"Steve R." wrote in message
...

That's for communications with the control tower at a controlled field
airport, not ATC!


It's not ATC that staffs control towers?


Maybe,

Maybe it's not ATC that staffs control towers? Who do you think staffs
them?



but if the guy is 20 miles out and needing clearance to enter the airport
traffic area, he's not going to be able to "see" the signal lights very
well, is he?


What is this airport traffic area that requires clearance to enter at 20
miles out?



What if he needs to transit a Class B airspace to get to the
controlled field?


Then he's almost certainly outta luck. ATC must separate all traffic in
Class B airspace and it's rather hard to do that without communications.



If he can't hear, he can't communicate with ATC, thus,
he can't get clearance. I've got to wonder if this one isn't a scam.


The question was, "How does one communicate with ATC when one is deaf?"
It's a simple question. One CAN use light gun signals. Can you think of
any others?

Incidentally, there was a time when most aircraft had no radios and light
gun signals were the main form of pilot/controller communications at towered
fields.



Signal lights are for short range, visual communications and there's no
use for them outside the airport traffic area.


That's all true. So what's your point?

Incidentally, we haven't had Airport Traffic Areas in the US for almost
eleven years now.