topics discussed in this article are available at AOPA Flight Training Online.