Narrative:

On jul/sat/94 the controller in the tower at pdk cleared me to takeoff when I called her. I had failed to switch the radio from ground control to the tower frequency. The controller in the tower at pdk was operating both ground and tower frequency. The controller cleared me for takeoff and requested that I contact the tower after giving me the takeoff clearance. I switched to the tower frequency as I taxied onto the runway, called the tower and requested a right turn. At that time the tower admonished me for failing to contact the tower prior to entering the active runway. In fact I had contacted the tower even though I was on the ground frequency because I failed to push the button on the FLIP-flop radio and had in fact received a takeoff clearance. There was another pilot with me who verified the clearance but I feel like that's the kind of thing that I need to report. This incident occurred somewhere around XA00 or XB00 pm at pdk. The controller made another mistake within 30 seconds of admonishing me for failure to call the tower when she erroneously instructed 1 aircraft to do a particular maneuver intended for another aircraft. I would also note that when I landed at pdk (my home base is here in athens) I could hear in the backgnd the same lady laughing unusually loudly when I was talking to the controller who was handling communications and I commented to the other private pilot with me that the lady must find something extremely amusing since she was laughing very loudly and hard. Subsequently, about an hour later when I took off from pdk and she made 2 mistakes, I was concerned. I realized that I should have changed to tower frequency but when I got the takeoff clearance on ground control I assumed that she meant what she said and she was operating both ground and tower from the tower so there was no possibility of a mistake as to the controller handling the movement or the clearance. In the tower incident I was not at fault.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ACFT FAILS TO CHANGE TO TWR FREQ DURING TAXI ONTO RWY.

Narrative: ON JUL/SAT/94 THE CTLR IN THE TWR AT PDK CLRED ME TO TKOF WHEN I CALLED HER. I HAD FAILED TO SWITCH THE RADIO FROM GND CTL TO THE TWR FREQ. THE CTLR IN THE TWR AT PDK WAS OPERATING BOTH GND AND TWR FREQ. THE CTLR CLRED ME FOR TKOF AND REQUESTED THAT I CONTACT THE TWR AFTER GIVING ME THE TKOF CLRNC. I SWITCHED TO THE TWR FREQ AS I TAXIED ONTO THE RWY, CALLED THE TWR AND REQUESTED A R TURN. AT THAT TIME THE TWR ADMONISHED ME FOR FAILING TO CONTACT THE TWR PRIOR TO ENTERING THE ACTIVE RWY. IN FACT I HAD CONTACTED THE TWR EVEN THOUGH I WAS ON THE GND FREQ BECAUSE I FAILED TO PUSH THE BUTTON ON THE FLIP-FLOP RADIO AND HAD IN FACT RECEIVED A TKOF CLRNC. THERE WAS ANOTHER PLT WITH ME WHO VERIFIED THE CLRNC BUT I FEEL LIKE THAT'S THE KIND OF THING THAT I NEED TO RPT. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED SOMEWHERE AROUND XA00 OR XB00 PM AT PDK. THE CTLR MADE ANOTHER MISTAKE WITHIN 30 SECONDS OF ADMONISHING ME FOR FAILURE TO CALL THE TWR WHEN SHE ERRONEOUSLY INSTRUCTED 1 ACFT TO DO A PARTICULAR MANEUVER INTENDED FOR ANOTHER ACFT. I WOULD ALSO NOTE THAT WHEN I LANDED AT PDK (MY HOME BASE IS HERE IN ATHENS) I COULD HEAR IN THE BACKGND THE SAME LADY LAUGHING UNUSUALLY LOUDLY WHEN I WAS TALKING TO THE CTLR WHO WAS HANDLING COMS AND I COMMENTED TO THE OTHER PVT PLT WITH ME THAT THE LADY MUST FIND SOMETHING EXTREMELY AMUSING SINCE SHE WAS LAUGHING VERY LOUDLY AND HARD. SUBSEQUENTLY, ABOUT AN HR LATER WHEN I TOOK OFF FROM PDK AND SHE MADE 2 MISTAKES, I WAS CONCERNED. I REALIZED THAT I SHOULD HAVE CHANGED TO TWR FREQ BUT WHEN I GOT THE TKOF CLRNC ON GND CTL I ASSUMED THAT SHE MEANT WHAT SHE SAID AND SHE WAS OPERATING BOTH GND AND TWR FROM THE TWR SO THERE WAS NO POSSIBILITY OF A MISTAKE AS TO THE CTLR HANDLING THE MOVEMENT OR THE CLRNC. IN THE TWR INCIDENT I WAS NOT AT FAULT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.