interesting moment yesterday on final

Recently, Steven P. McNicoll posted:

"Jose" wrote in message


So such a report is useful to =you=, an IFR pilot who is also a
controller and happens to know where RIKKI is.


An accurate position and intention report is useful to any pilot that
knows where RIKKI is. It doesn't matter if they're operating IFR or
VFR and it doesn't matter how they earn their living.

You've both argued this one to death, and both keep overlooking the
obvious. Pilots *and* controllers use colloquial jargon to communicate
position.

An example; a few years ago, I was flying into Don Scott (OSU) from the
North East. I contacted the tower, and was told to "report when I was over
the river". Well, it seemed reasonable to me that the controller was
referring to the river that was visible directly ahead of me. However,
there are *two* rivers near OSU, and the controller was actually referring
to the other river, which was not visible from my position. It could have
gotten quite ugly, as my flight path would have put me off the departure
end of the active runway at pattern altitude.

In this instance, RIKKI is jargon to anyone unfamiliar with the IFR
approach plates for that airport -- something that is typical for VFR
pilots. So, while that call might tell the controller where the aircraft
is, it would seem prudent for the controller to then translate that into
something meaningful for VFR traffic in the vicinity.

Neil