A B C MEDEVAC......

[Doc]

It's an ego thing, right? Using the word "medevac" on each and every transmission. I can buy using it on initial contact with ATC. Even initial contact with the following sector. On initial contact. But EVERY SINGLE TRANSMISSION??? It's your ego crying out for the attention your mother never gave you! It's crying out, "Look at me! I'm a frikken HERO!" Sure it is. Like when we heard the "We're Medevac status." from an aircraft departing YXL for YQK, IFR at 12000 feet, with the wx at twenty THOUSAND thin scattered, and the visability thirty miles plus! "Hey mommy! Look at ME! I'm saving the world!" Used to be, a medevac meant some sort of emergency. Now it just means some mother's son/daughter has MADE it! It's the single most abused word in aviation. Like, I'm suspossed to beleive that EVERY single orange (or is that ORNGE...suckers can't even spell!) Beech 200 is actually on a priority Medevac???? Every time they fly??? I call BULLPOOP!

Have at 'er!

[buster79]

holy cow, mods drink too!!! nice post doc!

[Doc]

Every so often, ya just gots to stir it up.

[buster79]

doc. how you likin the snow?

[Doc]

The snow...totally pissed! Have/had the "rat" on the road all ready to go....maybe next week! GRRRRrrrrrr!

[lilfssister]

TC AIM COM 5.8.1
...
Medical Evacuation Flight (MEDEVAC)

(a) Initial contact: The manufacturer’s name or type of aircraft or company call sign followed by:

(i) the flight number and the word MEDEVAC, or

(ii) the last four characters of the aircraft registration and the word MEDEVAC.

Examples:

Austin 101 MEDEVAC
(expressed: AUSTIN ONE ZERO ONE MEDEVAC)
Cessna FABC MEDEVAC (expressed: CESSNA FOXTROT
ALFA BRAVO CHARLIE MEDEVAC).

(b) Subsequent communications: May be abbreviated as per normal procedures retaining the word MEDEVAC.

[Doc]

I guess that's to cover for the fact that ATC hires Alzheimers victums? I doesn't help the simple fact that most of the so called "medevacs" out there are transporting hangnail sufferers. Almost as annoying as having the RSCR read for departure from a runway you landed on three minutes ago......
Or.....one of my all time favs.....after reading an entire clearance......proceed direct to the "Arm Pit Airport"......like we'd planned a stop at the local A&W enroute?
Tag.....you're it.

[lilfssister]

Just to make you really happy: we're required to say Medevac in every transmission as well.

[Doc]

Just funning with ya lilfss! Things are a little dead around here....
So, what do WE say, that drives YOU guys nuts?

[lilfssister]

I got a million of them...however the best ones would destroy the Mystery of Mysteryville.

If I had to pick number one of the pet peeves:
Intial callup, or lack of. It consists of my name then your name, and aircraft type if you're not using a company callsign. That's it, no more, no less. No point in telling me your life history and what you're going to do later when I am on the phone with the ACC, responding to a vehicle on another frequency, and proofreading the wx before I send it. You're just going to have to say it all again, anyway.

OOOH, OOOOH...I have to mention this one, too!
Calling at 1959:30 and asking for the latest weather!

[polar one]

Have to get my two cents in here.

Up here where there are no controlled airports, the Medevac call is good , as everyone tries to give them priority on arrival conflicts etc. the problem we have is that some of these folks use the word when they are just doing routine flights that do not require priority...and ...and...not being able to accurately give an ETA ..seems some of the GPS wonders cant figure out that the number of minutes on the GPS when they are 40 miles out in a descent at barber pole speed is a couple of minutes shy of their ETA...gave one priority two days ago and the guys kept lying about their position. From an initial ETA of 8 minutes it took these whiz kids 14 minutes to end up on final...thats six minutes we held for them because our ETA was right and the same time as their initial one. Or the ones that transmit like crazy but never listen...

and...and...here is a true story from today. some talk show host wannabee giving his position as 325 miles south of poonatang...325 miles...I dont kid.

lilfsister...LOL. I dont know how many times I have asked for the latest right on the hour and immediatly after transmitting have realized the error of my ways. Promise not to make the mistake more that a dozen more times.

[Liquid Charlie]

I guess the medivac thingy has been beaten to death but it is like the "boy who called wolf" now -- most of us have seen so many non medical emergency flights getting priority by using that overworked -- over abused term -- the first reaction is "oh shit here we go again" -- If there is an emergency I am the first one to extend all help I can but now there is no way of telling if the flight is priority or not and I have never heard ATC ask or have only heard a couple people say that they were non-priority and that was many years ago - as it goes now the system of coding medivacs is broke -- maybe priority -- code 4 flights should just declare an emergency -- at least the paper trail would keep the abuse at bay -- damn I heard a guy call himself a medivac when he repositioned on the ramp -- guess he wanted a good parking spot --

[just curious]

We were coming in from Sandy or Deer one night into WPG. Your typical, black as the inside of a cow night. Quiet. Real Quiet...

We'd just switched terminal, RET left turn descend to 29.97 bla bla bla... when all of a sudden a weak, but very intense voice barked out, "Arrrival, YYJ 100 back straight in 18 have the ambulance, and a defibrillator, and an RT tech meet on taxiway Foxtrot! " During the calll you could hear the nurse barking out orders, people crying and wailing...

REALLY quiet on the freq for the next ten minutes. we were now getting vectored to 31 to stay out of the way, and people were slowing for an anticipated hold, when an older, really tired voice simply said, WPG, cancel the ambulance.

Never heard a more tired voice.

I'll save the medevac callsign for when it's needed.

[Liquid Charlie]

indeed -- it's there for that reason and I know if I have something like that happening in the back with a patient crash there will be more than just a medivac designation - I will declare the emergency. It's one of those things that have lost it's true intent over the years -- it needs to be over hauled.

[atpl53]

Our company policy is that we do not use MEDEVAC unless we are Code4 CTAS2 or CTAS1. I too have heard the Medevac status being used knowing full well that they are returning home empty. I have used, and will continue to use the Medevac call-sign when I NEED ATC to part the waters for us. We do make the distinction between hang nails and babies dying on-board. Trip into YWG not long ago where we had declared an upgrade to Medevac status and I was asked if we were requesting priority. A sure sign that the word is abused. A call to sector putting in a request for direct the threshold is our way of quietly letting ATC know that we are priority.