Runway Numbering - Radio Procedure

"Daniel L. Lieberman" wrote in message
m...

If one announces "Runway Two Zero" but the "Zero" is cutoff the listener
thinks "Runway Two". Announcing "Runway "Zero Two" prevents this
possibility.


Why does announcing "Runway Two Zero" allow the last digit to be cut off
while announcing "Runway "Zero Two" prevents the last digit from being cut
off?

Why does announcing "Runway Two Zero" allow the last digit to be cut off
while announcing "Runway "Zero Two" prevents the last digit from being cut
off?

It doesn't. It prevents the last digit from being cut off =unawares=.
It acts as a checksum of sorts. If all runways are two digits, then any
transmission missing a digit is suspect. If some are one and some are
two, then there are some cases where an error would not be noted; this
is especially the case with runway 2-20, both of which exist on most
airports for which one exists.

Jose
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.... this is especially the case with runway 2-20, both of which exist on most
airports for which one exists.

I once flew to an ratehr rundown airport with a 2-20. The Unicom was
so badly garbled that I even after asking Unicom to "say again" three
or four times, I had no idea whether the guy was saying "zero two" or
"two zero."

No wind tee, wind sock to bedraggled to make out from pattern
altitude.

Based on winds in the general area, I suspected he was saying "zero
two" so I asked him "Runway 2?" and he came back with the same number
of garbled sylables as before.

Hearing no other traffic after two circuits, I finally just landed on
runway 2 and tried to teach the guy how to announce runways.

Had he said "Runway two," I would have known from the number of
syllables which runway he meant.

vince norris

I once flew to an ratehr rundown airport with a 2-20. The Unicom was
so badly garbled that I even after asking Unicom to "say again" three
or four times, I had no idea whether the guy was saying "zero two" or
"two zero."

"Runway one plus one, or runway ten plus ten?"

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

I once flew to an ratehr rundown airport with a 2-20. The Unicom was
so badly garbled that I even after asking Unicom to "say again" three
or four times, I had no idea whether the guy was saying "zero two" or
"two zero."

"Runway one plus one, or runway ten plus ten?"

You don't think it's likely that the Unicom guy would say anything
like that, do you? If he had it wouldn't have helped; same number of
syllables either way.

vince norris

"Runway one plus one, or runway ten plus ten?"

You don't think it's likely that the Unicom guy would say anything
like that, do you? If he had it wouldn't have helped; same number of
syllables either way.

No, but if I were repeately unable to ascertain "two zero" or "two
static" I would ask that question.

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

Jose wrote:

No, but if I were repeately unable to ascertain "two zero" or "two
static" I would ask that question.

I would simply ask north or south.

Stefan

"Jose" wrote in message
.. .

It doesn't. It prevents the last digit from being cut off =unawares=. It
acts as a checksum of sorts. If all runways are two digits, then any
transmission missing a digit is suspect. If some are one and some are
two, then there are some cases where an error would not be noted; this is
especially the case with runway 2-20, both of which exist on most airports
for which one exists.


Wouldn't the gap in the transmission do that?

It doesn't. It prevents the last digit from being cut off =unawares=. It
acts as a checksum of sorts. If all runways are two digits, then any
transmission missing a digit is suspect. If some are one and some are
two, then there are some cases where an error would not be noted; this is
especially the case with runway 2-20, both of which exist on most airports
for which one exists.


Wouldn't the gap in the transmission do that?

Maybe. But not certainly. People don't always speak with the same
cadence, so time is a poor checksum.

Jose
--
Money: what you need when you run out of brains.
for Email, make the obvious change in the address.

"Jose" wrote in message
. ..

Maybe. But not certainly. People don't always speak with the same
cadence, so time is a poor checksum.


That problem is better solved by making sure you speak with the same cadence
than by adding a superfluous digit.