Stratolifter (C-135 / 717)
Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP); Flight Crew Multiengine
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 24; Flight Crew Total 4930; Flight Crew Type 4670
Distraction
Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors; Procedure; Aircraft
This report does not pertain to one particular/specific event but rather a trend that has developed and grown over approximately the past 10 years. Frequently I hear someone mistakenly make a radio call over 121.5; the emergency guard frequency. It's usually an airliner making an inbound-to-station call to advise their company of an ETA and status of the flight. I understand that mistakes happen. Typically; this is followed by another pilot on another aircraft will politely respond over guard to advise the mistaken pilot that he/she has transmitted on guard. If it stopped there; I think this would be fine. But it's what typically follows that presents a hazard to flight safety. Several immature and unprofessional pilots will begin to chastise the mistaken pilot over the guard frequency and it seems to become a contest to see who can arrive at the most clever/humorous statements to that effect. Military pilots are required by our regulations to monitor 121.5. I believe that most air carriers are required to monitor 121.5 also. The design of my aircraft makes transmissions over 121.5 distinguishably louder than that of the other aircraft radios. Imagine trying to orchestrate a hazardous air refueling operation while these immature and unprofessional pilots carry on for sometimes over a minute berating the error of another airman; or perhaps it occurs as an airline pilot is attempting to fly an ILS Precision Runway Monitoring (PRM) approach in adverse weather down to minimums. This practice is unprofessional and unsafe. Furthermore it is unbecoming; It's a distraction that can not be ignored. Someone might actually need the guard frequency for an actual emergency. I used to hear it rarely; but recently it has been happening on nearly every flight. Today it went on for over 30 seconds while I was being vectored for an instrument approach. I would like to see the FAA start a campaign to stop this potentially hazardous and unprofessional behavior.
A military pilot commented that he frequently hears air carrier pilots making pre-arrival station reports on 121.5 and he considers the practice an unprofessional distraction with adverse safety consequences.