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Bruce believes that standard pilot-to-controller comunications are some some
sort of "secret mens-only club lingo" that is hard to understand and,
therefore, restricts many (especially women) from becoming pilots.
Bruce is wrong. It's not that hard. I received my FAA air traffic control
certification when I was nineteen years old (in the U.S. Air Force). The
year before, I graduated high school with a 2.0 GPA.
<snip>
Again, pilot-to-controller communications are NOT that criptic; there is no
"male-only" conspiracy going on. These communications are very effective.
When was the last time you hard about a mid-air collision within the U.S.
These oral and written communications clearly demonstrate that the key to
effective technical communications is standardization -- not proper grammer.
Salette Latas responds:
Tony,
I also received my FAA air traffic control certification in the U.S. Air
Force. I was 23 and had recently graduated from college with a high GPA.
I had no problem as either a female or an English major with ATC lingo. This
is a situation where delivering information to the audience's standard is of
critical importance, and as you point out, it works very well. I found ATC
training to be an asset to me as a technical communicator.
Salette Latas
Technical Writer
Micron Technology, Inc.
