joey castilloJul 30, 2024
I love listening to ATC radio while waiting for takeoff. Not just listening for any mention of our flight, but also getting a vibe for who’s in the sky.
“Tower, once again, United 447; visual 28L.”
“United 447, welcome back!”
(It’s a shuttle that hops between SFO and LAX all day)
Show threadAlie Gonzalez-Guyon
@joeycastillo how do you listen to it? I’ve tried through the plane WiFi once but it didn’t work and haven’t seen the option since
Jul 30, 2024 at 7:41pmIvory for iOS
Show threadjoey castilloJul 30, 2024
@AlieGG I just use the plane’s WiFi and the LiveATC app. It’s not always perfect, and I usually can’t chase frequencies past ground / tower / departure, but I can usually at least catch our “cleared for takeoff” which is a thrill when the engines rev up a moment later :)
Show threadChris 📎Jul 30, 2024
@joeycastillo @AlieGG
I didn't fly much as a kid, but sometime around '90 I remember a plane having a dedicated cockpit ATC channel available to the passengers. This was on an obsolete stethoscope headset, so IDK how old the plane was. I remember it being really cool! Too bad they don't offer that now.
Show threadjoey castilloJul 30, 2024
@signalskew @AlieGG I remember this too and I miss it so much! It is pretty wild though that my workaround is to bounce a wifi signal to a satellite to connect to a ground station listening for a signal that originates 20 feet in front of me.
Show threadgrtyvrJul 31, 2024
@signalskew @joeycastillo @AlieGG United offered that up till 2004 at least. Channel 9 if I remember right. I remember being on a flight into ORD and hearing the TRAFFIC annunciator come on just before a steep banked turn. Fun times.