Student making a radio call to air traffic control. Photography courtesy of Nicole Lund
Learning how to make radio calls is one of the hardest parts of starting flight training. Radio calls are also one of the first areas that get rusty when getting back into flying after a long break. The following tips will help improve your radio calls with air traffic control (ATC).
Learn standard phraseology and commonly used radio phrases
The FAA as well as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) have set forth standard pronunciation and phrases to be used by pilots and air traffic controllers during radio transmissions. The phonetic alphabet, commonly used in the military, is also an important aspect of standard aviation phraseology. Learning the proper phrases used in aviation will help students understand the meaning of common flying terms.
Practice concise radio calls
It is best to have concise radio calls. There is less congestion on the frequency if pilots can get their transmissions through with the fewest but most descriptive words. It is also important for pilots to read back all instructions from ATC. Practice will only help the student pick through the important and unimportant things to read back. If ATC is telling you to do something, the rule of thumb is to repeat those items back. Occasionally ATC will give advisories, such as “winds are 320 at 15 knots”. A pilot does not have to read back the wind direction and speed as it is advisory in nature.
Write down ATC instructions
It is handy to have scratch paper or an iPad to write down instructions from ATC. Clearances, taxi instructions and heading instructions can easily be forgotten. Quickly writing down these items will help you stay on top of your game and prevent frequency congestion by minimizing repeat instructions.
Listen to other radio transmissions
A popular way to listen to other radio calls is via liveatc.com. It is also beneficial to listen to the taxi, heading, or altitude instructions given to other aircraft ahead of you. There is a chance you may get the same instructions. This will help you be prepared and minimize being caught off guard by the instructions.
Role play radio calls
Role-playing radio calls with an instructor can help you better understand and predict radio calls. Pilots that can think ahead and have a general idea of what their next instruction will be from ATC have better situational awareness. An instructor can help role-play the radio calls with clearance, ground, tower, departure, and center. Students can role-play being on the tarmac and who they need to talk to throughout a designated flight.
Many students struggle with radio calls at some point in their private pilot training. Pilots getting back into flying after a break commonly struggle with radio calls too. These tips will improve your radio transmission with ATC.
Recent Comments