"Jonathan Goodish" wrote:

I agree, except for "looking." When ATC calls traffic, you have three
choices in my experience: Negative contact, traffic in sight (not
"contact"), or looking. If ATC calls traffic, responding with "negative
contact" before I have a chance to look is counterproductive.

Counterproductive to what?

No response while I look is also counterproductive, because the
controller
has no idea whether I heard the traffic call or not. Responding with
"looking" acknowledges the transmission and tells the controller than I
don't have the traffic but I'm not blowing it off.

Why would the controller presume you are "blowing it off?"

After I've had a
chance to actually scan for the traffic, I will respond with either
"negative contact" or "traffic in sight."

Then "looking" was an extra, unnecessary transmission.

--
Dan
C172RG at BFM