In this article, weโre going to help all you new pilots out there who are struggling with ATC communication phrases.
Learning how to talk to air traffic control is stressful for many new pilots. But with a little practice you’ll get the hang of it and begin to feel comfortable talking to atc.
Remembering specific radio calls can be difficult to learn at first. But once you become familiar with a few phrases, youโll be piloting in a controlled environment in no time.
Your flight instructor should cover all of these with you as you go through your private pilot training.
If you’re flight training at a controlled airport you’ll have plenty of opportunities to practice radio calls and get accustomed to speaking with tower.
However, if your training is at an uncontrolled tower where you’re using the common traffic advisory frequency you’ll want to spend more time practicing calls with your instructor and you should fly into at least a few controlled airports to get more practical experience.
Here are 10 atc communication terms you should know along with examples of how to use these phrases when talking pilot to atc.
WILCO
โWilcoโ is a term you may hear on the radio after a pilot receives instructions from Air Traffic Control. Itโs the short form of the phrase โWill Complyโ.
When you as a pilot say โWilcoโ, youโre letting ATC know that โYou have received their message, understand it, and will comply with it.โ1
Even though this term may be used to acknowledge youโve received instructions, itโs always a good idea to follow this up by repeating the instructions you received from ATC so thereโs no miscommunication on what theyโre telling you to do.
Roger
โRogerโ is another example of a response that youโve probably heard quite often when pilots are replying to ATC. This is simply stating that โYou have received all of their last transmission.โ
However, the term โRogerโ should never be used as a response to a yes or no question. In those cases, the correct response would be either โAffirmativeโ or โNegativeโ.
Line Up and Wait
When tower wants to keep things moving quickly, you may get a clearance from them to โLine up and Waitโ. This is telling you as the pilot, to taxi the aircraft onto the runway.
But to then sit there and await further clearance.
It does NOT clear you for takeoff. You must wait for tower to give you further clearance before actually taking off.
The โLine up and Waitโ clearance is given in situations that don’t allow for a normal takeoff clearance to be given. Like when an aircraft that just landed is still on the runway but will be exiting shortly.
Traffic Calls
When ATC wants to tell you where other traffic is around you, theyโll use โClock Positions.โ
Where 12 oโclock is directly ahead, and 6 oโclock is directly behind you.
Keep in mind that when theyโre telling you the trafficโs position, ATC is referencing your ground track and is not aware of any wind correction angles that you may be applying.
An example of a traffic callout would be like this: โN31469, traffic 2 oโclock, 4 miles, opposite direction, same altitudeโ.
They are pointing out the location, distance, and direction of the traffic in reference to you. Itโs now up to you as the pilot to respond appropriately.
If you physically see the aircraft that ATC is trying to make you aware of, you may respond with โTraffic in Sightโ. This does not apply if you can only see the traffic on your displays or screens in the aircraft. You must actually make visual contact with the traffic to have the โTraffic in Sightโ.
If you donโt have that traffic in sight, the appropriate response is โNegative Contactโ. This informs ATC that you are unable to see that traffic, and may need help avoiding it.
Landing Sequence
If youโre flying into a busy airport, ATC may be talking to multiple aircraft rapidly.
Many of those clearances would be authorizations for pilots to land.
Instead of waiting for each pilot to land before clearing the next one to land, tower may clear many pilots to land in a certain order based on how theyโre sequenced to arrive to the runway.
An example of this may be โN31469, you are cleared to land, runway one eight, number 3โ.
So in this example, youโre the third aircraft that is cleared to land. Meaning there are two other aircraft that will get to land before you do.
As in all scenarios, situational awareness is vital. You need to be aware of the locations of all the other aircraft and your order in the landing sequence.
A Proper Takeoff Call
After completing your run-up, youโll need to let tower know youโre ready for departure.
First, let them know who you are, where you are, and then what youโd like to do. Try to give them as much information as possible so they can plan appropriately.
