EXCHANGING MESSAGES:

PRACTICES AND SERVICES SECTION 3 (FLIGHT RADIO COURSE)

INITIAL CALL & RESPONSE: my aircraft registration is EYC. I’m calling Christchurch Tower.

An example of me making an initial call, calling Christchurch Tower and the response call from Christchurch Tower:

EYC (ECHO YANKEE CHARLIE): Christchurch Tower, ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee

CHCH TWR: ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee, Christchurch Tower

REQUEST & REPLY: If it’s a request to enter a control zone, and the Christchurch Tower response message may look like….

[my aircraft call sign: “EYC”, ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee]

EYC (ME): ECH oh YANG kee CHAR lee, overhead Lincoln, wun TOU SAND FIFE HUN-dred feet, request clearance to enter control zone, Two POB, information Foxtrot

WUN ZE-RO WUN ZE-RO.

CHCH Twr: ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee, cleared to enter the zone, WUN TOU SAND FIFE HUN-dred feet or below, track direct to and report at Riccarton racecourse, Foxtrot WUN ZE-RO WUN ZE-RO.

READBACK: Every clearance and instruction from an Air Traffic Services (ATS) unit must be read back. In this case, the specific entry into the zone must be ready back. It would look like… [My aircraft is EYC]

EYC: Cleared into the zone, WUN TOU-sand FIFE HUN-dred feet or below, track direct to and report at Riccarton Racecourse, ECK oh YANG key CHAR lee.

OTHER TIMES A READBACK IS REQUIRED: A pilot is required to acknowledge receipt of the following ATC clearances, information or instructions, which are transmitted by voice, by a full read back followed by the aircraft call sign in the following circumstances;

• ATC route, approach and departure clearances including any amendment thereof

• Clearances to VFR flights to operate within controlled airspace, including entering or vacating the circuit.

Clearances (including conditional clearances) to operate on the maneuvering area at a controlled area at a controlled aerodrome including:

1. Clearances to land on or take off from any runway

2. Clearances to enter, cross, taxi or backtrack on any runway

3. Instructions to remain on or hold clear of any runway

4. Taxi instructions including a taxi route and holding point where specified

ACKNOWLEDGING A MESSAGE: If not a clearance or instruction, a read-back is not expected or required. In such cases if you want the other station to acknowledge that you have received information, you simply respond with your call sign. For example, if you want to know what time it is, you can request this from ATC, they will reply, and then you can acknowledge that as follows;

IN ORDER = [I’m greeting/starting with: Invercargill Tower and say my call sign and ask the time]

Next Slide :)

Me (EYC) to Invercargill Tower asking for time:

EYC: Invercargill Tower, ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee, time check.

Invercargill Tower Response:

Twr: ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee, time FIFE TOO

My last response:

EYC: ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee.

Radio transmissions when clear (exiting) a control zone:

My aircraft call sign: EYC and I’m talking to TWR.

Next Slide

Twr first transmission:

Twr: ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee, report when clear of the zone

My response to Twr:

EYC: ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee is clear of the zone

Twr last response:

Twr: ECK oh YANG kee CHAR lee (The word “roger” or any other transmission is not required.)

Corrections and Repetitions:

If an error is made when a station is reading back a transmission, it can be corrected by the use of the word correction. For example, if an aircraft with the registration pah PAH AL fah FOKS trot (PAF) was reporting its position and made an error, it would look like this;

My aircraft: PAF

next slide :))

Me first (Callsign: PAF)

PAF: Kaikoura Traffic, pah PAH AL fah FOKS trot is fife miles south of the field, CORRECTION fife miles north of the field, wun TOU-SAND FIFE HUN-dred feet, tracking to join overhead.

If you do not hear a transmission, or all of the transmission, and want it to be repeated, you can use the phrase…

“Say again”