Hi there,
I have a question about ready message. Yesterday I got a 1h CTOT delay on my way to France, I called Eurocontrol as a friend told me sometimes when you call they will improve it. They gave me a 5min improvement… so I departed VFR (great day for it). The person on the phone told me, I can tell the tower to send a ready message when I am ready and they will possibly dispatch me early.
Do people know how in practice you do that? You get in the place and start the engine, potentially letting it run for 1h if it does not improve? Or you can just stay by the plane with a radio tell the tower, and if you get an improvement then start the plane, and still have time to start/run/check/taxi etc?
I didn’t dare to try as not sure the procedure if in practice people experience improvement or usually still sit there?
In the airlines, once you are ready to go, I.e. pax and baggage on board, paperwork completed we would ask tower to send a ready message. We then sit there,listening on tower. This is why we plan to board on time, despite having a known slot delay.When so so cleared, then push and start.
A slot is something of a misnomer, it can and does change right up to the allocated time.
So basically you just need to be ready to start.
As @PeteD says. When you´re on an IFR flight plan and get a slot time restriction, you can when you´re fully ready (to start engine(s)) call the tower (afis eg..) and request them to “send a ready message”, often this can lead to an improvement. Now, you will need to monitor the radio to know if/when you get the improvement.
I would like to add an additional comment, just in case you´re not aware of it. If instead of sending a “ready message”, re-file a new IFR flight plan or delay you´re current one, this will often result in a worse slot time restriction, since you now putting yourself behind the “line” of other more recently filed IFR flight plans.
Therefor your best option for a slot time improvement is to “send a ready message” and monitor atc for improvement.
Thanks a lot.
I’ll try next time I have opportunity, so I guess sitting by the plane once preflight is done with a handheld radio should be fine…