An example of one of these calls might be something like this: โAddison Tower, Skyhawk N31469, holding short of runway 16 on Alpha, VFR departure to the eastโ.
After that call, tower will give you further instructions or at least acknowledge you. They might clear you for takeoff or maybe tell you to line up and wait.
Alternatively, they may just say โrogerโ or โIn sequenceโ which simply means they have you queued up in the order of departures to leave the airport.
As always, read back any instructions they give you in order to minimize confusion.
Exit the Runway
The instructions and terminology that come right after you land can be tricky. So itโs important you understand whatโs expected of you and how to respond. Depending on the situation, you may be asked to โExit the Runwayโ at a specific intersection.
Try to exit at that specific intersection, but only if itโs safe to do so. If itโs not, continue past that exit and take the next one.
Now, when tower tells you to exit the runway, there are a few different ways they might want you to handle the radios.
The first is when they tell you to โContact Groundโ. This means they want you to completely exit the runway and stop after exiting. Then, when youโre able to, call up the ground frequency and tell them where you are, and where you would like to taxi to.
Another option is when they say to โMonitor Groundโ. If ATC already knows where youโre going, theyโll likely give you taxi instructions and tell you to monitor ground.
Read back any instructions they give you, then switch to the ground frequency after exiting, but you donโt need to check in with the ground controllers since you were told to monitor. If they need to talk to you, theyโll call you.
Another common phrase is โStay with meโ. This is typically given to pilots after they land and there is very little activity at the airport, or there is only one controller operating all the airportโs control frequencies. When they say โStay with meโ, that just means for the pilot to not change to the ground control frequency, but rather stay on the tower frequency as they taxi.
One more thing to note when receiving instructions after landing is controllers will often refer to the ground control frequency by just the decimal portion of the frequency. For example, if the frequency is 121.6, they may say โContact ground point 6โ rather than reading out the full frequency.
Resume Own Nav
The phrase โResume Own Navโ is โused by ATC to advise a pilot to resume his/her own navigational responsibility.
Basically, this tells the pilot that ATC is no longer governing the course/heading of their aircraft, and itโs up to the pilot to navigate to their destination or to the next location they were cleared to.
Hold Short
When you want to move location on an airport surface, whether taxiing to the runway or just moving the aircraft to another hangar, the ground controller may give you clearance to taxi, but might tell you to โHold shortโ of a specific location like a runway or another taxiway.
An example of this would be if the controller told you โN31469, taxi to runway 15 via Alpha, hold short taxiway Sierra for opposite direction traffic.โ
In this instance, you must stop prior to reaching the entrance of taxiway sierra when you are taxiing on taxiway alpha. Only by receiving further instruction from ATC can you continue taxiing past that point.
Squawk VFR
When the ATC tower is no longer controlling or guiding you, they will tell you to โSquawk VFRโ.
This is them telling you that you need to change the code that is set in your transponder to be transmitting the code 1200.
This is the universal squawk code that means your aircraft is governed by Visual Flight Rules, and that youโre not receiving any Flight Following or other radar separation services.
Talking to ATC with Confidence
These are just a few phrases and terms that you as a pilot need to be familiar with and understand in order to operate safely in a controlled environment.
There are of course many others that are important too, which is why we recommend you talk to an instructor and review resources like the โPilot/Controller Glossaryโ, which can be found either online or in the back of most FAR/AIMs, in order to continue to familiarize yourself with proper radio communications and phraseology. Consistently studying these resources will help you become more comfortable talking to atc.
ATC Communication Examples
Below are some common examples of ATC communications that you may hear over the radio.
1. Clearance Delivery
Pilot (on Clearance Delivery frequency):
Pilot: “Clearance Delivery, N123AB, IFR to Dallas/Fort Worth, ready to copy.”
