A Plea from Montgomery Tower

Tower :  (Reads your call sign) I need you  to copy a phone number…

I hope you never hear those dreaded words, but there is a good chance you will if you are unable to read back your runway assignment and hold short instructions with your tail number.  Traffic is up 28% at MYF.  There are more than 1,000 operations a day now.  Clear concise communication with the tower is critical to everyone’s safety.  MYF ATC issues literally 1000s of repeat calls to aircraft who do not properly read back hold short and runway assignments WITH CALL SIGN.  I was recently contacted by the supervisor at MYF tower because the repeat calls to aircraft have become a safety issue.  Every time you are instructed to go to a runway or hold short of a runway, ATC needs to hear that repeated back, with your call sign.   If you fail to do so, you will likely get a “call this number” from the tower.  This is our gentle warning – violations will be enforced in the future. 

Example, taxi instructions:  

You:  Montgomery ground, 48 Foxtrot at Executive, with Alpha, taxi Two Eight Right, VFR departure westbound. 

MYF Tower:  48 Foxtrot taxi 28 right via Juliet, Hotel, and Alpha.

You:  48 Foxtrot, 28 Right.  That’s it, no more, no less.  Do not explain how you are going to fly west, then up the coast to visit your sister.   They do not need every taxiway read back either.  

Example, hold short instructions:

MYF Tower:  48 Foxtrot, turn left at Mike and hold short 28 Left

You:  Hold short 28 Left, 48 Foxtrot,

That’s it, no more, no less.  And then for Pete’s sake, TAXI PAST THE HOLD SHORT BARS!  On taxiway Mike, they are close to 28L.  Until you have crossed the bars you are on an active runway. 

Let’s help out our hard working friends in MYF Tower and ALWAYS repeat runway assignment and hold-short instruction with your call sign. 

And while we’re asking, please count to 5 before keying your mic, to make sure you aren’t walking on another transmission.  There are places on MYF where you might not be able to hear another aircraft on the ground if they are talking to the tower.  So instead of just blurting out your request, listen for a moment to see if the tower is already engaged in another transmission.  Everyone will be happier and safer if we can all follow these simple rules. 

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2 thoughts on “A Plea from Montgomery Tower”

  1. Keeping radio comms concise is always great advice. That said, many airports require a full readback of taxi instructions, including each taxiway. Advising to not readback full taxi instructions can lead to a scolding – or a phone number – elsewhere, so I make it a habit always to read back the full taxi instructions (with brevity, of course).

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