Turn Off Ability to Change Call Sign After Contacting Active Ground ATC

Features
#1

Details: I am proposing that pilots not be able to change call signs after they have contacted an active ground frequency.

I understand that pilots may want to change their call sign to ‘NOCOMMS,’ ‘ATCISSUE’ or something similar when they are approaching another actively controlled airport in flight if they are unable to communicate (see What to do if you are unable to communicate with ATC?).

With this in mind, I propose that once the pilot has been given ‘frequency change approved’ and switches over to a Unicom frequency by tower/departure/approach, at that point the ability to change call sign be re-instated for the pilot.

Rationale: When you have a lot of pilots on your ground frequency, it is difficult to keep up with the changes in call signs after a pilot has requested pushback/taxi. This would lessen the confusion on the controllers end and make the controlling experience a smidge better.

Open to suggestions to make this a better request. I don’t expect a lot of votes, as it’s not a 350 or livery request.

-Ryan

Callsigns swapping
#2

So once you’ve landed, it will lock your callsign unless you respawn?

2 Likes
#3

Maybe have it so once pilot tunes out of ground frequency it opens back up? You’d want to check the ATIS anyway before pushing back again…

2 Likes
#4

I think the Call sign should be locked as soon as you spawn

#5

Thing with that, there are people who couldn’t be bothered or who can’t remember even though setting goals to for the last 2 years like me to do it before they spawn.

#6

Well, some of us cough cough me, forget to change our Callsign before starting (especially if it’s a flight I’m doing for a VA because my Callsign is always TFC-004. But when I fly UVA every now and then it’s UVA-105. Sometimes it just slips my mind).

3 Likes
#7

But at that point you can just restart a flight right?

#8

Then change it after you’ve been switched off to a unicom frequency :)

1 Like
#9

Honestly, sometimes I don’t know it’s wrong until I contact ground. How convenient 😅

I do think that this is a good idea. It will help us pay a little more attention to our Callsign and prove to be less stressful to controlers.

#10

I have to admit I am guilty of doing this a number of times. Any feature request to help lighten the load for IFATC is a good request in my book.