Controller:
Controller: “N123AB, Clearance Delivery, cleared to the Dallas/Fort Worth airport via the ABC One Departure, climb via SID, then as filed. Maintain 5,000. Departure frequency 123.9, squawk 4567.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Cleared to Dallas/Fort Worth via the ABC One Departure, climb via SID, maintain 5,000, departure on 123.9, squawk 4567, N123AB.”
2. Ground Control
Pilot (on Ground frequency, requesting taxi):
Pilot: “Ground, N123AB at the FBO, taxi with information Charlie.”
Controller:
Controller: “N123AB, taxi to Runway 17 via taxiways Bravo and Alpha. Hold short of Runway 17.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Taxi to Runway 17 via Bravo and Alpha, hold short of 17, N123AB.”
3. Tower Departure
Pilot (switching to Tower frequency, ready for departure):
Pilot: “Tower, N123AB holding short of Runway 17, ready for takeoff.”
Controller:
Controller: “N123AB, Tower, wind 170 at 8 knots, Runway 17, cleared for takeoff.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Cleared for takeoff, Runway 17, N123AB.”
4. Departure Frequency Handoff
Pilot (after takeoff, switching to Departure frequency):
Pilot: “Departure, N123AB, passing 1,600 for 5,000.”
Controller:
Controller: “N123AB, radar contact. Continue climb to 10,000, turn left heading 140.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Climb to 10,000, left heading 140, N123AB.”
5. Approach & Arrival
Pilot (contacting Approach Control):
Pilot: “Approach, N123AB, level at 5,000, requesting RNAV Runway 27 approach.”
Controller:
Controller: “N123AB, Approach, fly heading 270, vectors for the RNAV Runway 27 approach. Expect to intercept final approach course near XYZ waypoint.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Heading 270 for vectors, expect RNAV 27 approach at XYZ, N123AB.”
6. Tower Landing Clearance
Pilot (switching to Tower frequency, inbound for landing):
Pilot: “Tower, N123AB, 4 miles final, Runway 27.”
Controller:
Controller: “N123AB, Tower, wind 250 at 10, Runway 27, cleared to land.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Cleared to land, Runway 27, N123AB.”
7. Ground After Landing
Pilot (switching to Ground frequency after clearing the runway):
Pilot: “Ground, N123AB, clear of Runway 27 at Taxiway Bravo, taxi to parking.”
Controller:
Controller: “N123AB, Ground, taxi to the ramp via Bravo and Charlie.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Via Bravo, Charlie, to the ramp, N123AB.”
8. VFR Traffic Pattern
Pilot (initial call to Tower in the pattern):
Pilot: “Tower, Cessna 456CD, midfield downwind, Runway 09, touch-and-go.”
Controller:
Controller: “Cessna 456CD, Tower, report base.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Report base, 456CD.”
(Later on base legโฆ)
Pilot: “Tower, 456CD, base, Runway 09.”
Controller:
Controller: “Cessna 456CD, Runway 09, cleared touch-and-go.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Cleared touch-and-go, Runway 09, 456CD.”
9. Holding Instructions
Pilot (IFR, en route but advised to hold):
Pilot: “Center, N789XY, level at 10,000.”
Controller:
Controller: “N789XY, Center, hold west of the ABC VOR on the 270 radial, 10-mile legs, left turns, maintain 10,000. Expect further clearance at 15:20 Zulu.”
Pilot (readback):
Pilot: “Hold west of ABC on the 270 radial, 10-mile legs, left turns, maintain 10,000, expect further at 15:20, N789XY.”
10. Emergency Example
Pilot (declaring emergency):
Pilot: “Center, N123AB declaring an emergency, engine failure, requesting immediate vectors to the nearest airport.”
Controller:
Controller: “N123AB, Center, roger, squawk 7700. Nearest suitable airport is Smithfield, heading 090, 15 miles. Report souls on board and fuel remaining.”
Pilot:
Pilot: “Heading 090 to Smithfield, 2 souls on board, 3 hours of fuel, N123AB.”