Speak Clearly

It appears to be almost mandatory that the person who announces a jump over the radio must garble the name or location. I have been flying the Hudson Valley for more than 30 years, and I can count on one hand the number of times that I could tell where the jump was. Consistently, I hear something like, “Garble, garble, garble, jumpers at 8,000 (or whatever)” and a warning having to do with "below” and usually, "Jumpers away."

But where? It is as if it were a military secret.

Pilots reporting approaches to landing at non-towered airports are used to saying the name of the airport first, then the position and then the name of the airport at the end, repeated. That might be an idea worth looking into. That and slow down and speak distinctly.

R.E. Sullivan
New York, New York