“A departing aircraft is expected to self-announce “before taxiing and before taxiing on the runway for departure.”

Are you on the same page over there? Expected? Recommended? Or none of the above on taxi. I vote for the latter. Good grief!

Position and intentions provide a lot of information for our use. Most can plot the next 10 min of the other pilots location with that data.

Adjusting to conditions will tailor the length and detail of the call above min. req.

Past experance in tight spaces, poor vis with additional aircraft at same alt have lead to additional info like “North side of the Hwy over the church”. The other guy knew just were to look.

Local porocedures lead to other amusing reporting points. ie Southern Seaplane in NO has calls such as “float plane XYZ at the bridge over the cannal, in bound. We all know were that is and can judge how fast and at what alt.

Use the tools you have to fit the conditions at hand.

Pilots of Cubs, Champs, Gliders, Ultralights, etc. with no electrical system may not be able to easily use a handheld radio. So SEE and AVOID, and never assume the airplanes you are communicating with paint the entire picture around your airport.

Stop asking “Traffic in the area, please advise.” The AIM says this call is NOT recognized as valid and “should not be used under any condition” (read your AIM section 4-1-9, paragraph G.) Just because one pilot replies doesn’t mean there aren’t 6 other aircraft in the area. Never trust a Unicom report from a person on the ground inside the FBO. LOOK at the darn windsock and don’t trust AWOS for wind reports either, especially out west where thermal updraft inflows can swing the windsock for a minute or two in another direction from the prevailing wind. Circle the airport above the pattern altitude and take a look at wind and traffic yourself. (You might see an “X” on a runway as well if you haven’t checked NOTAMS.) YOU are the PIC and therefore must figure out the wind on your own, or confirm what someone else told you. It is your decision, so never let another pilot or FBO person play ATC with you at a non-towered airport.

Assume there ARE no radio aircraft and always yield right-of-way to gliders and the towplanes towing a glider, unless you are on fire. See FAR 91.113.

Never cut off a glider in the pattern. Rude, dangerous and a violation of FAR’s.
Note that gliders may be using a right-hand pattern. Only airplanes are required to fly left-hand patterns at non-towered airports. FAR 91.126(b) (Class G airports.)

Please briefly report your heading, intentions and your altitude MSL. Never set an altimeter to zero feet unless that is the field elevation of the airport (Florida Keys?)

Gotta go fly my glider now. Watch for me, and yield right-of-way.

When traffic is very light, I tend to be more verbose on radio calls of all kinds. As CTAF traffic load increases, I abbreviate or don’t transmit messages, from the least important to the most important.

For example, if I’m the only guy around I very well may announce crosswind when doing touch-and-goes. Add another aircraft or two to the radio traffic, and I’ll quickly omit that leg of the patten to give them more space for their announcements.

My theory is that when the chatter is missing, the extra calls (or verbage) may help a silent observer to find me : or at least to be aware that I exist. When traffic is heavy, though, all the non-essentials need to go just to give the other traffic chance to give their essentials.

Last I heard, it was called “sharing”.