Narrative:

Our FBO has a contract to fly 2 local radio personalities on a traffic watch patrol over downtown dayton, oh. The northern half of the patrol area lies below the lateral boundaries of day class C airspace, and the intersection of interstates 70/75 is within the day class C inner circle. A portion of the patrol area to the northeast is below/within the lateral boundaries of ffo class D airspace which was recently designated as a temporary flight restr area within 5 mi of the ffo VORTAC from the surface to 10000 ft MSL. The traffic watch patrol functions under the unspoken, unwritten agreement with day approach that even though we are maintaining radio contact and squawking a discrete code, our aircraft remain clear of the class C unless ATC is notified of our need to enter and approves the request. This often occurs when we fly around the I70/I75 intersection. On this morning, I requested to come north to I70/I75 while approximately 7 mi south of the day northbound at 2200 ft MSL. The controller's response was 'roger.' now, 'roger' only means 'I have received your last transmission.' it is not intended as an answer to a yes/no question. So, I keyed the radio and said, 'understand xyz is cleared to the I70/I75 intersection.' I proceeded and nothing more was said. Shortly thereafter, we told day approach that we would like to proceed eastbound into ffo class D. The handoff was made to ffo tower, and my initial call-up was approximately 2 mi west of the ffo class D boundary at 2200 ft MSL eastbound. Our traffic watch aircraft has been granted permission into the temporary flight restr area along a specified, pre-approved route. When ffo tower responded, all I heard was '(garbled) tfr.' as I hurriedly adjusted the squelch and volume, I said 'say again for xyz.' again there was much distortion and some talk of a 'tfr.' suddenly it dawned on me that a 'tfr' must be controller's slang for temporary flight restr. By this time, being on the very doorstep of ffo class D, I simply asked, 'is transition for xyz approved or disapproved?' the controller responded 'approved.' finally, some time later that morning I was flying wbound along the southern border of ffo class D and to the south of route 35 while in contact with day approach. My position should at no time have to be closer than 1 mi from penetrating ffo class D, but day approach suddenly requested that I contact ffo tower. Ok, I call ffo tower and they tell me that transition is approved. However, I let them know that I do not wish to transition and that I was handed off from day approach. Then I asked ffo tower how close I was to ffo class D boundary and they said I was about a mi south. That checked accurate with my chart-pilotage. So I requested a frequency change back to day approach. Then I asked day approach why the handoff had occurred. And he had apparently seen me heading toward ffo and tried to do me a favor by switching me over. Ok. It was just a very strange day on the radio, and I never felt sure that the controllers knew exactly what I was doing. This despite my radio calls using standard phraseology and my flying the standard route.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TFC WATCH C172 HAS PROB WITH ATC PHRASEOLOGY.

Narrative: OUR FBO HAS A CONTRACT TO FLY 2 LCL RADIO PERSONALITIES ON A TFC WATCH PATROL OVER DOWNTOWN DAYTON, OH. THE NORTHERN HALF OF THE PATROL AREA LIES BELOW THE LATERAL BOUNDARIES OF DAY CLASS C AIRSPACE, AND THE INTXN OF INTERSTATES 70/75 IS WITHIN THE DAY CLASS C INNER CIRCLE. A PORTION OF THE PATROL AREA TO THE NE IS BELOW/WITHIN THE LATERAL BOUNDARIES OF FFO CLASS D AIRSPACE WHICH WAS RECENTLY DESIGNATED AS A TEMPORARY FLT RESTR AREA WITHIN 5 MI OF THE FFO VORTAC FROM THE SURFACE TO 10000 FT MSL. THE TFC WATCH PATROL FUNCTIONS UNDER THE UNSPOKEN, UNWRITTEN AGREEMENT WITH DAY APCH THAT EVEN THOUGH WE ARE MAINTAINING RADIO CONTACT AND SQUAWKING A DISCRETE CODE, OUR ACFT REMAIN CLR OF THE CLASS C UNLESS ATC IS NOTIFIED OF OUR NEED TO ENTER AND APPROVES THE REQUEST. THIS OFTEN OCCURS WHEN WE FLY AROUND THE I70/I75 INTXN. ON THIS MORNING, I REQUESTED TO COME N TO I70/I75 WHILE APPROX 7 MI S OF THE DAY NBOUND AT 2200 FT MSL. THE CTLR'S RESPONSE WAS 'ROGER.' NOW, 'ROGER' ONLY MEANS 'I HAVE RECEIVED YOUR LAST XMISSION.' IT IS NOT INTENDED AS AN ANSWER TO A YES/NO QUESTION. SO, I KEYED THE RADIO AND SAID, 'UNDERSTAND XYZ IS CLRED TO THE I70/I75 INTXN.' I PROCEEDED AND NOTHING MORE WAS SAID. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, WE TOLD DAY APCH THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO PROCEED EBOUND INTO FFO CLASS D. THE HDOF WAS MADE TO FFO TWR, AND MY INITIAL CALL-UP WAS APPROX 2 MI W OF THE FFO CLASS D BOUNDARY AT 2200 FT MSL EBOUND. OUR TFC WATCH ACFT HAS BEEN GRANTED PERMISSION INTO THE TEMPORARY FLT RESTR AREA ALONG A SPECIFIED, PRE-APPROVED RTE. WHEN FFO TWR RESPONDED, ALL I HEARD WAS '(GARBLED) TFR.' AS I HURRIEDLY ADJUSTED THE SQUELCH AND VOLUME, I SAID 'SAY AGAIN FOR XYZ.' AGAIN THERE WAS MUCH DISTORTION AND SOME TALK OF A 'TFR.' SUDDENLY IT DAWNED ON ME THAT A 'TFR' MUST BE CTLR'S SLANG FOR TEMPORARY FLT RESTR. BY THIS TIME, BEING ON THE VERY DOORSTEP OF FFO CLASS D, I SIMPLY ASKED, 'IS TRANSITION FOR XYZ APPROVED OR DISAPPROVED?' THE CTLR RESPONDED 'APPROVED.' FINALLY, SOME TIME LATER THAT MORNING I WAS FLYING WBOUND ALONG THE SOUTHERN BORDER OF FFO CLASS D AND TO THE S OF RTE 35 WHILE IN CONTACT WITH DAY APCH. MY POS SHOULD AT NO TIME HAVE TO BE CLOSER THAN 1 MI FROM PENETRATING FFO CLASS D, BUT DAY APCH SUDDENLY REQUESTED THAT I CONTACT FFO TWR. OK, I CALL FFO TWR AND THEY TELL ME THAT TRANSITION IS APPROVED. HOWEVER, I LET THEM KNOW THAT I DO NOT WISH TO TRANSITION AND THAT I WAS HANDED OFF FROM DAY APCH. THEN I ASKED FFO TWR HOW CLOSE I WAS TO FFO CLASS D BOUNDARY AND THEY SAID I WAS ABOUT A MI S. THAT CHKED ACCURATE WITH MY CHART-PILOTAGE. SO I REQUESTED A FREQ CHANGE BACK TO DAY APCH. THEN I ASKED DAY APCH WHY THE HDOF HAD OCCURRED. AND HE HAD APPARENTLY SEEN ME HEADING TOWARD FFO AND TRIED TO DO ME A FAVOR BY SWITCHING ME OVER. OK. IT WAS JUST A VERY STRANGE DAY ON THE RADIO, AND I NEVER FELT SURE THAT THE CTLRS KNEW EXACTLY WHAT I WAS DOING. THIS DESPITE MY RADIO CALLS USING STANDARD PHRASEOLOGY AND MY FLYING THE STANDARD RTE.

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.