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W E D N E S D AY, M A R C H 2 2 , 2 0 1 7 N AT C A D A I LY D I S PAT C H 4 It is important for all of us to be clear and concise. Practice it all day, every day. That was one of the biggest take-aways from Tuesday's Pilot/Controller Communications panel. Traditionally one of the most popular and important panels at Communicating For Safety, this year's discussion was no exception. Attendees were fully attentive, particularly when their peers took to the microphone to ask questions. Clear and concise phraseology and slower speech rate were dominant themes of the discussion. The pilots on the panel — representing commercial, general aviation, and air taxi operators — agreed that speaking louder doesn't help, but slowing down does. "The faster we (controllers) speak, the more likely they (pilots) are to miss it," said NATCA National Procedures Rep Andy Marosvari. "We need to keep our speech rate normal." Moderator Ashley Callen, Las Vegas Tower, asked Marosvari whether speech rate should be in controllers' training. "If it isn't, it should be," Marosvari said. "If your speech rate is too high, guess what? You're going to have to give the clearance twice because they didn't get it the first time. Normal speech rate, and good cadence, will go a long way towards pilots receiving that clearance in the way it was intended." Paul Flynn of NetJets' Association of Shared Aircraft Pilots said he is aware of controllers' workload just from their speech rate. "When it's busy and there's traffic everywhere, we are aware of it and try to be sympathetic to it," he said. "We operate out of airports all around the country. We're interacting on UNICOMS (Universal Communications) where we show up and somebody is out on a Sunday afternoon and they're trying to deal with jet traffic in a VFR world. Southern California is a great example. So many planes and airports. It is a lot to juggle." Panelist Leah Hickling from Southern California TRACON (SCT) said it's just as important for pilots to read back instructions as it is for controllers. She said one specific challenge for SCT recently has been the implementation of new Metroplex airspace optimization procedures. "A lot of us are not used to climb via or descend via instructions," said Hickling, who is also a trainer in the SCT Metroplex training classes. She had a direct message for the controllers: "I told them, if you do nothing else, please, please practice phraseology. We have to get it right so the pilots can get it right." With nearly 50 million IFR/VFR takeoffs and landings each year and a projected increase of operations across the NAS, the risk of a collision is always present and may be increasing. "We have an over 99 percent success rate," opened NATCA National Runway Safety Rep Bridget Gee, who moderated the panel. "With that being said, we have to maintain that success rate." Gee stressed basic communication within facilities, local airports, and users as being the key elements for success. In addition, she said we must focus on "training for success" so everyone has the basic knowledge and tools they need to be successful. Fellow moderator Jim Fee, Runway Safety Group, ATO, discussed the "mountain of information" that he and Gee faced when they began working in their positions. He explained that sharing information is great, but getting that information out to the users so that they can use it is even more important. One challenge to runway safety is construction, especially at larger airports. FAA Director of Airport Safety and Standards John Dermody explained that the best way to address construction challenges was to get local subject matter experts involved early on. "It's the people that are on the ground that know the facility who can properly plan and keep the facility safe," Dermody said. Steve Jangelis echoed Dermody and added that construction is never normal for anybody. "We all have to get together and talk before we go live with a project," Jangelis said. "We really believe in face-to-face discussions. Sit down and talk about the project early, rather than when it goes live." Gee added that a key component of collaboration is the communication element. "There needs to be proactive engagement by all the players locally," said NTSB Senior Transportation Safety Specialist Dan Bartlett. "It's about trying to change the thought process and awareness of the workforce." Training is a major component of keeping the workforce informed and aware of changes and safety concerns. All panelists emphasized the need for training and communication between users. "We brought every single pilot in and talked about runway safety," said SWAPA Air Traffic Services Lead Brad Sims. "It was a very expensive venture but they thought it was that important." NATCA National Safety Committee Chair Steve Hansen and FAA Director of Safety Ed Donaldson moderated a panel on weather. They addressed myths and debunked common misconceptions. Hansen began by establishing that it is important to remember neither the pilot nor the controller has all the pieces of the weather puzzle. They were joined by NATCA Weather Rep Matt Tucker, NBAA Weather Project Manager John Kosak, NATCA Fort Worth Center FacRep Nick Daniels, NATCA Houston TRACON VP Adam Rhodes, ALPA Air Traffic Services Group Chair Rip Torn, and SWAPA Voluntary Aviation Safety Information Programs Lead Mike Briskey. "Weather is one of, if not the top safety issue in the NAS," Hansen said. He emphasized the importance of issuing and soliciting weather in order to complete the picture for pilots and controllers. Panelists discussed PIREPS, turbulence, and how to bridge the gap between pilots and controllers. Torn asked the audience members to place their fists to their eye and try to see through. That's all pilots see, he said. If we all want the big picture, we have to work together to expand that view outward through sharing information and engaging in constant communication. Daniels said while there is room to grow, it is important to acknowledge progress made. He said that by the time attendees leave CFS, they will be able to say, "I know what we can do, how we can tackle this, and move forward." The panel agreed that collaboration and teamwork are essential to the equation. "Teamwork isn't just the guy sitting next to you in the control room," said Rhodes. "It extends into the flight deck and to the pilots as well. We all have to be part of that team." We all have a shared goal, Rhodes said: get passengers safely to their destinations. As operators, he added, we have the honor of the public's trust and must do everything we can to keep them safe. PANEL RECAP | Pilot/Controller Communications PANEL RECAP | Runway Safety PANEL RECAP | Weather: Complete the Picture Bridget Gee Jim Fee Dawn Johnson Ashley Callen

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