Every flight starts at an airport. There’s a lot of radio calls to master in the airport environment. This is the starting point for airport-related radio call practice. This article alone is not sufficient for mastery. Practice listening to Live ATC on the web or with a handheld radio. Practice writing what your hear. Practice speaking out loud your responses.
| TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.) ATIS & AWOS 2.) Taxiing (towered) 3.) Taxiing (NON-towered) |
Ground
ATIS India
You’re on the ground at KHIO, a towered delta airport in Oregon. After engine start, you listen to the ATIS. It sounds a little something like this. . .
Transcript
“Hillsboro Airport information India, 1553Z observation. Winds calm, visibility 9. Light rain. Ceiling 2900 Broken, 3600 Broken, 6500 Overcast. Temperature 9, dewpoint 8 altimeter 3018 RNAV 31L approach in use. Landing and departing runway 31L and 31R. No flight following or practice approaches with portland departure. NOTAMs: Newberg VOR out-of-service. Runway 20 PAPIs out of service”
ATIS Mike
“Hillsboro airport information Mike, 1753Z Winds 160 at 7, visibility 10. Light rain. Ceiling 7000 Broken. 8,000 Overcast. Temperature 9, dewpoint 7. Altimeter 2992. Remarks: Pressure rapidly rising. RNAV 31L approach in use. Landing and departing runway 31L and 31R. UAS Activity 1 nautical mile north of the airport at 100 feet AGL. Newburg VOR unusable, runway 20 PAPIs out of service. Advise on initial contact, you have information Mike.”
Albany (S12) AWOS
“Albany Municipal Airport automated weather observation 1705Z. Winds 180 at 4 knots. Visibility more than 10. Sky condition clear below 12,000 Temperature 11 Celsius, dewpoint 10 Celsius. Altimeter 3022 Inches of Mercury.”
ATIS Juliette
“Hillsboro information Juliette, 1653Z Winds 120 at 4, visibility 6. Light rain. mist. Few clouds 4,200 Ceiling 4900 Broken. 6,000 Overcast. Temperature 9, dewpoint 9. Altimeter 3021 RNAV 31L approach in use. Landing and departing runway 31L and 31R. Notices to Airmen: Newburg VOR out of service, runway 20 PAPIs out of service. Hazardous weather information for Oregon and Washington available on flight service frequencies. Portland approach is not accepting any flight following or practice approaches. advise on initial contact, you have information Juliette.”
“Hazardous weather information available…” -> this is referring to an Airmet, Sigmet or Convective Sigmet is active in the area.
Taxi
Parking->Runup->Runway (KHIO)
In this scenario, you are at Hillsboro Aero Academy. You need to perform a run-up before you takeoff. At this airport, the runup area is within the non-movement area (the parking area not controlled by ATC), so, you will simply notify to Hillsboro ground that you are going to the runup area. When you’re ready to taxi to the runway, you will need a taxi clearance because you’ll need to enter a taxiway.
Practice speaking out loud what the pilot says. . .
Pilot: “Hillsboro ground, Cessna 757JX at HAA taxi runup with Juliette southbound departure”
Ground: “Cessna 757JX Roger”
Now, after runup is complete. . .
Pilot: “Hillsboro ground 7JX ready taxi active”
Ground:
“Cessna 7JX runway 31L on Alpha-8 taxi via Alpha-8“
Pilot: “7JX taxi 31L on Alpha-8 via Alpha-8”
“31L ON ALPHA-8” -> This specifically means taxi to the 31L/A8 INTERSECTION. You will be doing an intersection departure, NOT taking off from the beginning of the runway.
BLUE: notify ground you are moving to the runup area
YELLOW: this is the runup area. it is not located in a taxiway, therefore you do not require a taxi clearance.
RED: BEFORE you taxi on A8, you need a taxi clearance, because this IS a taxiway.
Parking->Runup->Runway (KLVK)
In this scenario, you’re at a more usual airport. Here, the runup area is next to the runway. You have just finished refueling at the unattended “self-serve” refueling station:
Practice speaking out loud what the pilot says. . .
Pilot: “Livermore ground, CareerTrack330 at Self-Serve-Fuel taxi 25R with Mike”
Ground: “CareerTrack330, Livermore Ground. Runway 25R taxi via Juliette, Bravo.“
Pilot: “25R via Juliette, Bravo. CareertrTack330”
This taxi clearance allows you to taxi to Bravo and perform runup in the designated runup area at B. Once your runup is complete, contact tower directly for takeoff clearance.
YELLOW: these are the runup areas. They are within the taxiways, so you will first get taxi clearance, then follow your clearance to the runup area and runway.
Parking->Runup->Runway (KSEE)
You have just finished refueling at the unattended “self-serve” refueling station. You are ready to taxi for runup and departure.
Practice speaking out loud what the pilot says. . .
Pilot: “Gillespie ground, Cessna 26089R at Self-Serve-Fuel taxi active with Yankee”
Ground: “Cessna 26089R Gillespie Ground good afternoon runway 27R taxi via Alpha, Delta, cross runway 35“
Pilot: “27R via Alpha, Delta, cross 35. 89R”
This taxi clearance allows you to taxi all the way to the runway at taxiway Delta and perform runup in the designated runup area at Delta. Once your runup is complete, contact tower directly for takeoff clearance.
This time try identifying the runup area yourself!
Look for the “shoulder” area next to taxiway Delta nearby the runway. This is the runup area, very similar to KLVK (and many other airports).
Runway->Parking (KHIO)
In this scenario, you’ve just landed and would like to return to parking at Hillsboro Aero Academy (HAA). Here’s what the dialogue sounds like
Practice speaking out loud what the pilot says. . .
Pilot: “Hillsboro Ground Cessna 6605P on Alpha-5 request taxi HAA”
Ground: “Cessna 6605P, Hillsboro Ground, taxi via Alpha, Mike, Cross runway 2 at Alpha“
Pilot: “Taxi Alpha, Mike, Cross runway 2 at Alpha. 05P”
Runway->Parking (KHIO)
Practice speaking out loud what the pilot says. . .
Pilot: “Hillsboro Ground Cessna 25836 on Delta-3 request taxi HAA”
Ground: “Cessna 25836, Hillsboro Ground, taxi to parking via Delta, Charlie, hold short runway 31L at Charlie“
Pilot: “taxi Dela Charlie hold short 31L at Charlie”
While waiting on taxiway charlie (green star) you hear. . .
Ground: “uh 836, Cross runway 31L at Charlie, cross runway 2 at Alpha. Continue via Alpha, Mike. Traffic will be holding in position”
Pilot: “Cross 31L at Charlie, cross 2 at Alpha. Taxi Alpha Mike”
“Traffic will be holding in position” -> Ground is informing you that there is traffic, but they will be stopped for you, so you do not need to be concerned. This does not need to be read-back.
Notice, on your first taxi instruction, ATC told you to wait and hold short at a runway. While you wait here, stay alert to radio calls and keep your pencil and paper ready to write! ATC may call you suddenly, and often will want you to cross the runway in a timely manner.
NON-TOWERED!
Runway->Refueling Station (KMMV)
Now, at a NON-towered airport, each pilot will need to announce their taxi instead of requesting it! Here, the pilot has just landed and is announcing their taxi to the refueling station.
Practice speaking out loud what the pilot says. . .
Pilot: “McMinnville Traffic Cessna 48868 Crossing runway 0-4 at delta and then via A2 taxi to fuel station McMinnville Traffic”
