Radio Communication

By Martin Pauly ✈ November 22, 2020

Talking on the radio with air traffic control is something that seems to intimate student pilots. And sometimes even pilots who have been flying for years struggle with radio calls.

The purpose of this page is to provide a typical example of the radio calls made during a VFR flight in the US

Think of it as a script which provides an outline, a structure – which you will adapt as needed for your flight.

Other sections on this page cover the use of aircraft callsigns, traffic advisories, and best practices for what to read back when talking to the controller.

VFR take-off from a Class C airport

Obtain ATIS. Then call Clearance Delivery for departure clearance, either for the local practice area or for a cross-country flight:

Pilot: “Cedar Rapids Clearance, Cirrus 822GT, request VFR departure to the northwest practice area” for local training, or “Cedar Rapids Clearance, Cirrus 822GT, request VFR departure to Mason City at 6,500 feet”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Cedar Rapids Clearance Delivery, maintain VFR at or below 4,500, departure frequency 119.7, squawk 0205”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, VFR at or below 4,500, departure on 119.7, squawk 0205”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, readback correct”.

When ready for taxi, call Ground Control with your location, the ATIS information letter obtained earlier, and – if necessary – desired runway for departure.

Pilot: “Cedar Rapids Ground, Cirrus 822GT, on the west ramp with information Zulu, ready for taxi, request full-length runway 27”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Cedar Rapids Ground, runway 27, taxi via Alpha, hold short of runway 13 at Alpha”.

Pilot: “Runway 27, taxi via Alpha, hold short of 13 at Alpha”.

When reaching the intersecting runway 13/31, stop short of the runway hold short line and wait for instructions to cross.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, cross runway 13 at Alpha”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, cross runway 13 at Alpha”.

Proceed to the run-up pad, perform the run-up, departure briefing, radio setup and anything else needed before departure. When fully ready, change to the Tower frequency, leave the run-up pad and taxi to the assigned runway. Make sure to stop short of the runway hold short line unless cleared for take-off. Call Tower when you are at or near the hold short line.

Pilot: “Cedar Rapids Tower, Cirrus 822GT, ready for departure, runway 27”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Cedar Rapids Tower, wind 300 at 10 gusting 15, turn right heading 290, runway 27, cleared for take-off”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, right turn heading 290, cleared for take-off runway 27”.

Take-off, start your initial climb and turn to the heading requested by Tower.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, contact Depature”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, contact Departure”.

Switch over to Cedar Rapids Departure Control frequency. Report your altitude, and – if applicable – the altitude climbing to.

Pilot: “Cedar Rapids Departure, Cirrus 822GT, 1,200, climbing 4,500.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Cedar Rapids Departure, fly heading 360”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, heading 360”.

Maybe this heading was assigned due to other traffic. When able, Departure will send you on your way to your destination:

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, resume own navigation to the northwest practice area, VFR altitude at your discretion” or “Cirrus 822GT, resume own navigation to Mason City, VFR altitude at your discretion”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, own navigation to the northwest practice area” or “Cirrus 822GT, own navigation to Mason City”.

VFR landing at a Class C airport

Obtain ATIS. Then call Approach Control. Plan to call from 20+ miles out. If this is your first contact with ATC, include your altitude and your approximate position:

Pilot: “Cedar Rapids Approach, Cirrus 822GT, Information Alpha, request full-stop landing at Cedar Rapids” (from the practice area) or “Cedar Rapids Approach, Cirrus 822GT, 20 miles north of the field, descending through 3,500, Information Alpha, request full-stop landing at Cedar Rapids”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Cedar Rapids Approach, squawk 0211”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, squawk 0211”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, radar contact 18 miles north of the Cedar Rapids airport, say altitude leaving”.

Pilot “Cirrus 822GT, leaving 3,200”

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, roger. Enter a right base for runway 27”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, right base runway 27”.

Closer to the airport, Approach will hand the flight off to Tower:

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, contact Tower at 118.7”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, Tower 118.7”.

Pilot: “Cedar Rapids Tower, Cirrus 822GT, approaching a right base for runway 27”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Cedar Rapids Tower, wind 280 at 8, runway 27, cleared to land”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, runway 27, cleared to land”.

After landing:

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, say parking”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, northwest T’s”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, turn right at Alpha Three, taxi to parking, this frequency”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, right at Alpha Three, taxi to parking, this frequency”.

It is also possible that Tower instructs you to contact Ground Control after landing, like this:

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, turn right at Alpha Three, contract Ground on 121.9”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, turn right at Alpha Three, contact Ground 121.9”.

After clearing the runway on taxiway A3, taxi past the runway hold short line, and contact Ground Control:

Pilot: “Cedar Rapids Ground, Cirrus 822GT is at Alpha Three, request taxi to the northwest T’s”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Cedar Rapids Ground, taxi to the northwest T’s”.

VFR take-off from a Class D airport

Obtain ATIS or other available weather broadcast. When ready for taxi, call Ground Control for taxi instructions:

Pilot: “Dubuque Ground, Cirrus 822GT, VFR departure to Cedar Rapids, at the FBO with Information Echo, request taxi”.

If instead of an ATIS (with information letter) there is merely an AWOS or ASOS weather broadcast, you can refer to that as “the numbers” – e.g. “… at the FBO with the numbers, request taxi”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Dubuque Ground, runway 36, taxi via Charlie, cross runway 31 at Charlie”.

