ATC question

[Yehonathan Peretz]

Can I annouce that I'll be off ATC for some several minutes as needed at Unicom 122.800? Just in case someone will contact me.

[Tobias Dammers]

You mean as a controller, or as a pilot?

[Yehonathan Peretz]

Just now, Tobias Dammers said:

You mean as a controller, or as a pilot?

As a pilot. I mean if I need to take a break or grab a cup of water

[Dace Nicmane]

Your question is not entirely clear. If you are under ATC, ask them for a break and that will usually get approved with a request to report when you're back. You don't need to change the frequency, stay with the controller.

If you're flying on unicom, you don't need to tell anyone anything.

[Tobias Dammers]

The rule are actually a bit more strict.

The fundamental rule, from the Code Of Conduct, is this:

Quote

B3(a) - Pilots shall monitor their flights at all times. It is the responsibility of the pilot to check for, and make timely contact with appropriate air traffic controllers. This includes making prompt contact when requested to do so.

And:

Quote

B3(b) - If it becomes necessary to leave a pilot connection unattended, the member is encouraged to disconnect from the network. Notwithstanding anything in this Code to the contrary, no pilot connection is permitted to be unattended for a period of longer than 30 minutes.

This means that when you're on Unicom, you must monitor your flight at all times, and respond "in a timely manner". Judging how long you can afford to be away is up to you - if you're cruising over the ocean with no other traffic in a 200-mile radius, then 5 minutes AFK is going to be fine, but if you're established on final and there's a bunch of other traffic departing, taxiing, and doing traffic patterns, then even 20 seconds AFK will be unacceptable.

Some people also address this issue by putting their pilot client on speakers, so that when a contact-me message or a radio call comes in, they can hear it and get back to the flight deck within seconds.

When flying under ATC control, permission to leave the flight deck is at ATC's discretion. If you pick your moment well, it will usually be granted though.

Either way, do not switch frequencies to announce that you're going to be AFK - everyone who needs to know is going to be on the same frequency already. If you're under ATC control, request AFK from the controller; if on Unicom, you usually don't need to announce anyone, but if you think it might be of interest to other traffic, it's probably best to write a quick text message - those have a longer range than voice calls, and are less disruptive to other pilots, most of whom probably won't care.