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Got to disagree with the average controller out there.

I talk to approach a lot in the Class C at KFNT. The controllers get a boatload of GA traffic in addition to handling a fair amount of scheduled airline traffic into and out of the airport.

Whenever I get a frequency change from, say Detroit approach, to KFNT approach or switch between the tower and approach, (in either case when the next controller should be expecting me) I always use "with you."

"With you," in two simple words, self-sorts me for the controller's benefit into one of the two most important buckets from which the controller is working.

When I say that I am "with you," I am efficiently identifying myself as one of the aircraft that the controller should be expecting and for whom the controller should have a strip in front of him or her. The controller knows to look for my strip instead of grabbing a new strip, a writing utensil, and a squawk code. It instantly differentiates me from the transient VFR traffic or folks calling up looking for flight following.

Further, if I'm going missed or am otherwise coming back to the approach controller from a related controller (such as the tower), I say "back with you," thus, with the addition of only one more word, conveying that I am probably 200-400 AGL, close to the departure end of the runway to which the controller last sent me, and climbing at around 800 fpm.

I agree with the controllers about how much you say after that. I've heard guys tell the controller their life stories during the initial call up when an "Overshoe approach, 920TA with you" will do just fine.

Exception: If you find that the controllers are consistently asking you the same question in the same airspace, it's fine to include the requested information in future call-ups. E.g., KFNT approach frequently asks me my tower-assigned heading and altitude when I'm switching to approach right afer a missed approach. If that's happening on that day, I'll begin calling approach on the misses with "Approach, 0TA is back with you. Tower assigned 090 to 3,000."

Long story short, if I can effectively help a controller to identify me (and, sometimes, give a quick and courteous reminder of where I am and what I'm doing) and do all that with three or fewer words, I'll do that all day long.

Hope this helps everybody.

nice overview on the phrase. I think that 'with you' was one of Don Browns pet peeves so it became highly publicized that it was a no-no due to his high visibility as an aviation writer at Avweb. He also got really annoyed by people filing direct GPS routes without a waypoint in each ATC sector like is technically required. That didnt seem to stop many people though

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Everyone must believe in something, I believe that I will go flying.

This is a good discussion and a good theory worked out for using the term "with you". However, your form misses a useful bit of information and also isn't standard AIM terminology.

The AIM's suggested term is "N1234 level 4000 feet". This form tells the controller what altitude to look for you and allows the controller to verify your atltitude. You form doesn't permit that as the altitude isn't in there (unless I misread).

Also, since this form isn't use anywhere else in ATC-pilot communications, it specifically tells the controller that you're checking in. So, no "with you" necessary, and more useful information is conveyed.

And we're sticking to documented and standard terminology.