Pilot: “Runway 36, taxi via Charlie, cross 31 at Charlie”.

Proceed to the run-up pad, perform the run-up, departure briefing, radio setup and anything else needed before departure. When fully ready, change to the Tower frequency, leave the run-up pad and taxi to the assigned runway. Make sure to stop short of the runway hold short line unless cleared for take-off. Call Tower when you are at or near the hold short line.

Pilot: “Dubuque Tower, Cirrus 822GT, ready for departure, runway 36”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Dubuque Tower, wind 340 at 10, left turn direct destination approved, runway 36, cleared for take-off”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, left direct destination, cleared for take-off runway 36”.

Take-off, start your initial climb and turn to the heading requested by Tower. Upon reaching the boundary of the Class D airspace, Tower will call you:

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, you are leaving my airspace, frequency change approved”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, roger, leaving your frequency”.

VFR landing at a Class D airport

Obtain ATIS. Then call the Tower with your altitude and your approximate position from outside the Class D airspace:

Pilot: “Dubuque Tower, Cirrus 822GT, Information Foxtrot, ten miles west of Dubuque at 3,500, request full-stop landing at Dubuque”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, Dubuque Tower, report a three-mile left base runway 36”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, will report three-mile left base runway 36”.

Navigate to the left base for runway 36. When three miles out:

Pilot “Cirrus 822GT, three-mile left base runway 36”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, wind is calm, runway 36, cleared to land”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, runway 36, cleared to land”.

After landing:

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, say parking”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, going to the FBO”.

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, turn right at Delta, taxi to the FBO, cross runway 13, remain this frequency”.

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, right at Delta, taxi to the FBO, cross runway 13, this frequency”.

Uncontrolled Airports

Uncontrolled airports are airports without an operating control tower. Instead of controllers guiding aircraft on the surface and in the air around the airport, pilots use discretion to taxi, take off and land. They announce their position and intentions on a radio frequency called CTAF (common traffic advisory frequency), thereby enabling other pilots in the vicinity to build a mental picture of nearby traffic.

Since multiple airports typically share one CTAF frequency, all calls begin and end with the name of the airport. Abbreviated callsigns are often used for brevity; it is also not uncommon to use the color of the aircraft instead of the callsign (e.g. “white and blue Cherokee”) – after all, the calls are not meant for air traffic control, but are supposed to help other pilots see you and understand what you are about to do.

Typical calls include:

  • “Vinton traffic, Cirrus 2GT, five miles to the southeast at 3,000, will enter the pattern for runway 27, full stop landing, Vinton”.
  • Vinton traffic, Cirrus 2GT, left downwind runway 27, full stop, Vinton”.
  • Vinton traffic, Cirrus 2GT, left base runway 27, full stop, Vinton”.
  • Vinton traffic, Cirrus 2GT, final runway 27, full stop, Vinton”.
  • Vinton traffic, Cirrus 2GT, clear of the runway, taxing to the ramp”.
  • Vinton traffic, Cirrus 2GT, back-taxiing runway 9 for departure, Vinton”.
  • Vinton traffic, Cirrus 2GT, departing runway 9, will leave the area to the east, Vinton”.
  • Vinton traffic, Cirrus 2GT, clear of the pattern, Vinton”.

Aircraft Callsigns

Your aircraft callsign is based on the registration number, e.g. N822GT or N70TB. For the initial call to an ATC facility, the letter N (November) is replaced with the aircraft type or model: “Cirrus 822GT”. On subsequent calls, either “Cirrus 822GT” or “N822GT” are used.

Callsigns can be abbreviated to the last three digits/letters, preceded by N or the type/model: “N2GT”, or “Cirrus 2GT”. Pilots always first contact an ATC facility with the full callsign; only after ATC uses the abbreviated version may the pilot do so as well.

Traffic Advisories

ATC will point out other nearby aircraft to help avoid collisions, or to help spot another aircraft to follow to the airport for landing:

ATC: “Cirrus 822GT, traffic at your 2 o’clock, three miles, 3,000 feet, a Cessna 172, report traffic in sight”.

Depending on whether you see the other aircraft or not, respond as follows:

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, negative contact, looking for the Cessna”.

or:

Pilot: “Cirrus 822GT, traffic in sight”.

What to read back

With all the things spelled out in the regulations, you might think there are clear rules for what information should be read back by the pilot to confirm correct reception of the ATC instructions, and which ones don’t. Well, there’s actually not much in the regulations about this.

The AIM provides the following guidance: “Pilots of airborne aircraft should read back those parts of ATC clearances and instructions containing altitude assignments or vectors as a means of mutual verification”. In a different section, the AIM states: “You should acknowledge all callups or clearances unless the controller or FSS specialist advises otherwise”.

Acknowledgement, as written here, can be as simple as “Cirrus 822GT, roger” (I understood) or “Cirrus 822GT, WILCO” (I will comply). Other forms of acknowledgement are just saying one’s callsign (“Cirrus 822GT”), or pushing the push-to-talk switch twice quickly.

As a best practice, you should read back the following:

  • heading assignments 
  • altitude assignments 
  • speed assignments 
  • runway assignments
  • altimeter settings 
  • rate of climb or descent assignments
  • route changes, including holding pattern instructions
  • approach and landing clearances
  • takeoff and departure clearances 
  • runway hold short instructions
  • taxi instructions

For anything NOT on the above list, WILCO or roger will be sufficient. That way, a good balance of brevity and clarity is maintained.