I never heard the term crtical used. I'd probably say something like I'm
starting to pickup some icing and I'm getting a little concerned about my
fuel. Most good controllers would get the idea. But they'd also expect you
to let them know before it became too late. There's a lot they can do for
you. Don't ever make it a we/they thing.
Al

"Judah" wrote in message
...
Perhaps I confused Critical with Urgent. But I was fairly certain at some
point I read or heard that the term Critical was a legitimate FAA/ATC term
that came short of declaring an emergency, but made the point.

I'll have to look it up and see if I can find where I came up with that.



"Barry" wrote in :

For those who seem to be afraid to declare an emergency, I think it
would be equally safe to declare a "Critical" condition, which would
draw nearly the same amount of attention from ATC, but since you don't
necessarily require priority at this point, you don't need to do that
yet.

I disagree. "Critical condition" isn't in the AIM's Pilot/Controller
Glossary, so there's no accepted meaning.

There are two levels of emergency, distress and urgency. The AIM
(para. 6-1-2) says:

"An aircraft is in at least an urgency condition the moment the pilot
becomes doubtful about position, fuel endurance, weather, or any other
condition that could adversely affect flight safety."

I think that being stuck above icy clouds, low on fuel, certainly
qualifies. If you use the word emergency, you know that the controller
will understand that your situation is serious. Using your own
language like "critical" might not make it clear.

Your other option is to declare "minimum fuel":

"Indicates that an aircraft's fuel supply has reached a state where,
upon reaching the destination, it can accept little or no delay. This
is not an emergency situation but merely indicates an emergency
situation is possible should any undue delay occur."

I much prefer "emergency" for the case we're discussing.

Barry