Chip brings you out an interesting point about atc advising pilots of
their position.
I've always listened carefully to the atc postiion when they've first
get me on radar, as a cross check to ensure they've got the right
aircraft.
However, when it comes to clearing me for an approach, I've never
really cared to ensure the atc distance is all that close, what with
dual dme's, gps', fms' etc.
Does anyone consider this inappropriate?
After all, the time immediately after being cleared for approach can
be about the busiest, what with changing freqs, final settings to nav
aids, descents, intercepting etc

Stan
On Mon, 23 Aug 2004 16:14:28 GMT, "Chip Jones"
wrote:


.. Due to his lack of experience with the radar map
display, he can be wildly off when he makes a position call reference a fix.
You may be 15 miles from XXX, and he might tell you "Five miles from XXX,
cleared blah blah blah." Or you could be ten miles out and he tells you "20
miles from XXX, cleared blah blah blah." If I were the pilot on an IAP,
I'd have some serious questions about a ten mile difference in what I showed
to be my position and where ATC just told me I was. In the case of my
trainee, ATC would be wrong quite often, simply because ATC was just tossing
out a figure based on an inexperienced glance at the scope.
Chip, ZTL