Air Traffic Channels
 

Frequently I hear people saying that they can listen to the cokcpit Radio Transmissions through their headsets. I frequently (30k year) Fly Continental / HP and have never been able to find that channel. Is it only available on certain airlines / Aircraft

On UA flights, it's channel 9 (I think) but it's up to each pilot to turn it on or not. I'm not familiar with other airlines though...

------------------
Dan
"It is not doing the things we like to do, but liking the things we have to do, that makes life blessed." - Goethe

Only on United as far as I know.

American used to have it, years ago, but eliminated it when a pilot found a lawyer on board taping it, just in case, or so I'm told. (Why this would be an issue is beyond me, since anyone on the ground can do the same thing to their heart's content.)

Currently only on United; Channel 9 on all aircraft with audio ent. systems; Can be cut off by Captain (and is, all too often); When cut off, is replaced, depending on aircraft, either with nothing or with Hawaiian melodies.

AA also had live camera feed from the cockpit of landing and takeoff. Story I heard was they stopped it because too often passengers upon deplaning would tell the pilot he almost blew the landing or that he messed up in some way. Too many backseat drivers, I guess.

Well, they are the people who cut off my Hawiaan melodies.. damm them...

LOL, it is neat to listen when you are circling or during a missed approach http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

If memory serves correctly (an iffy proposition considering the consumption of sparkling beverage last evening), AA turned off the videos after the 1979 crash at ORD -- apparently the video feed continued to roll as the plane crashed...

That was the story I heard too about AA. At the time of that incident we lived about a mile and a half from the crash site, it truely was a tragic situation.

Funny channel nine story though. Was flying out of TUL where there is a McDonnel Douglas facility, where some military stuff is aparently done. I was in First and asked if channel 9 would be available. The FA said let me ask. She came back and said the pilot would turn on Channel 9 if I could get him a "CBS Sports" hat that I had on. I said ok,
she gave me an address to send it to and channel 9 was on. AS we took off, the plane suddenly seemed to take an evasive sharp turn. Over channel 9 we heard our pilot ask the tower where the two fighters came from. The tower replyed " what fighters" you are the only thing we are seeing. Our pilot said that two fighters were visible in our flight path on take off. My traveling companion and I looked at each other almost on cue, like " Oh my". After the plane leveled off, the FA came back to us and said the pilot wanted to know if we were enjoying channel 9. We snickered at her and then ordered a drink. Upon landing and deplaneing, the pilot, a young guy, looked at us and said, " Interesting flight, huh". I did send both he and the co-pilot a hat. I am sure that it is those situations that tend to leave the channel 9 cockpit selector in the off position.

I was surprised that on my return flights on New Year's Eve on UA (DFW-ORD-EWR) that channel 9 was replaced by horrid current pop music (I rather hear the pilot talk than Britney Spears whining or Jennifer Lopez attempting to sing.)

Maybe for security reasons?

Channel 9 (14 on the 747-400) is one of the nicer perks of flying on UA. I make a point of thanking the flight crew whenever possible for continuing to provide it.

My experience is that about 70% of the flights will have it available. It seems that the more senior the flight crew (read as "the bigger the plane") the greater that chance that it will not be used.

TOm

It definitely wasn't after a 1979 crash, since I distinctly remember enjoying the live camera feed on AA flights in the mid- to late-80's. Perhaps some more recent mishap led AA to turn them off?

I'm probably one of the few people who have been known to listen to channel 9 (or 14 on the B747-400) for the entire duration of the flight. I've heard some pretty wierd and interesting things on it over the years, and last night was a different one... It went something like this:

Some flight (I forgot the number): Center, (callsign), do you have traffic in front of us?

Center: Uh (callsign), no. Do you?

Someone else: Shooting star.

Flight: Oh yeah, that must've been what it was. Just caught it out of the corner of my eye.

Center: Don't scare me like that...

Ch. 9 is my comfort medicine while flying. for some reason I feel more comfortable listening as I at least have a sense about what is going on.

Some of my favorites: Coming into and leaving ORD. I am amazed at the amount of traffic and how quickly it is handled. There is a woman AT who is especially efficient and quick. I love listening to her work.
One time coming in to BWI at night listening to the pilot check with the tower to make sure that really was the airport he was looking at. Must have been one of the first times he flew in at night.

OK, OK, it's time for fun channel 9 stories. First, for any UA employees who are reading, if UA dropped channel 9, as a general policy, I would very seriously consider taking the AA Platinum challenge :-). I have never had the guts to ask a FA to have the pilot turn it on, when it is playing Britney Spears instead of ATC, but I think after reading these stories, I will in the future (esp. if I am sitting in Premier Zone or F)

Coming from SFO to SEA, on approach to SEA. There was a Horizon odd-numbered plane that turned out to be a DASH-8 in front of us (I have forgotten what it was, but it was something like <letter><2 numbers> ) on approach. It's possible that it was some kind of training flight. ATC said "Horizon xxx, you are cleared for landing, there is traffic behind you, exit runway at first available taxiway". Normal operations continue for a few minutes and apparently the Horizon landed.
ATC: "Horizon xxx, when I tell you to exit at the first available taxiway, I expect you to do that and not to pass up three perfectly good taxiways. Now exit the runway NOW."
Horizon: "Horizon xxx, roger."

I hadn't ever heard an ATC chew someone out like that before. There was a serious stack up of planes and this guy was in high stress mode. I'm told that now and then they will tell the pilot "report to tower after shutdown".

But at least he didn't say "expedite". At ORD and other places, you hear that now and then. That seems to be a serious word.

An even more serious word is "immediate", as in "climb immediate"!

There are at least 8,000,000 Ch. 9 stories in the Naked Airspace, including the Continental pilot the other day, who, upon being asked to slow to Mach .72 or so, replied, "OK, we'll just fall out of the sky." I also remember listening on approach to LAX when we were told to go around due to an aircraft on the runway (in fog), and flying from SFO to LAS and being vectored all over the desert (it seemed) to avoid fighter aircraft on training flights.

I always ask for Ch. 9 to be turned on, when it isn't! (Hardly ever makes a difference, though http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/frown.gif)

[This message has been edited by RichG (edited 01-03-2000).]