On The Airbands

TRAINEE CONTROLLER: “HABU 29, understand you are : requesting 120 thousand! Is that affirmative?”

SR-71 BLACKBIRD(HABU 29): “That’s affirm Centre!”

TRAINEE CONTROLLER: “Well if you think you can make it, go ahead and try!”

SR-71 BLACKBIRD: “Roger, this is HABU 29 outa 140 thousand descending for 120 thousand!”

There was nothing but stunned stoney silence from the hapless young Air Traffic Controller. This true story was apparently related to Bob Stevens by Captain Newton Hunecutt. Thanks Newton and Bob.

* * *

Something a little more down to earth, monitored by your author on Sydney Departures frequency 125. 3 one recent Saturday morning. The players: VH-WDF, an EMB-110P2 {AFT) commuter ex Sydney for Williamtown, and a very quick witted Departures controller.

As often happens, a mike switch gets flicked in the wrong direction and instead of transmitting to intercom and the passengers, the Captain finds he has delivered a lengthy and often very entertaining monologue to Air Traffic Control and all the other aircraft on frequency relating to the detailed operations of that particular aircraft. {frequency 125. 3 MHz)

VH-WDF: “Good morning to everyone travelling with Eastern Australia to Williamtown and further afield, this is your Captain. Our flight time to Williamtown from our present position 30 nautical miles north of Sydney will be approximately 35 minutes, and there is a little storm activity between here and Newcastle which we’ll do our best to avoid and make your ride as comfortable as we possibly can. If you look in the pouch mounted behind the seat in front of you, you’ll see a yellow card listing all the safety features of the Bandeirante aircraft, and the location of all of the emergency exits. We trust your flight is pleasant, and you will come fly with Eastern Australia again soon. ”

ATC: ‘;6. hh . . . Whiskey Delta Foxtrot, this is Sydney Departures, copied all thanks very much, but what colour is the little cardI’m supposed to look at in front of me? I’ve looked everywhere and I just can’t seem to see it! Oh . . . and do we get any light meal?”

This is another situation where words totally escaped the aircrew! Me thinks they were sliding well down in their padded seats trying to find somewhere decent to hide! Russell Robertson is a Qantas First Officer on 747’s. He often takes note of amusing conversations and comments on the airbands worldwide and offers this one for our consumption which he collected recently.

Russell was on board Qantas 4, tracking from San Francisco to Honolulu, and monitored the exchange on 128. 95 (controlled airspace air to air) when QF4 was about 30 to 40 minutes out from San Francisco. The conversation was between an American domestic aircraft or commuter airliner and their ground agent, who was female, with an attractive voice.

AIRCRAFT: “We’re inbound, estimating blocks at three-two. ” GROUND AGENT: “OK then, your bay is Bay 6. See ya in a few!” AIRCRAFT: (heavy breathing)

GROUND AGENT: “Who is that?”

AIRCRAFT: (much noisier, deeper heavy breathing now) GROUND AGENT: (obviously a little annoyed now) “Is there anything else I can do for you?”

AIRCRAFT: “Well, we’ll have to see about that when we get there!”

At this point, Russell and co switched off the frequency for a few seconds to allow for some privacy, and also give them time to stop laughing before they had to talk to the passengers. When Russell isn’t occupying the sharp end ‘office’ in a 747, he lives at Yeerongpilly, a suburb of Brisbane. Thanks very much Russell, write again with more please.

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Over six months of listening went into monitoring these quickies from James Smith of Gladesville NSW.

• • •

120. 5 MHz. SYDNEY TOWER: “There is some doubt whether we’ve paid the electricity bill. Could you tell us if the lights are on?” QANTAS 767: ‘;6. ffirmative” (laughing)

• • •

123. 0 MHz.

VH-RMG: “Sydney Departures, Romeo mike golf, on climb to flight level three-nine-zero-zero”.

VH-RMG: ‘;6. hh . . . correction on that, flight level three-ninezero!”

DEPARTURES: “Yes Romeo Mike Golf, you had a few astronauts worried for a few seconds there!”

• • •

124. 4 MHz.

APPROACH: “Whiskey Xray Xray Sydney Approach, are you visual?”

VH-WXX: “Ah. h, Whiskey Xray Xray, err . . . visual . . . sort of!”

• • •

120. 5 MHz, just after a thunderstorm, now passing out to sea. VH-TBG (727): “Tower, Tango Bravo Golf on long final for twofive, and we’re really enjoying the pyrotechnics and light show you put on for our arrival!”

TOWER: ‘;6. ww thanks, we have spent some time working on

’em”.

• • •

120. 5 MHz, on a busy Friday, with VH-HY E first in line for takeoff, with six other departures including VH-TAC lined up behind. There has been almost four minutes of complete silence from the tower.

VH-HY E: “Hey, is there anybody out there?”

