Landing callsigns

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bob0101

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I monitor newark a/p and note that when airliners get in line to land they provide their flight number and airline and then say we have -Mike_ or India_or November. What do these call signs mean?

Thanks, Bob
 

Don_Burke

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There is a recorded weather and runway status message which is assigned a letter code that changes when the recording is updated.

The pilot is telling the controller which message he has heard.
 

fmon

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The message is on the Air Traffic Information System frequency and is broadcast 24/7
Edit: After looking at what I submitted...that would be Terminal and Service. :wink:
 
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It means the aircraft has heard the current ATIS information. Every ATIS broadcast is designated by a different letter in the A-Z phonetic alpabet. Each time an ATIS is updated, the letter of the broadcast goes up one until the letters recycle back to "A" again.

Mark Holmes
Marion, IL
 

Comint

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fmon said:
The message is on the Air Traffic Information System frequency and is broadcast 24/7
Edit: After looking at what I submitted...that would be Terminal and Service. :wink:
A = Automatic.

--
Comint
 

immelmen

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ATIS is the airborne dissemination of the *observed* equivalent to the automated METAR or SPECMETAR weather report with the addition of NOTAM L's and NOTAM D's.

The FAR's require a pilot to know the wx at all airports of intended use and giving the code to the approach or ground controller on initial contact assures him you are briefed on the weather and NOTAMS at the field. if you report unable to copy the ATIS the controller must read it to you. Listen to Newark ground control, they are VERY anal about this. they will not let you taxi past Bravo short Kilo without getting the latest numbers which has undoubtedly changed since pushing from the gate.

Also, while the ATIS is still broadcast on VHF voice unless your in a cessna at a podunk airport, no one tunes that in any more...90% of the air carrier traffic at major airports gets the ATIS via ACARS data link. a typical ACARS ATIS message as seen in the cockpit for Newark in March looks like this:

KEWR ATIS INFO M
231545Z
30021G34 PSM6 SCT012 BKN040
06/M02 A3021 (THREE ZERO TWO ONE)
APP IN USE ILS 22L CIRL RW29. LNDG RW22L RW29.
DEPG RW22R/W. AVAIL DIST RW22R/W 10,500.
TXWY B CLSD BTW TXWY RH AND RJ. UNLIT TOWER 2NM SOUTH. BIRDS VICTY
CONTACT FLOW 134.25 5 PRIOR TO PUSH. CONTACT GRND CNTRL 121.8 FOR TAXI
ADVISE ATIS M
 
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grant

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Australian version of ATIS :

Sydney (Kingsford-Smith) Airport
ATIS YSSY G 250008
APCH: EXP INDEPENDENT VISUAL APCH
RWY: 34L AND R FOR ARRS AND DEPS
OPR INFO: PARL RWY OPS IN PROG.
INDEPENDENT DEPARTURES IN PROG
+ WND: 350-030/10
XW MAX 9 KTS
+ VIS: GT 10KM
+ CLD: FEW 3000
TMP: 24
QNH: 1010

If you interested in checking australian airport ATIS on a regular basis you can click on
http://www.rwy34.com/atis/ then select the airport for latest ATIS + weather radar sweep.

Grant
 

immelmen

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inigo88 said:
Uhh.... actually it's the Automatic Terminal Information Service.

Here's everything you could want to know about the US incarnation in the Aeronautical Information Manual section 4-1-13. At least everyone got the "ATIS" part right though. ;)

I wasn't going to split those hairs but that is the correct acronym. Also, if were getting picky, remember; the ONLY thing "automatic" about ATIS is that the recording repeats its self. by the time you listen to it the report is old. It is a recording of observations by a human made hourly....

The most frequently updated wx is ASOS. this also repeats continuously on a discrete freq tho the voice is computerized and the info is updated ever time it repeats by an automated system. (ie. no humans involved. therefore it cannot be used for dispatch purposes in FAR part 121 operations.)
 

w0fg

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immelmen said:
The FAR's require a pilot to know the wx at all airports of intended use and giving the code to the approach or ground controller on initial contact assures him you are briefed on the weather and NOTAMS at the field. if you report unable to copy the ATIS the controller must read it to you...... ....Also, while the ATIS is still broadcast on VHF voice unless your in a cessna at a podunk airport, no one tunes that in any more...90% of the air carrier traffic at major airports gets the ATIS via ACARS data link.

13 million air carrier ops per year, vs. 45 millions GenAv and air taxi ops at FAA controlled fields. I'd say a LOT of people still tune in to VHF ATIS broadcasts, which aren't used at any non-controlled "podunk airports", though in many cases AWOS is.
 

immelmen

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w0fg said:
13 million air carrier ops per year, vs. 45 millions GenAv and air taxi ops at FAA controlled fields. I'd say a LOT of people still tune in to VHF ATIS broadcasts, which aren't used at any non-controlled "podunk airports", though in many cases AWOS is.


I think we are talking about two different things here. The original post was regarding Newark and the monitoring of flights operated under part 121 and I specifically stated that was what I was referring to in my post....

I promise you, VERY FEW need to tune and listens to ATIS, or even need to tune clearance delivery and call for the IFR clearance for that matter at Newark or similar major airports. In the part 121 world(flag air carrier) which is what was being discussed here, any field that is not class B airspace is considered "podunk"....even still most class C airports have digital ATIS capability as well as PDC's via ACARS. Just look at an approach plate...in the first box where the ATIS freq is, if there is a (D) next to the freq then ACARS it is......I would say I only have to tune and listen to ATIS at most once a month. When flying three to five legs a day, thats not very often.
 
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bob0101

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Landings - EWR

thanks to all who responded, I got a high school education and beyond reading all of the posts.

Thanks!!

Bob0101
 

inigo88

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Apologies immelman, I'm a Private Pilot and try to split hairs whenever possible to stay sharp on the subject. However, I didn't mean to come off sounding like such a smartass. :)
 
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