On departure & approach it is interesting, and the movies aren't playing anyway
I agree, during taxing, take-off, approach and landing it's interesting, but I wouldn't spend a full 8-12 hour transatlantic flight listening to channel 9.
The rest of the flight it's mostly about switching from one frequency to another, some minor changes in altitude etc.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jacob_m
I agree, during taxing, take-off, approach and landing it's interesting, but I wouldn't spend a full 8-12 hour transatlantic flight listening to channel 9.
The rest of the flight it's mostly about switching from one frequency to another, some minor changes in altitude etc.
Plus the occasional banter between cockpits and ATC.
Once heard 4 of 5 planes placing lunch orders.
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The ATIS is often recorded on a navigation aid frequency such as the VOR used for holding. ... The ATIS is usually updated twice an hour, commonly at minutes 20 and 50 past the hour.
This may be true in some countries but not in the United States. Here ATIS is rarely on a navigation frequency and normal updates are hourly.
I've listened while flying over the ROC. Whether we were allowed to or not, I can not say.
Oh, and over Taiwan it works (which is technically ROC).
I noticed Channel 9 was not turned on while UA862 was pushing back in HKG a few days ago and asked the FA walking by and 30 seconds later, it came on and HKG is definitely ROC even though it is technically a SAR.
I heard the FUNNIEST thing on Ch 9 yesterday sitting in line (we were #12 at the time, OY!) waiting to take off from PHL. Some Chatauqua flight asked ground "Can we get a list of departure order" or something like that and the controller, with total attitude (think Wanda Sykes) said "WHO JUST ASKED ME THAT! I have already said the departure order twice in the past 5 minutes so who just asked me that again!" The poor pilot apologized and she ran through the list again. I was chuckling outloud it was so funny. Her delivery is what made it so hysterical to me.
Funny. A lot of the controllers now are making more than airline pilots.... at least for narrowbody pilots. And absolutely make more than the regional pilots do. Guess they're carrying a 'tude.
I noticed Channel 9 was not turned on while UA862 was pushing back in HKG a few days ago and asked the FA walking by and 30 seconds later, it came on and HKG is definitely ROC even though it is technically a SAR.
BUT it technicaly chooses its own laws until 2046 (great movie by the way)....
After many years of travel, I am still irresistably drawn to looking out the window. The sight of another plane nearby livens up the view. I'm also a devoted ch 9 listener. I especially like catching conversation between an "unusual" passing flight and ATC. Unusual meaning an airline I rarely hear, or one that is from far off. I love hearing the accent, say of an Air Tahiti Nui pilot bound for Paris, when I am on a more prosaic transcon trip.
A few days ago, returning north from MCO, I caught conversation between an SAA flight and ATC. A first hit for me with SA. No more than a minute or two later I see an A340 crossing our path perhaps 1 mile behind and 2000 ft below. Close enough to spot the SAA colors easily. The first time I have been able to connect ch 9 and the view. Are there any other in-flight spotters out there, or am I alone in my fascination?
I'm still captivated by Channel 9 because it's really the only kind of onboard entertainment that is truly unscripted and uncontrived. You have no idea what you will hear from flight to flight.
From a marketing perspective, Channel 9 is great because for some (obviously some others don't give a hoot about "geek-talk"), Channel 9 provides that extra emotional connection that really seals in someone's loyalty to a brand and an airline. I'm sure you devotees out there love telling everyone else that Channel 9 is a United-only thing.
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I'm a Channel 9 junkie. Sometimes, though, listening can make your heart race. On a recent flight a Beech 19 landing in Denver had problems on final approach and asked to be vectored out to review the problems. A few minutes later that approach control asked two or three times (without response) if there was something she could do to assist. Finally, the Beech pilot came back on and said that they were having problems getting the flaps to go down. In the end, they landed sans flaps--fast and long--but everyone was safe and sound.
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I never miss the opportunity to try to "visual" an ATC call to our aircraft as to "traffic". I've also had the opposite: in SoCal Approach's airspace, with no advance traffic call, seeing Navy traffic seemingly less than 1,000 ft. separated and less than a mile zoom under us. When questioned by our Captain, SoCal apologized for the "pop-up" traffic. (Would have been nice to see the radar tracks on that one). What's interesting is to see how an "in-air" visualization of potentially conflicting traffic differs from the radar distance. In almost all cases, the "visualization" seems much more distant than the ATC advisory, as it should be.
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