Don't be a dick

[poadeleted21]

I took a coworker up for a flight, less than a week later he's at the FBO signed up for lessons. He's 25 hours in and comes to me today to ask about correct terminology when self announcing a turn to final. I'm wondering why, out of all the PPL course material, he's worrying about something this inconsequential. Apparently, someone called him a "moron" for announcing "left final" and proceed to give him a lesson on why there was no such thing as "left final" while he's trying to land as a 25 hour student pilot. He asked what I would have done and in the interest of being honest over giving good advice I said "I'd have told him to go **** himself and express his concerns on the ground since short final wasn't the place to have a terminology debate.

 

[Jim Logajan]

I took a coworker up for a flight, less than a week later he's at the FBO signed up for lessons.

Wow, you're good! Congratulations on suckering recruiting another person into aviation!

 

[Jim Logajan]

Again, how do you read the tail number when 1/4 or 1/8 mile away. Typically if you can really read it you're to close to them in the first place. Again, this is at an uncontrolled airport - not talking to ATC. Of course you have to a tail number to them.

A unique identifier in all transmissions is an FCC requirement, not FAA, and the FCC says that the aircraft registration number may be used in lieu of an FCC assigned call sign. They can't see your tail number either, nor do they care whether you are talking to ATC, but presumably if your aircraft radio is transmitting crap outside the allowed frequency then the ID is supposed to help them get in contact with the registered owner and alert them of the problem.