Say Again, Please: Guide to Radio Communications

As a student pilot, this book clearly and logically laid out the purpose, requirements, and a mind set for aviation communications for me, and as a result, I had a very smooth transition into controlled airspace. I'd recommend it to anyone going for their private.

I was always comfortable speaking with ATC, but on occassions I found myself stuck for the right words or confused by listening to too many words.What I needed was more exposure to a broader range of ATC expressions, a script if you would like. I found what I was looking for in several books but opted to purchase this one after reviewing it in the local bookstore.I found this book to have very clear walkthroughs of each situation you can expect to encounter. It covered each class of airspace and talking to other sources such as FSS, Weather briefers, etc and I found this extra information to be invaluable.This book is especially useful to me whenever I review a flight I am about to make and wish to clarify what I can expect to be hearing at unfamiliar airports. It helps me to walkthrough and review the challenges ahead of me, and improves my own confidence dramatically. I've found this a great help in managing the energy I'm spending on flying the airplane, as opposed to thinking about what it is I want to say.There are also many great tips in this book, some of which I have not seen covered elsewhere or heard from an instructor yet have helped me understand why we say things in a certain way and when it's perhaps better to deviate from recommendations and work with ATC for better results.This is probably a cheaper and handier alternative to communication simulations software. I thought about getting such software just so I could practice each scenario and I am sure there are benefits in doing that but I'm glad I spent less money on this book instead. I don't think that software would have offered much more than the book and the cost savings make this a more economical purchase. The cost difference is an hours flying and I know what I'd rather do. This book was more than good enough.This is a very handy book for student and low hours pilots to have. I'm sure as I gain more experience I'll probably continue to use this as reference.

I loved this book. Plain and simple. My instructor was completely wowed by the improvement in my radio calls and my ability to think clearly and respond intuitively after reading this book. No pilot should be without this book, especially no beginning pilot. You want this book. I'm not kidding. Really, you do. ;-)

Okay, I admit it: I'm afraid of the microphone. My tounge used to swell to twice it's size and my brain would to freeze whenever I pressed the push-to-talk switch. I came to the realization that this behavior stems from my lack of communications confidence. I just wasn't sure of what I should say and what to expect as a reply. After one reading of this small book, my level of confidence with the radio has grown tremendously. I barely even stutter when I talk to the Big Guys in ATC now. It would be exceedingly difficult to write a book that covers all aspects of radio communications but Bob has somehow managed to cover most of the bases in a book that can be read in a couple of hours yet doesn't insut my intelligence. I am on my second reading now and am picking up more and more useful tidbits this time around. Bob has also been willing to answer quesitons on just about any other aviation topic in a newsgroup called rec.aviation.student. His book is a is not meant to cover everything you'll ever need to know about communications. For me, it has been a great foundatation-builder for effective radio communications.

As a student pilot, with less than 30 hours flight time, I still find radio communication intimidating. Particularly with the towered airports. A while back, I completed my first supervised cross-country solo. What a disaster I was on the radio! (TIP FOR STUDENTS: Remove your finger from the talk button when pleading for help from your instructor). At any rate, I purchased this book and found it to be extremely helpful. It is very readable, and the examples are "true-to-life" situations that the typical reader has probably already experienced. Not to long after reading the book I completed my first unsupervised cross-country solo. Frankly, I probably would not have made the trip without the knowlege that I had gained from "Say Again, Please". Buy it.