5. Behind the scenes at air traffic control, with Eddie Albert

Air traffic control and pilots work together every day, but often the two sides don't fully understand each other. In this episode, longtime controller (and pilot) Eddie Albert takes us behind the scenes. You'll hear why "roger" is not a read back, what kind of weather ATC sees on their radar screen, and why declaring an emergency usually isn't a big deal. Eddie also explains how he picks an IFR route to file and how to manage weather deviations with a controller. In the fast-paced "Ready to Copy" segment, Eddie shares whether controllers prefer IFR or VFR flight following, what advice he gave to his son as a new controller, and what the best movie is with air traffic control. Host: John Zimmerman (@jtzim), Sporty's Pilot Shop Guest: Eddie Albert, Support Specialist, Cincinnati Approach Sporty's Instrument Rating Course: Sportys.com/instrument