Oscar, do not get discouraged, we have all been there done that when it comes to radios. While there are certainly measures we can take to be the best, most professional radio operators we can be, small gremlins here and there just come with the territory. I sincerely doubt there has ever been a Student, Private, Military, or Commercial Pilot out there who has never screwed up a single radio-call in their entire flying career. Consider this as well; the fact that you are posting on here, and going the extra mile by setting up your radio so you can listen to ATC while sitting in your hangar obviously shows that you care and take pride in your skills as an aviator; there are many out there of pilots who do no such thing, and are perfectly fine with sounding completely unprofessional over the radio.
One thing they stress a lot in the Navy is to "chair-fly" every flight to it's absolute entirety, even if it is as simple as going to an uncontrolled field and performing a few landings. When you actually sit down, put yourself in the driver's seat, and "think" about the flight, you'll be surprised at just how many little radio calls there are here and there that nobody really thinks about. Practice every single radio call, from start-up to shut down, and speak the responses until it comes out as natural as picking up the phone and ordering pizza. I have heard several Navy instructors joke that pilots become "80% dumber" the minute we strap in and touch the control stick. That is, if we only "know" the radio calls on the ground, then we will only "barely know" them in the air. If we "REALLY know" them on the ground, then we might "know" them in the air. if we "REALLY REALLY know" them on the ground, then we might "REALLY know" them in the air (I think you guys get the picture). Reciting the expected calls until you know them like the back of your hand, will set you up for success when you buckle the seat-belt and get airborne, and will also give you the added confidence of "hey, I can do this, this is a piece of cake!" But when practicing, do not get into the habit of reciting the radio calls as fast as possible. Remember the time when you were flying into a CTAF airport and you couldn't understand a word the pilot was saying? It goes without saying that faster is not always better. There is a mnemonic called the OODA Loop (also taught and used in the Military), which stands for Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. A much more detailed explanation of this can be found online, but for now, consider this: For each Radio Call, Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. Observe - actually listen, or "observe" each radio call. Take in every word the controller is saying. "Experimental 41CC, Medford Tower, cleared for takeoff runway 14, left turn eastbound approved, traffic 5 miles south-east of the field north west-bound is a Skyhawk, 4500". Orient - after observing what has been said, THINK about the situation at hand. You realize that you have been cleared for takeoff, but that there is traffic ahead 5 miles at 4500. You orient yourself by remembering that you are heading eastbound, and that VFR east-bound altitudes are odd plus 500'. 3500' fits that category, and keeps us 1000' below the Cessna. Thus, the one course of action is to depart, climb to 3500', and then keep a good look out for the traffic, then finally report the traffic when you have it in sight. Whatever course of action you take, the "Orient" phase is your chance to take in all the available information, "think" about the situation at hand, and come up with a necessary plan of action. Decide - Decide what course of action you are going to take. We already addressed that you will takeoff, turn left eastbound, and climb to 3500'. Since we are referring to talking on the radio, we are going to "Decide" how we are going to read-back the radio call. "Cleared for takeoff Runway 14, left turn eastbound approved, looking for the Cessna, Experimental 41CC" sounds good to me; it addresses all the information that the controller told you, which gives him the warm and fuzzy that you heard him correctly. Act - Finally, after you've decided how you're going to respond, take a DEEP BREATH, PAUSE, and confidently read back your radio call. "Cleared for takeoff Runway 14, left turn eastbound approved, looking for the Cessna, Experimental 41CC". If you need that extra second, don't be afraid to take it; it's better to take a small pause, and read back the radio call correctly the first time, than to respond immediately without thinking, and risk reading it back incorrectly and/or leaving out crucial information. OODA Loop: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. My final thoughts are exactly "how" you read back your radio calls. Most of the time they are fairly self explanatory, especially for VFR aircraft like KR2's and Pietenpol's. However once during my training in the T-45C (a non-GPS compliant aircraft) on an solo Cross-Country to Pensacola, I received the following radio call: "Navy One-Alpha 195, Atlanta Center, I have a route change for you, advise when ready to copy" (Atlanta center calling me, for a Route Change) "Atlanta Center, Navy One-Alpha 195 Ready to copy" (my response). "Navy One-Alpha 195, your updated clearance is Direct JERYS, then direct TEEZY, then direct KNPA" (TEEZY, is a GPS point, hence would have been illegal to navigate to in a Non-GPS aircraft). "Atlanta Center, Navy One-Alpha 195 is a HAWK/A, unable to navigate to TEEZY after JERYS" (HAWK/A is our terminology for "non-GPS). "Navy One-Alpha 195, Atlanta Center say again?" "Atlanta Center, Navy One Alpha is a HAWK/A, non-GPS aircraft. I am unable to navigate to TEEZY after JERYS. If able, could I get a hard-heading after JERYS or should I proceed direct to KNPA?" "Navy One-Alpha 195, understood you are a HAWK/A, proceed direct JERYS, then after JERYS, fly heading 090 and let Pensacola Approach know you are on a 090 heading, and they'll have updated instructions for you". "Navy One-Alpha is proceeding direct JERYS, then will fly a 090 heading" "Navy One-Alpha, Atlanta Center, Readback correct". Lessons Learned: If you or the controller does not understand something (in this case, when I first reported HAWK/A, the controller did not understand and asked me to clarify), do not be afraid to speak plain English to ATC. Even though it was a lengthy call, it was far easier for me to explain "hey, I'm a Non-GPS aircraft, I can't go there, can I get a hard heading instead?" than to keep repeating that I was a HAWK/A and hope that the controller eventually figured it out. In short, my big four: 1) Practice, practice, practice. 2) Faster is not always better. 3) OODA Loop Every Radio Call: Observe, Orient, Decide, Act. 4) If you are unsure about something, do not be afraid to speak plain English to ATC. I hope none of this came across as insulting anybody's intelligence, but if any of this info helped even one reader out there, then I'll be happy with that. Oscar, if you would ever like to meet somewhere with me and/or John Bouyea, don't be afraid to reach out. Would love to see the Pietenpol sometime! V/R Sam _______________________________________________ Search the KRnet Archives at https://www.mail-archive.com/krnet@list.krnet.org/. 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