When I learned to fly, I never heard anyone say ‘Wilco’ on the radio. And by never, I mean sometimes. But very, very rarely. At the time it seemed too… I don’t know… Dated? Poseur-ish? Like something you’d hear in a film from the '30s through the '50s.
Last Autumn I began to get back into the saddle, as it were. (Lack of sufficient expendable funds and poor weather, plus a remarkable lack of time have put that on hold temporarily.) I’m hearing ‘Wilco’ more, and even used it myself once. Things have changed since I was actively flying. Back in the day, ‘Roger’ was sufficient. Now it’s ‘Cessna 3-0-5-1-Echo, cleared Foxtrot, Alpha, Golf [no, really] to three-four,’ and ‘Cessna 3-0-5-1-Echo wilco left three-sixty.’
Is ‘wilco’ being used more now than it was 25 years ago?
My son plays all sorts of games online. He uses a microphone and speaks with other gamers around the world. I couldn’t name one game, but they are war games and most include “flying.” I hear him say it often. I asked him the other day why he uses it. He said that it’s because it is a word that cannot be easily mistaken as something else over the radio and it’s being used again. When I asked him later to take out the garbage and recycling he said, “Wilco.”
I admit I use it. I think I picked it up from my primary and instrument instructor who was an old Navy pilot.* Wilco is easy to say and carries more meaning than Roger.
As for your “no really” comment the FAA has been adding requirements and “strong suggestions” for reading back taxi instructions in the wake of a few incidents which is probably why you don’t just hear “Roger” nearly as much after a taxi clearance.
He also said “Tally Ho” instead of “Traffic in sight” but I don’t use that one. I think you should have actually flown a biplane in combat before you try to pull off “Tally Ho!”
When I started flying in the mid-'80s until I went on hiatus a decade ago, ‘Tally ho’ or ‘Tally ho on the traffic’ was fairly common – though ‘Traffic in sight’ was more common.
As an ex air traffic controller, I never used or heard ‘wilco’ but it’s been a few years since I’ve had any ‘mike’ time. One of my favorite pilot acknowledgments after receiving ‘traffic’ reports of other aircraft in their vicinity was, “I’m Popeye.” meaning they’re in the clouds, can’t see, etc. I have no idea it the phrase is still used.
I’ve been admonished (by an instructor) for saying ‘Roger’ (‘I heard what you said.’) instead of repeating an instruction. Ground ‘reminded’ me once to indicate the runway I was headed to (even though I repeated the directions to it). There seems to be more focus on procedures now.
Sad, that. ‘“Quick, Super Chicken! Use your super vision!” “Fred, if I had any supervision we wouldn’t be in this predicament!”’ ‘Isle of Lucy’ ‘Roger Wilcox!’ Kids today! They don’t appreciate crudely-drawn cartoons and bad puns!
They aren’t strong suggestions, they’re *requirements *now. You WILL read back your taxi clearance (but can abbreviate), including tail number, or you WILL get informed of your error.
The pattern extends to other ATC instructions even if not required - if you just Roger an instruction, particularly a lengthy one, you will appear not to have fully understood it, and that may in fact be the case.
Good. Yes, that’s a Navy term, but it sounds (fill in your favorite derogatory adjective). The proper responses to a traffic alert (consult your AIM if you must) are “Negative contact” and “In sight”.
I’ve never heard it either - it just isn’t enough anymore anyway.
Never heard that either, but wouldn’t the proper response by the controller be “Maintain VFR”?
On an IFR flight plan? :eek: ( Yes they still give traffic when there is time and the conditions are only marginal IFR or not IFR at all or don’t know your actual conditions at that time. )
Quite often I would acknowledge with “Roger, IMC at this time.” so I would be helping him know what was going on in my area and let him know that I might need more info if he has it or he might want to go get more info for safety sake or to cover his ass if it went sideways… If the target was showing a climb, close to me and he was not talking to him and the fact that I was IMC, meant things could get pear shaped real fast and he might turn me just in case.
I have used "Tally Ho !! " many times especially when in my home area where I was well know. It is fun. Too bad now days you can’t add the normal, “Going hot.” just to mess with your traffic. Early morning departures of our pipeline patrol squadron used to be a hoot. Tower would let us do formation takeoffs. Departure control would give us ‘bogie’ reports, comment on over take speed, to look high or low, all kinds of fun was had. Alas , those day are gone now.
well for starters, saying Wilco instead of reading back instructions is flat wrong. Using it in place of Whiskey is baffling. Oh and I got my noise cancelling headset fixed. Yay me.