TOWER: “Hotel Yankee Echo, expect at least another two minute delay” (said in very assertive voice)

VH-TAC: “{singing) “I can hear your knockin but you can’t come in!” John M Hutteroth from West Preston in Victoria has been enjoying scanning conversations from the overseas airlines who were here as a result of the pilots’ dispute. John monitored the following on Melbourne Approach 118. 9.

Scene: Inter European 737 callsign ‘Aspro November Delta’ had just made a very competent sounding approach, albeit with a very plumby British accent. After being handed off to the Tower, an unidentified voice came up on frequency saying:

UNKNOWN: ”Arr . . . Approach, what was that last aircraft you spoke to?”

APPROACH: “One of those overseas charters, Aspro November Delta. Fast that, I can’t elaborate further”.

UNKNOWN: “Sounded like a bit of a pill”. APPROACH: “Yeah, a bit of a headache”.

John uses a Realistic PRO-32 hand held scanner, and AOR AR-2002 base unit, the latter of which covers a wide spectrum

including military UHF. * * *

From Ian Kohlhoff who lives at Parkwood in Western Australia, another buyer of Tandy Realistic equipment, in his case the excellent PRO-34 hand held. Ian did have a 16 channel PRO-30, but has ‘retired it off’ in favour of the new 200 channel model. But without any further delay, to his story:

The USS Midway was in port, with many military aircraft flying in and out of Perth Airport.

PERTH TOWER: “MAC 6744, track direct to Mount Singleton. ” MAC 6744: “(strong American accent) ”Ahh . . . roger that, and we’re gonna request a ‘rarte’ turn to 140 for approximately 7 miles. Then we’ll resume tracking to Mount Singleton. ”

PERTH TOWER: ”MAC 6744, approved, contact Perth Control on 125. 2. ”

MAC 6744: “(obviously lapsing into thinking he’s tracking out of Darwin on the then recent Kangaroo 89 exercises) “Err, Darwin Control, MAC 6744 heavy on 125 point 2, tracking direct to Mount Singleton. ”

(long silence . . . then . . . )

PERTH CONTROL: (strong American accent) “MAC 6744, goodday, this is New York Control!”

* * *

The VHF hand held NAV/COM from Narco, model HT 870 which impressed me greatly some time back, is now available from numerous local outlets including Aviall, 8-10 Halsey Road, Airport West, Victoria, 3042 phone (03) 3381155, and Pacific Aviation at Bankstown (PO Box 220, Bankstown 2200), phone (02)

709 6666.

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I very much like to encourage young people who wish to become involved in monitoring the airbands. Many of these young people are potentially future airline captains and first officers, and listening in is one very good way to increase their already strong enthusiasm for aviation.

Owen Davies is 13 years old, lives in Adelaide, and envies people living alongside Kingsford Smith or Tullamarine International Airports. (Maybe he should become a local councillor! Ed. )He uses a Realistic PRO-34 hand held and monitors during every spare minute. Owen says that there were so many different aircraft in the air during the pilots’ dispute that he didn’t know what to expect next . . . maybe the DC-3 will re-emerge. Well it depends where you live Owen. Where my plot of mother earth is I have four airworthy DC-3’s nearby which regularly get to fly charter work!

While not a teenager, but still in his youthful prime, David Flynn works for SBS Television. He writes that his constant companion is a Cobra SR-15 100 channel scanner, covering all his required bands. David says that the Cobra is an excellent performer, being very compact and light, and fits easily into his briefcase or pocket. Having recently learnt to fly, David attests to the value of a scanner to the student. “You can learn a great deal from just listening”, he says. One thing David would like to see is more frequent Airband Frequency Directories run in our magazine. He states that all the so called Frequency Registers which are compiled in some of the southern states aren’t as custom designed for serious airband monitors as the previous Australian Aviation ‘Let Your Ears Have Wings’ guides.

Thanks David. We will definitely update on a more frequent basis now that we are monthly and have more space at our disposal. There may be some other news I can break a little later on down the track on this subject.

* * *

Sifting through a copy of ‘Asian Aviation’ magazine recently I spied an advertisement by Ball Aerospace Systems for their Airlink low profile satellite antenna. I immediately recalled a lengthy conversation with Qantas OIC of Communications, Peter Shakells, who during the chat quietly mentioned Qantas are testing satellite operated passenger self dial cabin international telephones in early 1991.

Peter predicts that by 1992, a regular satellite telephone service will be a feature of Qantas travel. No . . . it is not at all like the American UHF system which was such a classic failure from a reliability and quality standpoint. The Qantas system will operate in the microwave satellite band near to 3 GHz. It’s got to be a winner, even at a call cost of around $2. 00 per minute.

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All letters to Bob Bell, Aerospace Publications, PO Box 3105, Weston Creek, Canberra, ACT 2611. Send details of your monitoring locations and photographs as well as your airband stories.