Marine VHF versus aircraft RT
Discussion
I went flying for the first time in a few years the othe day...I never got my PPL but I did get solo and my overriding thought was "how the hell did I get to the standard to do this...seems mighty complicated now!"
Most of my free weekends are spent sailing now, and it got me thinking. Why, when the majority of marine traffic is going no faster than 20 knots, and the radio is in a nice quiet wheelhouse or by a chart table, is VHF "language" so slow, deliberate and repeated, when aircraft comms are not? Aircraft are moving in 3 dimensions, at at least 100 knots, things tend to be a bit more terminal in the event of a prang, yet there's no "over" and everything is said in "that" tone which is about twice the speed of monotone dull VHF traffic. You'd get laughed out of town for saying "Shoreham Tower, Shoreham Tower, Shoreham Tower, this is Golf Bravo Whisky Charlie Romeo, Golf Bravo Whisky Charlie Romeo, Golf Bravo Whisky Charlie Romeo, over" yet that's the done thing in something going four knots.
Erm, why? Does marine VHF need to "lighten up" a bit? OK I know that a sailor does not wear "cans" at the helm but there still seems to be a massive difference between the two?
Thoughts?
Most of my free weekends are spent sailing now, and it got me thinking. Why, when the majority of marine traffic is going no faster than 20 knots, and the radio is in a nice quiet wheelhouse or by a chart table, is VHF "language" so slow, deliberate and repeated, when aircraft comms are not? Aircraft are moving in 3 dimensions, at at least 100 knots, things tend to be a bit more terminal in the event of a prang, yet there's no "over" and everything is said in "that" tone which is about twice the speed of monotone dull VHF traffic. You'd get laughed out of town for saying "Shoreham Tower, Shoreham Tower, Shoreham Tower, this is Golf Bravo Whisky Charlie Romeo, Golf Bravo Whisky Charlie Romeo, Golf Bravo Whisky Charlie Romeo, over" yet that's the done thing in something going four knots.
Erm, why? Does marine VHF need to "lighten up" a bit? OK I know that a sailor does not wear "cans" at the helm but there still seems to be a massive difference between the two?
Thoughts?
Gassing Station | Boats, Planes & Trains | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff